To the extent that Western countries seek to protect non-biological constructs, including democratic rights, practices and institutions, we don't include these under "universal" or "fundamental" rights. Freedom of association is essential to Western society, as is freedom of speech or expression, but these rights are clearly limited in certain instances and are therefore not absolute. (Interestingly, religionists are among the main advocates of restricting free speech.) I think it appropriate to stipulate a right of private religious association, permitting the practice of religious customs within religious spaces. But in a free and diverse society the public sphere must be secular. Universalistic and absolutist interpretations of the concept of religious "rights" and "freedoms" simply aren't consistent with Western values, as European courts have recognized. To progress, we must move beyond the notion that religion is a primary or necessary form of social organization. It isn't.