Religious Freedom And The Protection Of Minorities In The Arab And Inter-American Human Rights Systems:

A Comparative Legal Analysis of Normative Frameworks and Protection Mechanisms

Abstract

The article offers a qualitative, comparative legal analysis of how the Arab and Inter-American human rights systems protect freedom of religion and related rights, especially for religious minorities and non-believers. It shows that, while both systems formally guarantee religious freedom and prohibit discrimination, the Inter-American system has developed dense review standards and robust judicial mechanisms, whereas the Arab system, marked by dual normativity, the centrality of sharia and weak monitoring, has limited capacity to contest discriminatory or repressive practices. The study concludes that the core difference lies less in abstract formulations of rights than in the institutional and jurisprudential structures that enable international scrutiny of religious conflicts.