On the Role of Religion in the Decision to Migrate

Within an ample study on the role of religion in the migratory and integration processes, this chapter illustrates the results of an original research carried out in Italy and based on different sources, among those 20 in-depth interviews with migrants and asylum seekers who, regardless of the entry channel and of their current legal status, have been significantly influenced by their religious belongings, as for both their decision to migrate and the development of migration and insertion processes. After a general introduction on the role of religious belongings and institutions as both push and pull factors in the Italian immigration experience, focuses the attention on the role of religion as a factor contributing to defining the distinction between forced and voluntary migrations. Moving from the current political and ethical debate about the increasing “porosity” of this distinction, the Author –thanks to her strong background in the field of migration studies– discusses how the evidence from the fieldwork can help to describe and understand the role of the two key concepts represented by Religious Identity and Religious Liberty. Furthermore, on the basis of the testimonies provided by the interviewed migrants and the key experts, the Chapter offers a classification of cases in which religion turns out to be a direct or indirect cause of migration.