Is Establishment Consistent with Religious Freedom? Rex Ahdar and Ian Leigh* Are religious freedom and religious establishment mutually exclusive? This question evokes a classic dichotomy that is at the heart of many legal systems, notably that of the United States-the separation of church and state. The prevailing view appears to be that these notions are indeed mutually exclusive and that nations that single out a specific religion and accord it a privileged position inevitably discriminate against adherents of other faiths. The authors argue, however, that a weak form of establishment is in fact consistent with religious freedom. Examining case law and legislation in countries such as England, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, they maintain that a state that explicitly acknowledges a religion without coercing or compelling religious practice or observance is compatible with religious freedom. Moreover, the authors suggest that religious establishment is inescapable insofar as all liberal democracies have an establishment. La libertd de culte et l'establishment religieux sont-ils mutuellement exclusifs ? La question 6voque une dichotomie classique au cceur de nombre d'ordres juridiques, en particulier celui des Etats-Unis, qui consacre la separation entre Eglise et Etat. Le point de vue dominant semble 8tre A l'effet que ces notions sont en effet exclusives et que les nations qui isolent et accordent un statut privil6gi6 A une religion parficuli~re ne peuvent que discriminer contre les fideles de confessions diff6rentes. Les auteurs soutiennent pour leur part qu'une forme modeste d'establishment est en ralit compatible avec la libert6 de culte. S'appuyant sur un examen de la jurisprudence et de la 16gislation en vigueur dans des pays comme l'Angleterre, le Canada, l'Australie et l'Afrique du Sud, ils soutiennent qu'un ttat peut reconnaltre une foi particuli~re, sans pour autant y compromettre la libert6 de culte, A condition que la pratique ou l'observance de cette foi ne soit ni forcde ou requise. lls sugg~rent de plus que l'establishment religieux est inevitable, dans la mesure ots toutes les democraties liberales en ont un. * Rex Ahdar, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Otago; Ian Leigh, Professor of Law, Human Rights Centre, University of Durham. We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the British Academy and the Association of Commonwealth Universities in awarding us a research grant under their joint program to support international collaboration. We are grateful also for the comments of three anonymous referees on an earlier draft of this article. © McGill Law Journal 2004 Revue de droit de McGill 2004 To be cited as: (2004) 49 McGill L.J. 635 Mode de r6f6rence: (2004) 49 R.D. McGill 635