OSCE Meeting on Religious Freedom in Vienna - FOREF Statement & Recommentations

SUPPLEMENTARY HUMAN DIMENSION MEETING

ON FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF

9-10 December 2010 Hofburg, Vienna
___________________________________

Statement & Recommendations
AUSTRIA

BACKGROUND:

In Austria, we have over 66 percent Catholics and 2.9 Protestants. Islam, with 450 000 Muslims (4.2percent) constitutes the second largest faith community. Only 14 faith communities enjoy special privileges by the state. Another 10 are so-called “Confessional Communities.” There are approximately 600 religious minority groups, which are regarded as so-called “sects” and are targets of the anti-sect offices.  With a population of 8.2 million, Austria has no less than 33 anti – sect offices operating in the country. Proportionally, this marks an unmatched record in Europe and even on a global scale.

● Including the Federal Sect Observatory, there are five (5) state sponsored sect observation offices

● Nine (9) Catholic Sect Offices

● Seven (7) Protestant Sect Offices
● Four (4) Private Sect Offices
● and eight (8) Family Counseling Offices with special emphasis on “Sectarian
issues”.

Austria’s constitutionally granted freedom of religion and the neutrality of the state in religious matters are torpedoed by the following facts:

Invitation: CESNUR Conference - Turino, Italy, 9-11 September 2010

The 2010 International Conference

Changing Gods. Between Religion and Everyday Life

An International Conference organized by CESNUR, Italian Association of Sociology (AIS) - Sociology of Religions Section, and the School of Political Science - University of Torino

Torino, Italy, 9-11 September 2010

Università di Torino - Facoltà di Scienze Politiche - Via G. Plana 10

 

 PROGRAM

REGISTER here

Thursday 9th September

8,45-10 / Registration / Entrance hall
10-12,30 / Session 1 – Plenary / Great Hall (Room A) - Ground floor
Changing Gods

Chair: J. Gordon MELTON
Welcome Addresses
Roberto COTA (Governor of Piedmont)
Antonio SAITTA (President, Province of Torino)
Franco GARELLI (Chair, School of Political Science, University of Torino)
Massimo INTROVIGNE (Managing Director, CESNUR)
Enzo PACE (Chair, Sociology of Religions Section, AIS)
What’s Going On? Are the Gods Here, There or Everywhere?
Eileen BARKER (London School of Economics)
Diffused Religion and Prayer
Roberto CIPRIANI (University of Roma Tre)
The End of the Mass? Over-Reporting and Catholic Mass Attendance: An Empirical Study
PierLuigi ZOCCATELLI (CESNUR)

12,30 / Lunch (on your own)
14-16 / Parallel Sessions
14-16 / Session 2 / Room E - Ground floor
Pluralism and Globalization
Chair: Molly CHATALIC
Strange Bedfellows? Religious Pluralism, Exclusivism, and Certitude
Peter ADMIRAND (Trinity College, Dublin)
Religious Differences Lead to Linguistic Differences (Albanian Reality)
Rrezarta DRAÇINI (Luigj Gurakuqi University, Shkodra)
Europe Between Christian Identity and Multiculturalism
Alessandro IOVINO (Federico II University, Napoli)

14-16 / Session 3 / Room G - 1st floor
Islam and Globalization
Chair: Bernadette RIGAL-CELLARD
Two Neighbor Mosques in the Greater Lisbon Area: Proximity and Conflict Between Salafism and Sufism
José ANES (Lusíada University, Lisboa)
View of Male and Female Iranian Students. Gender Egalitarian Attitudes among the Women and the Younger Generation in Iran
Ehsaneh BAGHERI (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris)
Religious Pluralism and Qoran
Abrahim FALLAH (Islamic Azad University, Sari Branch)