Brian Grim, president of the Religious Freedom and Business Association, has analysed data from the most recent Pew Research Center studies and statistics from the United Nations, and concluded there is a direct correlation between religious freedom and gender equality.

“When you have religious freedom, you have a diversity of both viewpoints and how that religion is interpreted, which allows for a greater examination of women’s role in society,” Grim said. “That means there is greater freedom for women when there is religious freedom.”

The WND exclusive continues “Where religion is allowed to have a voice to give different viewpoints, it can stimulate economic ideas, social ideas,” Grim said. “The benefits of free religious expression are good for society in general, and that coincides with what you’re observing.”

Grim notes that more religious freedom also means more political and business freedom.

“What I found in looking through the data is that when governments restrict religious freedom, that’s the strongest predictor of religious violence. However, all of these things are related,” he said. “Where you have respect for freedom of speech, that means you can also preach freely. It means you can publish freely, and you can have democracy because democracy needs a variety of viewpoints to work.”

American Center for Law and Justice Executive Director Jordan Sekulow commented “When true religious freedom exists, all other freedoms flow naturally from that source.”