Religious Discrimination in England and Wales

• NCJ Number: 190151
• Author(s): Paul Weller; Alice Feldman; Kingsley Purdam
• Date Published: February 2001
• Length: 214 pages
• Sale Source: Great Britain Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom
• Note: Home Office Research Study 220

Annotation

This study assessed the evidence of religious discrimination in England and Wales, both actual and perceived; described the patterns shown by this evidence; indicated the extent to which religious discrimination overlaps with racial discrimination; and identified the broad range of policy options available for dealing with religious discrimination.

Abstract

The findings were based primarily on interviews and discussions in four local areas as well as on a mail questionnaire survey of religious organizations. There were 156 meetings that involved approximately 318 individuals, including representatives of religious organizations and secular agencies in the public, private, and volunteer sectors. The questionnaire was sent to 1,830 religious organizations throughout England and Wales, covering over 20 distinct faith groups. A total of 628 questionnaires were returned. The findings showed that ignorance and indifference toward religion were of widespread concern among research participants from all faith groups. Those who actively practiced their religion often reported that they were made to feel awkward about their religious practices and experienced pressure to conform to a more secular orientation. Hostility and violence were concerns for Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus, although fear of violence did not seem to be a widespread issue in the local interviews. A consistently higher level of unfair treatment was reported by Muslim organizations than by most other religious groups, both in terms of the proportion of respondents indicating that some unfair treatment was experienced and by the proportion indicating that these experiences were frequent. Education, employment, and the media were the areas most often highlighted as areas of discrimination. Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindus often reported a degree of overlap between religious and racial discrimination. Regarding policy options, research participants most often favored a comprehensive approach in which education, training, and a larger effort to teach more about comparative religion in schools would play an important part. Appended questionnaire, technical report, and data tables