Towards a Worldwide Index of Human Freedom

An Index of Freedom in the World • 91
1. Were there crimes, malicious acts, or violence motivated by religious
hatred or bias?
2. Was there mob violence related to religion?
3. Were there acts of sectarian or communal violence between religious
groups?
4. Were religion-related terrorist groups active in the country?
5. Was there a religion-related war or armed conflict in the country?
6. Did violence result from tensions between religious groups?
7. Did organized groups use force or coercion in an attempt to dominate
public life with their perspective on religion, including preventing some
religious groups from operating in the country?
8. Did religious groups themselves attempt to prevent other religious
groups from being able to operate?
9. Did individuals or groups use violence or the threat of violence, including
so-called honor killings, to try to enforce religious norms?
10. Were individuals assaulted or displaced from their homes in retaliation
for religious activities, including preaching and other forms of religious
expression that were considered offensive or threatening to the majority
faith?
11. Were women harassed for violating religious dress codes?
12. Were there incidents of hostility over proselytizing?
13. Were there incidents of hostility over conversions from one religion to
another?
Score The index is divided into four ranges from very high social hostilities to
low social hostilities:
Very high social hostilities (the top 5% of scores) countries have
severe levels of violence and intimidation on many or all of the 13
measures
High social hostilities (the next highest 15% of scores) countries
have severe levels of violence and intimidation on some of the 13
measures, or more moderate levels on many of them
Moderate social hostilities (the next 20% of scores) countries have
severe levels of violence and intimidation on a few of the 13 measures,
or more moderate levels on several of them
Low social hostilities (the bottom 60% of scores) countries generally
have moderate levels of violence and intimidation on a few or
none of the 13 measures
[North Korea Note that the sources clearly indicate that the government of North
Korea is among the most repressive in the world with respect to religion
as well as other civil liberties. But because North Korean society
is effectively closed to outsiders, the sources are unable to provide the
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