The World Assembly,
NOTING that many inhabitants of member states have strong and often deep religious convictions,
CONVINCED that individuals have a universal right to their own religious beliefs,
CONCERNED that, in some member states, this right is threatened by the actions of the government or the prevailing cultural or religious practices,
ACKNOWLEDGING that there may be a compelling public interest to restrict this right under certain circumstances, such as the health and safety of others,
WISHING to remain neutral regarding the accuracy of religious beliefs,
HEREBY:
DEFINES a religious belief, for the purposes of this resolution, as an ideology or any part of an ideology that dictates behaviours, practices and morals on its believers for the purposes of spiritual enlightenment,
DEFINES a religious ritual, for the purposes of this resolution, as an act that is performed on the basis that such an act is required or encouraged by an individual's religious belief,
DEFINES a request, for the purposes of present and future international legislation and of putting an end to frivolous arguments, as an optional, non-mandatory and non-binding recommendation,
CLARIFIES that Clause Eight is non-mandatory,
AFFIRMS the right of all individuals within the World Assembly's jurisdiction to hold a religious belief,
REQUIRES member states to refrain from criminalising religious rituals that do not otherwise break national or international laws,
CLARIFIES that the below clause is non-mandatory,
REQUESTS member states, notwithstanding Clause Six, to refrain from criminalising religious rituals that otherwise break national laws, unless such rituals:
a) cause harm to other individuals,
b) cause undue suffering to non-sapient living beings,
c) cause damage to the property of other individuals or organisations without their consent, or
d) contradict extant WA legislation,
CLARIFIES that the above clause is non-mandatory,
CLARIFIES further that religious belief shall not constitute a legal defence, aggravation or extenuating circumstance in any situation other than the allowances that a member state willingly chooses to grant under Clause Eight,
FORBIDS member states from discriminating against individuals purely on the basis of their religious belief without a reasonable and compelling justification that abides by the principles laid out in the preamble and by prior unrepealed legislation,
DECLARES that the World Assembly shall make no statement on the validity of religious beliefs or the lack thereof,
REITERATES that Clause Eight is non-mandatory.
