Misconceptions of the religious ‘other’: the importance for human rights of objective and balanced knowledge

In a world in which we are faced with an ever-increasing religious diversity, the underlying assumption of this paper is that logical thought combined with accurate and reliable knowledge can make a significant contribution to the reduction of conflicts that arise through fallacious arguments and through both ignorance and misinformation of the beliefs and practices of religions other than one’s own. The paper summarizes some of the challenges of religious pluralism, demonstrating how tensions can arise and be exacerbated through the construction of negative images of ‘the other’, and outlines some of the common misconceptions that have led to conflicts and the abuse of the human rights of members of minority religions.