This publication provides an interesting analysis of what ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’ actually mean, and how they are different, what constitutes their appeal, and how religionists experience their faith.

This report outlines the findings from a comprehensive analysis of Australians’ contemporary connection with religion.

In order to determine the attitudes of Australians towards religion, the Centre for Independent Studies commissioned YouGov Galaxy to poll more than 1000 Australians. The results outlined in this report reveal that Australians are viewing religion as mostly an individual right to belief, but are...

Antisemitism — the hatred of Jews — has long been a part of human history, and has appeared in different forms, with different motivations and varying intensities.

In October 2018, a delegation of counterterrorism (CT) practitioners, policymakers and academics travelled from Europe to Australia to participate in the 4th Australia–Europe Counterterrorism Dialogue. This report covers the key themes of the dialogue, which were deliberately chosen to reflect contemporary trends.

The presence of religion in the 21st century remains palpable and is something we must all grapple with. This paper is a brief attempt to set out a position consistent with the ideals and goals of the Rationalist Society of Australia.

This Strategic Insight reviews the post-caliphate Salafi-jihadi environment, focusing on two issues: the franchising strategy of al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the evolving threat of online messaging.

The cohort of former caliphate members of mostly women and children now held in camps pose a key challenge for counterterrorism efforts around the world. Assumptions about women and violence can obstruct an accurate assessment of the threat female IS supporters pose and an accurate...

This paper argues that the Trump Administration’s Middle East policy has been significantly weakened by the inability of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government, and the Arab, Muslim and Gulf Co-operation Council insistence on a 'two-state' solution.

This paper argues that people of Iran seek a new Iran, one that is not based on the destructive legacy of Khomeini’s revolution on Islamic political thought.

This paper reports on an action learning project undertaken by the Sexual Rights in Development Community of Practice in recognition of the challenges and possibilities that this acknowledgment might present for ACFID members.

In late 2017, an expert panel was established to examine whether Australian law adequately protects the human right to freedom of religion. This report was delivered to the Australian government in May 2018 and has now finally been released.

The overall aim of the Kainga Tu’umalie (Prosperous families) faith-based research project reported here, was to identify how Tongan indigenous cultural – faith approaches can mitigate the rampant effects of violence. This involved identifying and theorising Tongan cultural concepts in relation to Fofola e fala...

The recent public debate on the matters being considered in this inquiry has been prompted, in the most immediate sense, by the disclosure of certain recommendations in a review on religious freedom commissioned by the federal government.

This guide is a practical resource to assist Australian-based researchers and Australian and international development organisations. The guide is designed to support good practice for research partnerships with Churches in the Pacific, where the aim of the research is to generate evidence that influences policy...

This publication is an edited transcript featuring the remarks made by John Howard at the launch of The Centre for Independent Studies’ Culture, Prosperity and Civil Society Program on 10 July 2018.

In her 2018 Acton Lecture, Debra Mullins, a Supreme Court of Queensland judge, engaged with the increasing hostility confronting religious believers — particularly Christians — when they leave the privacy of their homes and venture into the public square. In particular, she examined the challenges...

Religion is not dead, and non-belief is not the new normal. Affirmation of religion’s significance through a supply-side analysis can, in turn, serve to strengthen contemporary calls for more adequate protections for religious liberty, which have come under threat in Australia in recent times.

This special report aims to explain the persistent and enduring allure of al-Qaedaism as an ideology that is apocalyptic and conspiratorial.

This research is the first in a series of reports from a new national organisation called SEIROS. It includes leaders and representatives from different religious traditions, academics and policy makers.