Faith, Law, and Public Life: Transboundary Legal Responses to Both Secular and Religious Fundamentalism

Dear Colleagues,

Across regions and legal traditions, societies are grappling with renewed forms of fundamentalism—both religious and secular—that profoundly shape public life. From assertive laïcité projects to theocratic or exclusivist movements, contemporary forms of fundamentalism challenge constitutional orders, human rights commitments, social cohesion, and the governance of increasingly pluralistic democracies. These dynamics are not confined by borders: they travel through diasporas, regional legal regimes, digital platforms, transnational financing, and cross-jurisdictional litigation strategies. As a result, courts, legislatures, regulators, educational systems, and administrative bodies are pressed to craft responses that are effective, proportionate, and rights-respecting.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Religions, which seeks to map and critically evaluate the legal and policy responses to both secular and religious fundamentalism, with particular attention to their transboundary character and implications for public life.

This Special Issue aims to (i) clarify concepts and typologies of “fundamentalism” in legal analysis; (ii) examine the design, implementation, and effects of legal responses across jurisdictions; and (iii) illuminate how cross-border interactions—regional human rights systems, mutual recognition frameworks, migration and asylum pathways, and global platform governance—shape the regulation of fundamentalism.

The scope aligns with journals that publish cutting-edge work in constitutional and administrative law, human rights law, international and comparative law, socio-legal studies, political science, and public policy. Contributions should centre on legal responses and their regulatory (both private and public law), or governance implications, while engaging (where relevant) with empirical evidence, doctrinal analysis, or interdisciplinary insights. We particularly welcome studies that connect local or national measures to regional and international frameworks (e.g., European, Inter-American, African, or comparative transnational perspectives), and that address the tensions between safeguarding fundamental rights—such as freedom of religion or belief, expression, equality, and non-discrimination—and countering harmful or exclusionary practices and discourses.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following.

• Constitutional design and judicial review: proportionality, strict scrutiny, militant democracy, and constitutional identity when addressing secular or religious fundamentalism.
• Rights in tension: freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, anti-discrimination, gender equality, children’s rights, and the regulation of hate speech, incitement, or blasphemy laws.
• Education, family, and public institutions: curricula, religious symbols, conscientious objection, family law disputes, and the governance of public spaces and services.
• Security and administrative measures: counter-extremism strategies, proscription regimes, surveillance and due process, de-radicalisation, and risk-based regulation.
• Transboundary dimensions: cross-border funding and NGO regulation; asylum, refugee, and immigration law; regional human rights courts and judicial dialogue; conflicts of laws; mutual recognition; and extraterritorial effects.
• Digital and platform governance: content moderation, algorithmic amplification, jurisdictional challenges, and co-regulatory models involving states and private platforms.
• Comparative and empirical approaches: mixed-methods socio-legal studies, case law datasets, policy evaluation, and practice-informed analyses from courts, regulators, and civil society.
• Policy design and implementation: evidence-based frameworks that reconcile pluralism and social peace with constitutional commitments and the rule of law.

We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research agendas and provide a coherent analytical framework for evaluating legal responses to fundamentalism across legal families and regions. By juxtaposing doctrinal, comparative, and empirical studies, the collection aims to (a) refine definitions and avoid overbreadth in the use of “fundamentalism”; (b) identify the trade-offs and unintended effects of regulatory interventions; (c) surface best practices that safeguard rights while addressing harms; and (d) guide policymakers, judiciaries, educators, and platform architects toward proportionate, transparent, and accountable solutions. Ultimately, the Special Issue aspires to strengthen rule-of-law safeguards, bolster inclusive democratic governance, and foster an evidence-based, cross-disciplinary conversation on how law can mediate deep worldview conflicts without sacrificing constitutional principles.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors first submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send your submission to the Guest Editors, Prof. Antonio Quirós-Fons (aquirosfons@gmail.com) and Prof. Francisca Pérez Madrid (fperezmadrid@gmail.com), and cc the Assistant Editor of Religions, Clare Chai (clare.chai@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors to ensure their relevance and fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will then undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Antonio Quirós-Fons
Prof. Dr. Francisca Perez Madrid
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• freedom of religion or belief (FoRB)
• international public order
• secular fundamentalism
• religious fundamentalism
• transboundary legal response
• human rights
• comparative law
• transnational regulation
• public policy
• platform governance