The impact of COVID-19 on religious minorities

The health crisis caused by Covid-19 had significant consequences on the protection of religious freedom. Those who are already vulnerable and marginalized are disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and this includes many religious minorities. First the pandemic has had a negative impact on the collective dimension of freedom of religion, exacerbating the already fragile balance between religious majorities and minorities. This research is aimed at analyzing whether and to what extent the covid-19 emergency has affected the status of religious minorities. In Western legal systems, the restrictive measures of the collective exercise of religious freedom have affected to different degrees various religious groups, which were previously disadvantaged by the pre-existing regulatory framework, because public authorities were initially more inclined to meet the needs of mainstream religions. Also, the practices and rites of minorities have suffered a worse impact a) as they could not take advantage of alternative means of worship/practice which contradict with their beliefs b) because alternative measures are not equally made available to all religious groups (e.g. access to mass media). There have also been: 1) in Europe, increases in anti-Semitic and Islamophobic reactions that put social cohesion at risk, 2) in the USA, exasperation of the political polarization between a "conservative" vision of religious freedom and the rights of the most vulnerable subjects. The present paper will deal with the impact of the pandemic on the rights of religious minorities, in different legal contexts, and aims to examine the growing challenges and inequalities that the new social, legal, political and economic scenario generates for religious groups, and the role the judiciary played in managing the conflict between mainstream narratives and religious minorities