The freedom of religion and conscience is considered within the scope of freedom of thought. It is the right to recognize a religious belief or not and to act accordingly. As an inevitable requirement of the primary principles fundamental freedom of thought and as a mandatory conditional modern democratic order, the state must stay out of this area and be involved in this issue just by protecting the freedom of religion and conscience.

Modern universities are the institutions which have professional training and post graduate education programs in the branches of science and art; and in this context they contribute to the development of both individuals and the community.

The saying of a philosopher who lived centuries ago carries a deep meaning. "I am a human and  so nothing that is human is foreign to me".

  It is impossible not to be impressed by the foundation of the center which is devoted to the freedom of religion and conscience. When we look closer to the texts of the declarations of human rights, we clearly see that these texts include human rights and fundamental freedoms which is also covered by modern democratic constitutions and they try to realize a synthesis of fundamental freedoms and new social, economic and religious rights in accordance with these modern values.

The last of the international declarations regarding human rights is the Helsinki Final Act which is oriented to ensure the respect for all human rights including freedom of religion and conscience  which are not known or emphasized in Turkey adequately. Discussing and analysing the Final Act of Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe(OSCE)  signed in Helsinki on 1st of August, 1975 is a requisite for the aim and academic research objectives of our center. This document; signed by 33 Europe countries, the USA and Canada, is a sui generis document different from the declaration and charters we already know.

Although it was signed by senior officials such as presidents or prime ministers or ministers of the countries which attended the conference; Final Act is not a charter or treaty jurally. It cannot be said that it is a directly binding document for the parties. However, it is a part of 'Declaration of Principles and Objectives to be Observed' for the signatory countries. The primary subject of the Final Act is not human rights mainly. Provisions regarding respect for human rights constitute only a part of the act. 'Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between Participating States' takes place in the first part of the Act. The seventh of the ten principles is as follows: ' Respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief'. Because of the above-mentioned international basis, the inception of this new center should be considered as a first step towards filling the social gap resulting from the disregard shown against the fundamental freedoms covered by the seventh principle of this declaration.