Built to Fail: International Religious Freedom Law and the Lawfare Problem

This essay argues that international religious freedom law is structurally vulnerable to lawfare because its core concepts remain legally indeterminate and lack a stable moral foundation. Using China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang as a case study, it demonstrates how undefined terms, expansive limitation clauses, and state-centered interpretation permit governments to restrict religious liberty while maintaining formal legal compliance. Existing procedural reforms address symptoms rather than foundations. The essay concludes that recovering natural law as a basis for human dignity and rights offers a more durable framework for protecting religious freedom against manipulation.