On June 12, 2026, Prof. Dr. Emanuel V. Towfigh participated in the conference »Religiously Neutral or Close to the Church? Future Questions of Constitutional Law on Religion« [Religionsneutral oder kirchennah? Zukunftsfragen des Religionsverfassungsrechts] at the University of Cologne. The event, organized by Prof. Dr. Stephan Rixen and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stefan Muckel was dedicated to the profound transformation of traditional »state church law«. The focus was on the urgent need for a reorientation in order to legally better accommodate the specificities of other world religions, particularly Islam, alongside the major Christian churches. Professor Towfigh delivered a presentation on the topic »Treaty Override in Constitutional Law of Religion.«

Prof. Towfigh’s lecture was embedded in a comprehensive conference program that addressed numerous controversial issues in the constitutional law on religion and was illuminated by renowned experts. To begin with, Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Stefan Muckel spoke about the risks and unintended consequences of classifying religious communities as corporations under public law, while Prof. Dr. Stephan Rixen subsequently critically examined the concept of »internal affairs« within the framework of the church’s right to self-determination.

The conference, which was explicitly aimed at early-career scholars, marked a successful launch of a new conference series. The continuation of the important debates on state and religion is planned for next year at the University of Münster.

[Translated by DeepL]