What is Considered Religious Discrimination?
May 21, 2018
Discrimination refers to an unfair or biased treatment of people due to their racial background, gender, age or even religion. Religious discrimination, a term used to refer to the prejudiced treatment of certain people due to their religious beliefs, is becoming a serious concern. Every year hundreds and thousands of people face different treatment due to their personal religious beliefs. According to FBI hate crime statistics, while people from all religions are victims of religious discrimination, a vast number of them belong to minority groups such as Jews and Muslims.
How Can You Be Discriminated Against on The Basis of Your Beliefs?
There are many ways in which a person can be discriminated against due to their religious beliefs or the lack thereof.
Direct & Indirect Discrimination –Direct discrimination can be on a personal level where an individual does not approve of your religious beliefs whereas indirect discrimination is a term often referred to the policies of an organization, business or educational, which leave people belonging from certain religious group at a disadvantage due to their beliefs or lack thereof.
Harassment –Religious discrimination can take extreme forms when people are harassed due to their religious beliefs. At times, reporting harassment can lead such a person in further trouble as they are labeled as troublemakers. Anyone who plays a role in a discrimination case often finds themselves being subjected to discrimination as well.
Hate Crimes –The most extreme form of religious discrimination takes in the form of hate crimes where people are threatened, abused and attacked just because of their religious beliefs. A hate crime can entail hate mail, damage to personal property, insulting leaflets and even acts of violence such as assault or attempt to murder.
Does the Law Offer Any Protection Against Religious Discrimination?
Both federal and state law offers comprehensive protection against all sorts of discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of religion. Just like sex discrimination lawyers and age discrimination lawyers defend the rights of their clients, remedies, and justice can be acquired by victims of religious discrimination through litigation. Religious discrimination by housing societies, employers or educational institutions can easily be remedied by an experienced religious/employment discrimination lawyer.
If you feel like you have been subjected to religious discrimination at work, school or anywhere else or want to schedule a free consultation with an experienced employment discrimination lawyer, contact the Law Office of Michael Smith.