Religious discrimination
This includes instances when adherents of different religions, denominations or non-religions are treated unequally due to their particular beliefs, either by the law or in institutional settings, such as employment or housing.
The low point was the expulsion of Jews from Jerusalem and subsequent paganization of the city during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117–138 AD), which led to the Jewish diaspora.
Christians falsely accused Jews of Jewish deicide, blood libel, and well poisoning, and subjected them to expulsions, forced conversions, and mandatory sermons.
[10] Historians note that religious discrimination against Jews tended to increase during negative economic and climatic shocks in Europe, such as when they were scapegoated for causing the Black Death.
Although Sharia law granted dhimmis freedom of religion, they were subjected to religious discrimination as second-class citizens and had to pay a jizya tax.
[18] When Catholicism became the sole compulsory religion in early modern France during the reign of Louis XIV, the Huguenots had to leave the country en masse.
[18] During the decline of the Ottoman Empire in the late modern period, particularly ever since the Great Turkish War (1683), discrimination against religious minorities worsened.
In a case of constitutionally sanctioned religious discrimination, non-Muslims in Pakistan cannot become prime minister or president, even if they are Pakistani citizens.
[22][23][24] Pakistan's Blasphemy Law, according to critics, "is overwhelmingly being used to persecute religious minorities and settle personal vendettas".
[28][30][27] According to the Chinese government, these camps are created to re-educate the minority Muslims by learning about the negative consequences of extremism.
[34] Dalits worshipping the same gods as Hindus were previously considered to be of a different religion and in the early twentieth century the question "Is he a Hindu or Pariah?"
Before the 1979 revolution, there were laws in Iran that allowed religious minorities to participate in elections, have representatives in the parliament, and even reach the highest government positions.
In the current constitution of Iran, only followers of Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and Sunnis are allowed to perform their religious ceremonies in private and they do not have the right to propagate and spread their religion in public places (proselytize).
After the Islamic Revolution in 1979 until 2023, all important political and security posts and positions in the country have been assigned to the followers of the Shia religion.
He accused the Iranian government of always ignoring the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in the country and involving them in various judicial cases.
In terms of culture, some ethnic and religious minorities believe that they face restrictions on holding regional festivals and conferences.
These groups feel that the religious beliefs of government officials lead to the political, cultural, social and economic oppression of indigenous peoples.
[68] In Canada, during 1995-1998, Newfoundland had only Christian schools (four of them, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic, Seventh-day Adventist, and inter-denominational (Anglican, Salvation Army and United Church)).
Section 93 of the BNA Act offered constitutional protection for denominational schools as they existed in law at the time of Confederation.
However, profound demographic changes of the past few decades have made the province of Ontario a multicultural, multi-racial, and multi-religious society.
The thought that one religious group is privileged to have schools funded from the public purse is often considered unacceptable in a pluralistic, multicultural, secular society.
German federal and state interior ministers started a process aimed at banning Scientology in late 2007, but abandoned the initiative a year later, finding insufficient legal grounds.
[79][80] Recently, professor Nick Drydakis (Anglia Ruskin University) examined religious affiliation and employment bias in Athens, by implementing an experimental field study.
Labor market outcomes (occupation access, entry wage, and wait time for call back) were assessed for three religious minorities (Pentecostal, evangelical, and Jehovah's Witnesses).
[81] According to a Human Rights Practices report by the U.S. State department on Mexico note that "some local officials infringe on religious freedom, especially in the south".
[82][83][84] Within the United Kingdom (UK), Northern Ireland has a long history of discrimination based on the religious and political affiliations of Roman Catholics (Nationalists) and Protestants (Loyalists).
"[86] Discrimination based on religion in Northern Ireland is alleged to have occurred in the areas of housing allocation, employment, voting rights, state benefits and with the Gerrymandering (or discriminatory Electoral boundary delimitation to ensure election results.
