Freedom of religion is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance; the concept is generally recognized also to include the freedom to change religion or not to follow any religion.Freedom of religion is considered by many people and nations to be a fundamental human right. Thomas Jefferson once[when?] said "among the inestimable of our blessings, also, is that ...of liberty to worship our Creator in the way we think most agreeable to His will .
In a country with a state religion, freedom of religion is generally considered to mean that the government permits religious practices of other sects besides the state religion, and does not persecute believers in other faiths.
Many consider India to be the most tolerant in terms of religious freedom. Ancient Jews fleeing from persecution in their homeland 2,500 years ago settled in India and never faced antiSemitism. Freedom of religion edicts have been found written during ashoka the Great reign. Freedom to practise, preach and propagate any religion is a constitutional right in Modern India. Indians celebrate and respect the holy festivals of all major religions. India is a 80% Hindu country yet its Prime Minister is a Sikh, the leader of its largest political party is a Italian origin catholic and its previous president was a Muslim.
Today there are concerns[who?] about the persecution of religious minorities in the Muslim world[citation needed] and in some communist states such as China[citation needed] and North Korea[citation needed], as well as other forms of intolerance in other countries —for example, the banning of worn religious articles such as the Muslim veil, in certain European countries.[4] Article 18 of the U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights shows that it is a form of (spiritual) injustice when persons are denied the liberty to exercise their religious freedom.[5] Freedom of religion as a legal concept is related to, but not identical with, religious toleration, separation of church and state, or secular state (laïcité).
Where individuals and not governments are concerned, religious toleration is generally taken to refer to an attitude of acceptance towards other people's religions. Such toleration does not require that one view other religions as equally true; rather, the assumption is that each citizen will grant that others have the right to hold and practice their own beliefs. Against this backdrop, proselytism can be a contentious issue, as it could be regarded as an offense against the validity of others' religious beliefs, including irreligious belief.
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