New book about Religious Councils and Courts in Denmark
In legislation, administration, courts, media, public debate, and education, the issue of religious law, generally, and religious councils and courts, specifically, is both pertinent, complex, and understudied.
In legislation, administration, courts, media, public debate, and education, the issue of religious law, generally, and religious councils and courts, specifically, is both pertinent, complex, and understudied.
The book Religious Councils and Courts in Denmark is a general introduction and the first attempt to provide an overview in a Danish context. Authors Brian Arly Jacobsen, Niels Valdemar Vinding, Mikele Schultz-Knudsen and Ida Hartmann. All researchers at the University of Copenhagen. It highlights how religious councils and courts address a wide range of cases, including family law, workplace conflicts, and criminal matters, across faiths like the Church of Denmark, Catholics, Muslims, and Jews. These institutions have significant practical importance but interact in complex ways with the Danish legal system, where boundaries between religious and legal authority often blur.
Despite its relevance, little research exists on this topic in Denmark. With this interdisciplinary pilot project, supported by the Queen Mary Center, we’ve sought to fill that gap by examining legal, social, and political challenges in religious communities, offering insights and recommendations for Danish authorities and faith groups.
While the book is in Danish, it does have a substantial English summary, and more research is to follow in English.
The book will be published on January 30, 2025, by researchers at the University of Copenhagen. It is available online and in print. Please contact Niels Valdemar Vinding at nvv@teol.ku.dk for a print copy.