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Motion for a resolution | Doc. 13364 | 11 December 2013

Freedom of religion and religious practices

Signatories: Mr Sandro GOZI, Italy, NR ; Mr Aydin ABBASOV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Lord Donald ANDERSON, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Anna ASCANI, Italy, NR ; Mr Francisco ASSIS, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Viorel Riceard BADEA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Theodora BAKOYANNIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Joana BARATA LOPES, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr José María BENEYTO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Levan BERDZENISHVILI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Andris BĒRZINŠ, Latvia, ALDE ; Ms Eka BESELIA, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Ana BIRCHALL, Romania, SOC ; Mr Ľuboš BLAHA, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Mr Jean-Marie BOCKEL, France, EPP/CD ; Mr António BRAGA, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Alessandro BRATTI, Italy, NR ; Mr Márton BRAUN, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Mevlüt ÇAVUŞOĞLU, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Otto CHALOUPKA, Czech Republic, EDG ; Mr Khalid CHAOUKI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Irakli CHIKOVANI, Georgia, ALDE ; Mr Vannino CHITI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Tudor-Alexandru CHIUARIU, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Lolita ČIGĀNE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Boriss CILEVIČS, Latvia, SOC ; Ms Gitta CONNEMANN, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Telmo CORREIA, Portugal, EDG ; Mr Carlos COSTA NEVES, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Katalin CSÖBÖR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Armand De DECKER, Belgium, ALDE ; Mr Reha DENEMEÇ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Arcadio DÍAZ TEJERA, Spain, SOC ; Mr Şaban DİŞLİ, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Damian DRĂGHICI, Romania, SOC ; Ms Tülin ERKAL KARA, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Sevinj FATALIYEVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Thomas FEIST, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Oleksandr FELDMAN, Ukraine, EDG ; Mr Cătălin Daniel FENECHIU, Romania, ALDE ; Mr Mihai-Viorel FIFOR, Romania, SOC ; Mr Axel E. FISCHER, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Daniel FLOREA, Romania, SOC ; Mr Martin FRONC, Slovak Republic, EPP/CD ; Ms Sahiba GAFAROVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Ioan GHISE, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Maria GIANNAKAKI, Greece, NR ; Mr Zbigniew GIRZYŃSKI, Poland, NR ; Mr Pavol GOGA, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Ms Alina Ştefania GORGHIU, Romania, ALDE ; Ms Lea GREČKOVÁ, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Mr Attila GRUBER, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Gergely GULYÁS, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Sabir HAJIYEV, Azerbaijan, SOC ; Mr Adam HOFMAN, Poland, NR ; Mr Ali HUSEYNLI, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Rafael HUSEYNOV, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Ms Monica Maria IACOB RIDZI, Romania, NR ; Mr Fazail İBRAHIMLI, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Mr Florin IORDACHE, Romania, SOC ; Mr Tedo JAPARIDZE, Georgia, SOC ; Mr Ferenc KALMÁR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Mariusz KAMIŃSKI, Poland, NR ; Mr Jan KAŹMIERCZAK, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Akif Çağatay KILIÇ, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Attila KORODI, Romania, EPP/CD ; Ms Athina KYRIAKIDOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Luís LEITE RAMOS, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Ms Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Thierry MARIANI, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Nursuna MEMECAN, Turkey, ALDE ; Ms Ana Catarina MENDONÇA, Portugal, SOC ; Mr João Bosco MOTA AMARAL, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Fazil MUSTAFA, Azerbaijan, ALDE ; Ms Oľga NACHTMANNOVÁ, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Mr József NAGY, Slovak Republic, EPP/CD ; Mr Marian NEACŞU, Romania, SOC ; Ms Ganira PASHAYEVA, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Florin Costin PÂSLARU, Romania, SOC ; Mr Ľubomir PETRÁK, Slovak Republic, SOC ; Ms Foteini PIPILI, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Yves POZZO DI BORGO, France, EPP/CD ; Ms Lia QUARTAPELLE PROCOPIO, Italy, NR ; Ms Eva RICHTROVÁ, Czech Republic, SOC ; Mr Adam ROGACKI, Poland, NR ; Ms Maria de Belém ROSEIRA, Portugal, SOC ; Mr Rovshan RZAYEV, Azerbaijan, EPP/CD ; Mr Aleksandrs SAKOVSKIS, Latvia, SOC ; Mr Rudy SALLES, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Samad SEYIDOV, Azerbaijan, EDG ; Mr Arturas SKARDŽIUS, Lithuania, SOC ; Mr Vilmos SZABÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Spyridon TALIADOUROS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Mehmet TEKELİOĞLU, Turkey, EDG ; Mr Konstantinos TRIANTAFYLLOS, Greece, SOC ; Mr Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EDG ; Ms Theodora TZAKRI, Greece, SOC ; Mr Konstantinos TZAVARAS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Karl-Georg WELLMANN, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Łukasz ZBONIKOWSKI, Poland, NR ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

On 1 October 2013, the Parliamentary Assembly adopted Resolution 1952 (2013) on Children’s right to physical integrity, in which the circumcision of young boys for religious reasons is also referred to as being detrimental to the physical integrity of children. Though, it should be noted that old faiths like Judaism and Islam have been performing circumcision for centuries and still practice it as a religious rite which does not present risks for children and should be respected as a longstanding religious tradition.

In this context, freedom of religions is recognised in Article 9 of the European Convention on human rights (on freedom of thought, conscience and religion) but also promoted and defended by the Assembly which always advocated religious tolerance in several texts including Resolution 1928 (2013) on “Safeguarding human rights in relation to religion and belief, and protecting religious communities from violence”, Recommendation 1962 (2011) on “The religious dimension of intercultural dialogue” and Recommendation 1720 (2005) on “Education and religion”.

In order to enhance co-operation and dialogue with different religious communities in our societies, the Assembly should make further recommendations regarding tolerance of different religious practices (including circumcision), encouraging mutual understanding and respect, as well as better information and education on religions.