Experiences of Churches and Religious Communities with Recognition and Registration in Europe

Dear colleagues,
We are InterBelief Relief, an organisation in cooperation with CEFORB, dedicated to raising awareness of the challenges faced by various religious, spiritual, and philosophically oriented groups in Europe. Our aim is to support dialogue between these communities and public institutions and to contribute to better conditions, stronger protection of rights, and greater understanding between the state, society, and religious communities.
We would like to ask for your cooperation in a survey focused on the experiences of churches and religious groups in relation to registration and recognition. The survey takes the form of a questionnaire prepared by Dr Brandon Taylorian (University of Lancashire) and InterBelief Relief.

Why participate in the survey?
Your experience is extremely valuable to us. By completing this questionnaire, you will help:
– document the real experiences of churches and religious communities regarding registration and recognition in Europe,
– better understand the challenges communities encounter,
– support efforts towards fairer regulations and stronger protection of the rights of religious communities.

InterBelief Relief intends to use the survey data when formulating concrete recommendations for improving the situation and when supporting religious groups in their relations with public institutions, especially in matters related to registration. The survey results will also be presented anonymously at a meeting of participants involved in the Central Europe Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief project (https://ceforb.org) as well as in academic contexts.

Important notes
– The questionnaire is anonymous.
– You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer.
– Sensitive questions include a “Prefer not to say” option.
– No personal data (such as your name or email address) is automatically collected when submitting the form unless you choose to provide it yourself.
– To help ensure the objectivity and balance of the results, we kindly ask that only one representative per religious or belief community complete the questionnaire.
– The survey is intended primarily for smaller or minority religious and belief communities, especially those that may have experienced challenges related to registration, recognition, or interaction with public institutions. The survey is not primarily aimed at large, well-established religious institutions.

Acknowledgements and invitation
We sincerely thank you for your time and willingness to contribute to this survey. Your responses will help us better understand the situation and — we firmly believe — contribute to positive change. The links to complete the survey in multiple language variations are below.

For any further questions, please feel free to contact:
Dr Brandon Reece Taylorian
BRTaylorian@lancashire.ac.uk

Mgr. Kristýna Tomanová – InterBelief Relief
kristyna@interbeliefrelief.org

Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Kind regards,
Brandon Reece Taylorian & InterBelief Relief