This issue of Insights explores religious freedom in an international context. As our feature articles highlight, religious freedom can be a precious and scarce commodity in many parts of the world; the separation of church and state that is a fixture of constitutional and legal culture in the United States is not widely shared beyond our borders, even in democracies.

In Perspectives, national leaders debate how to balance the free exercise and establishment clauses of the First Amendment. Law Review explores the legal bases for political asylum, including claims of religious persecution, in the United States and other countries.

Learning Gateways offers a case study to help students talk about conflicting values and beliefs within the framework of the First Amendment.

In the resources section, you will find resources for teaching about religious freedom in the United States and internationally.

Religious freedom is a sensitive subject to teach about in the public schools. We hope that this issue of Insights will help you with that endeavor.