A/HRC/55/47/Add.2 V. Main findings of the visit A. Pressure on the public manifestation of religion or belief 28. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights enshrine the universal right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief. In its general comment No. 22 (1993), the Human Rights Committee interprets article 18 of the Covenant. 29. This fundamental right includes the right to have, retain or change one’s theistic, nontheistic, atheistic or non-religious beliefs (forum internum); and the right, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest one’s religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching (forum externum). The two aspects of the right are interdependent; both protect people in their ability to believe, to exchange views on those beliefs, to shape religious and non-religious convictions, and allow people to live their lives according to their conscience. 30. The freedom to manifest religion or belief encompasses a broad range of acts, including ritual and ceremonial acts giving direct expression to belief, the building of places of worship, the wearing of distinctive clothing or head coverings, participation in rituals associated with certain stages of life, the freedom to choose religious leaders, priests and teachers, the freedom to establish seminaries or religious schools, and the freedom to prepare and distribute religious texts or publications,5 and is elaborated further in article 6 of the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. The freedom to manifest religion or belief can only be limited under the very strict criteria listed in article 18 (3) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 31. The Special Rapporteur found the understanding of religion and belief in Sweden almost exclusively focused on the dimension of the person’s inner conviction. This seems to echo a Lutheran understanding of redemption through faith alone (sola fide) but, from the perspective of other traditions, is unduly restrictive. The ban on ritual slaughter without prior stunning of or administration of anaesthetics to the animal, and public demands to outlaw religiously motivated circumcision of male infants, serve as examples. 32. The difficulties that Jews and Muslims face in exercising their religious rites in relation to ritual slaughter of animals and male circumcision are possible examples of an overly narrow understanding of what manifestation of religion can entail. Some Muslim groups and the Official Council of Swedish Jewish Communities consider the law requiring stunning of, or administration of anaesthetics to, animals prior to slaughter in conflict with their religious practices. They note that the need to import halal and kosher foods is very costly for their communities. With regard to male circumcision, the current law stipulates that it may be performed only by a licensed doctor6 or, for boys under the age of two months, by a person certified by the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, which certifies circumcisers, including mohels (individuals who perform the Jewish rite of circumcision), and requires the presence of a doctor who must administer anaesthesia to the infant. The National Board of Health and Welfare is reportedly mapping and discussing the need for revision of the regulations. 33. Calls for the banning of religiously motivated male circumcision, especially on social media, have been highly polarizing and paradigmatic of anti-minority societal discourse. Members of religious minorities reported experiencing hostility and the lack of a safe arena for communication, whether in relation to religious practices, public manifestations of religion, or highly negative stereotypes, for example of Muslims, who are often associated with terrorism and with discrimination against women. Such silent suffering, on a daily basis, results in feelings of alienation from the rest of society. In order to prevent cultural clashes and promote mutual understanding, it is imperative that more dialogue is encouraged between members of different religions and between those with and without a religious belief. A 5 6 6 Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 22 (1993). Act on Circumcision of Boys (2001:499). GE.24-04001