Religion and Prejudice

PREJUDICE:  to prejudge someone unfairly before knowing them or their situation e.g. all football fans are hooligans

DISCRIMINATION:  Acting on a prejudice and treating someone differently or unfairly. Can prevent people from having equal chances. e.g. a woman being turned away from a job because the employer wants a man

POSTIVE DISCRIMINATION:  Treating someone better or more favourably because of whom they are and their needs e.g. The Paralympics for disabled people

STEREOTYPE: A common or over simplified belief and applying it to a certain group in society e.g. all blonds are dumb, all Muslims are terrorists

SCAPEGOATING: blaming a certain group for problems in society e.g. blaming immigrants for unemployment, blaming teenagers for street crime

XEMOPHOBIA: Fear of Foreigners

TOLERANCE: respecting, accepting and valuing the beliefs and practices of others  

JUSTICE: fairness- everyone is entitled to the same rights and treatment

HARMONY: living in peace with others, even when there are differences

VALUE OF THE INDIVIDUAL: each person is unique and created by God, therefore we should all have the same rights

SEGREGATION: to impose the separation of a race or class from the rest of society e.g. separate cinemas, water fountains, waiting rooms, not allowing coloured people to vote

T: "And we shall make human beings in our image..."

M:God made us all and we all reflect God and his ability to love

T: "So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do to them also"

M: Only treat people as you would want to be treated, so treat them with kindness

T: The good Samaritan story

M: Help your enemies when they are in need as they are your neighbour and your fellow human being (and you have all been created by god)

T: "And he made one from every nation to live on all the face"

M: God created all humans and he planned diversity and that we would live together in harmony no matter our differences

SIKHISM

T: "The True Guru, the Primal Being, is kind and compassionate; all are alike to Him. He looks upon all impartially" Guru Ram Das Ji

M: God is all loving, he doesn't have favourites or preferences. You are all valuable.

ISLAM

T: "Of his signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the variations on your languages and colours." Surah 30:22

M: Allah planned racial diversity and difference, it's to be celebrated.

T: "O mankind, we have created you from a single pair of male and female; and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other, not that you might despise each other. Truly the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah, is the most righteous"

M: Allah will judge how you treat people, and he will favour those who treat people with kindness and fairness

CHRISTIANITY

T: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus"

M: There is no difference between male and female. It is what unites them that is critical. (anti-sexism)

ISLAM

T: "Women have certain rights over you, and you have certain rights over them, for they are your partners and committed helpers."

M: Men and women compliment each other and take on different roles but they are all valued.

Progressive Judaism

• Men and Woman pray together in the synagogue
• Both can lead services
• Woman and men wear the tallit
• In 1972 the first female Rabbi emerged
• 

Orthodox Judaism

• Women aren't allowed to read form the Troah scroll
• Some women cover their hair, except when they are alone with husbands

Islam

• Women choose to wear the hijab
• Men and Women are separated in the mosque
• Men can marry Muslims, Jews and Christians, where as women can only marry Muslims
• Men can have up to 4 wives (only in countries where polygamy is allowed)
• A woman cannot be an imam (leader of prayer)
• 

Christianity

• There has never benn a female pope
• Catholic churches do not allow female leaders
• The pope has said female leaders should not be allowed
• Jesus only chose male disciples
• the Church of England allowed women to be priests in 1992

• Ignorance: not knowing/ not educated/ not finding out e.g. thinking all disabled people can't walk
• Upbringing: Being influenced by relatives or friends (peer pressure) views e.g. your parents being racist and passing that on to you
• Past Experience: something that has happened to you e.g. a bad experience with a certain type or group of people
• Religion: Rules of religion influencing your beliefs e.g. teachings about sexuality leading to assumptions of peoples
• Fear:  e.g.in olden days people would put their sins on goats and kill the goat so they wouldn't go to hell
• The Media: Ideas being shown in the way the media wants to show e.g. the 911 terrorist attacks were by Muslim terrorists
• When someone does something that is unusual
• Reputations of certain people in communities

"No-one is born a racist. Racism is caught, learned, taught, imitated then practised. It can be rooted out."

• Violence
• Loss of friends/ isolation
• Fear and Stress
• Lack of self confidence/ self esteem
• Negativity
• Mental harm
• Physical harm
• Stereotyping
• Suicide
• Loss of Rights
• Feeling worthless/ frightened/ vulnerable
• Fewer opportunities- emotional effects, unemployment
• The want for revenge
• Genocide- the deliberate murder of people from certain groups in society

• Martin Luther King was a black christian living in the USA (Atlanta, Georgia).
• He grew up in a racist society with segregation between blacks and whites.
• Blacks also had 1/2 as much chance of completing school that whites did
• He was a pacifist and tried to combat racism using peaceful methods such as:
• The Bus Boycott- didn't get buses for 381 days
• The March through washington and the "I have a dream" speech 1963
• Passive ressistance : non violent marches and protests through large cities
• Won the Nobel Peace prize
• His house and black peoples cars were bombed but he still used peaceful methods
• He was jailed even though he did nothing wrong
• The FBI declared war on him and they taped his phone calls, bugged his house and had photos taken of him
• He was assassinated on 1968
• His actions resulted in Blacks being given the right to vote by President Johnson

• Malcolm little was born into a racist society and suffered from racism by the Klu Klux Klan
• He moved to Boston after his fathers murder and his mothers placement in a mental hospital.
• He became addicted to cocaine and turned to crime, giving him a jail sentence of 10 years
• In 1952 he converted to the black Muslim faith and changed his last name to X
• He rejected integration and racial equality and advocated black power
• He encouraged violence against white people and called them white devils
• This was his way of ending inequality, he himself had become a racist
• Once he went on Hajj, he rejected his former separatists belief and advocated world brotherhood
• He blamed racism on western culture and urged African Americans to bring an end to it

• 1975 Sex Discrimination Act: An act of parliment to protect men and women from discrimiantion because of gender or marriage

• 1976 Race Relations Act: An act of parliment to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnicity in employment and other

• 1995 Disability Discrimination Act: An act of parliment to respect disabled people in relation to employment and other

• 2006 Equality Act (inc. age discrimination): An act of parliment to create equality between religious beleivers and sexual orientation

• Gee Walker forgave those who murdered her son in a racist attack and set up a charity to fight racism
• Ensure they practice their teachings in their lives e.g. a religious employer may ensure there is no discrimination within the business
• A religious family may send their children to mixed comprehensive schools to allow them to learn about different faiths and make friends with people from different backgrounds
• Support those who have faced discrimination
• Places of worship encouraging visitors of different faiths and give assemblies in school promoting tolerance
• Take part in multi-faith celebrations in order to develop a greater understanding and actively promote tolerance
• Encouraging those who face discrimination to pray and understand they are not alone as god is with them

Religious Prejudice: Discrimination and prejudice based on someones beleifs 

• Man rejected from Disneyland because he didn't have the "Disney Look" as he was a Sikh and wore a turban
• Ground Zero Mosque unwanted because it was near a terrorist attack site and the the terrorists were Muslims (prejudging all other Muslims)
• Burka banned in France in public and in schools
• Egyptian woman attacked and assaulted because she was Muslim
• Air hostess not allowed to wear crucifix but other women allowed to wear hijab
• Sign in cafe said: "Safest cafe in the world. No Muslims inside"
• Conflict between two denominations: Catholics and protestants