In many of the participating states, the tenets of the majority religion are taught in the public schools. Concern was expressed that children of minority faiths are necessarily forced to undergo religious instruction of the majority unless liberal regulations are instituted allowing a pupil or the parents to abstain. Regarding private religious schools, it was recognized that in several of the participating states of the OSCE, the government subsidizes some private educational institutions of the majority religions, but does not subsidize or subsidizes to a lesser degree the schools of minority groups. This was acknowledged as a particular problem for the Moslem and Jewish minorities in Europe. Registration of religious organizations was discussed, and it was noted that numerical requirements are problematic because rights under the Helsinki framework do not exist based on the number of individuals within a group.
Freedom of belief is absolute, yet the state can regulate certain religious actions.
Some problems were discussed relating to the amount of discretion individual bureaucrats can exercise in deciding issues relating to the freedom of worship. Several participants stressed that limits on religious liberty should be narrowly construed and restraints on religious practice should be the exception, not the rule. Some issues of focus could be freedom of speech and expression, the rights of minority indigenous groups to practice their faith, and whether a government can place limits upon activities that are intended to persuade individuals to another religious point of view. Karen Lord is counsel for religious affairs with the U.S. Congressional Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.