Organised by Lou Errens and Gulnaz Sibgatullina, this workshop brought together prominent individuals across academia, journalism and policy under Chatham House Rules to have an honest and open dialogue. 

During the workshop, attendees explored how religious and moral frameworks can be utilised to support illiberal and autocratic politics in Europe, the US and beyond. The attendees represented a variety of perspectives, allowing for a full and frank debate of this layered and nuanced topic. 

Key discussion areas

Key areas of discussion included how religious moral frameworks and cultural legacies can contribute to the legitimisation of exclusionary and authoritarian politics and how moral and religious narratives can be used to consolidate emotional and political loyalty. The discussion also covered the practical ways in which scholars, journalists and civil society actors can engage critically with these questions, progress the conversation and drive change in this area. 

Conclusion

A key conclusion was that the relationship between religion and illiberal politics should not be ignored; even in countries such as the Netherlands where the influence of religious institutions and moral frameworks is frequently underestimated. Instead, this topic should form part of any discussion of democratic erosion and autocracy. 

We want to thank all attendees for their interesting and thoughtful contributions. We hope that this will foster further engagement on these issues, and look forward to future collaborations.