Legislation Against the Christians, Research Paper Example

Discrimination currently plagues the world, but it is important to consider that concept is not a new idea. Discrimination has been born out of the concept of natural biases that people develop from the understanding that not all individuals are like them. As a consequence of these observations, some people develop a sense of supremacy towards others. When this sense of supremacy is illustrated in a manner that paints negative connotations against individuals or groups of people on the basis of their gender, skin color, religion, socioeconomic status, and more, these concepts are more likely to be perpetuated by society, preserving these ideas. According to researchers, this is how discrimination began (Abram, 1962). It has been present throughout history and becomes prevalent when individuals with different cultures meet and are unable to immediately assimilate. As a result, it could be said that discrimination is a direct consequence of misunderstanding, which is not readily avoided because it is challenging to understand new people. Because of the frustration that occasionally develops as a consequence of the need to evaluate others in the context of our own society, these ethnocentric views give birth to discrimination, prejudice, and racism.

Discrimination is a learned behavior (Bobo & Fox, 2003). Once discriminatory observations have been made, they are perpetuated by teaching these ideas to others. The most significant consequence of prejudice and racism is seen when it is taught to children, who represent the future generations. Because these individuals grow up with the sense that discrimination is appropriate, it is impossible for them to become aware of the ethical conflict that these beliefs present (Plant & Divine, 2009). Thus, they ascertain that their discriminatory and prejudiced ideas are correct. While technically, they cannot be held at fault because they were subject to misinformation during pivotal points of their development, it is apparent that there is a need to address the symptoms of discrimination at the societal level. Because discrimination has been taught for a long period of time, there are already structures in place in society that systematically target certain groups. Thus, people use these pre-existing biases to justify their hate and negative beliefs when events occur that appear to reinforce these ideas, even though these events represent a minority of situations involving the group rather than a majority.

Historically, there has always been a group of people in the United States that have been a target of racism. Prior to the Civil War, many Americans believed that individuals with black skin were less than human and therefore deserving of being subject to slavery. Slave traders that invaded African and Caribbean territory to acquire slaves did not regard the feelings of these people because they believed that Africans were “savages” and that they were doing them a favor by bringing them to the United States to civilize them (Rudman et al., 2001). It is important to consider that this historic discrimination against people with black skin continues today. Because of this initial racism, black individuals living in America still do not have access to many of the resources that their white counterparts do. Thus, they continue to face systematic discrimination in the form of income and education, which forces them to remain at their current social standing in the country (Sinclair & Kunda, 1999).

While prejudice against black Americans is one of the most frequently observed problem in the United States and in the Western world, it is important to consider that groups have been harmed as a consequence of their religion as well. The Jewish people have faced discrimination both historically and in the context of the modern era because their culture was not well understood (Norris & Inglehart, 2004). During World War II, under the instruction of Adolf Hitler, millions of Jewish people were put to death because the vast majority of Germans in power were made to believe that the Jewish residents in Germany were at fault for the poor economic standing of the country following World War I. Because these individuals acted as the scapegoat, they were put to death and their suffering continues today at the hands of people that still place blame on them for the conditions leading to World War II. Because the religious practices of the majority at the time reflected Christian values, it was challenging for people to determine for their own that Jewish religious beliefs had nothing to do with the status of Germany. However, because these anti-Semitic beliefs were taught over several generations, these prejudices were held as truths by the German people (Saraglou et al., 2004).

Most recently, it has become apparent that sentiments against Arabs and Muslims have become more common. In particular, this has been true following the September 11^th terrorist attacks. Following these crimes, there was a sense that Arabs were to blame for the attacks, even though they were orchestrated by a small group known as Al-Qaeda. As a consequence of this racism, individuals with brown skin and turbans are constantly searched at the airport to determine if they are carrying weapons or are likely to contribute to further attacks. However, many families live in fear due to the societal belief that all Arabs or Muslims are incentivized to hurt American citizens. This is especially damaging to the Arab or Muslim American citizens of the United States. They are being systematically accused of terrorism, when their only allegiance is to their current country of residence.

The general distrust towards Muslims is continuing to grow. Following terrorist attacks that were conducted by a Muslim individual, there is always comprehensive discussion with regards to how Muslim terrorist groups should be put to a stop. These terrorist groups are constantly emphasized on the basis of their religion. Not only is there not a realistic response to such attacks at the local level, it is also important to consider that the same types of attacks performed by white terrorists do not get the same amount of press time. An equally short amount of press time is given to report violent attacks against Muslims and Arabs on the basis of their skin color, so a distortion of the importance of this problem is created.

Social bias is an apparent problem in the United States because it contributes to the general perception of racial and religious groups in the country (Keene, 2011). Most people believe that their particular group is the best, and this becomes problematic when the majority is unwilling to respect the rights of the minority. These biases exist primarily because people do not understand the groups that they claim to dislike. While this was at first true of the African Americans and Jewish people, the world has come to understand these cultures and beliefs more readily, so there has been a decreasing amount of hate exhibited towards these groups over time. Likewise, in America, Christians are the majority, so little bias is exhibited against them in a manner that is as extreme as the prejudice against the minority groups. The current prejudice observed against Muslims can be understood on the basis of their “newness” to this country. For one of the first times in history, Arabs and Muslims have immigrated to the United States in large numbers. Since they are considered to be the most recent immigrant group, the American people generally have the least familiarity with their lifestyles and traditions. Thus, they are currently at the crux of this hatred, even though this hatred is not justifiable. One of the most reasonable ways to reverse the hatred towards these individuals, therefore, would be to educate the American public and encourage them to develop a more comprehensive cultural understanding of the diverse peoples that inhabit their communities (Keene, 2011).

A vast majority of people would agree that the purpose of religion is to bring peace to all members of a society. However, it is apparent that most of us do not practice what we preach, which becomes obvious when individuals claiming to be religious act in favor of policies and actions that have negative impacts on the well-being of Muslims and Arabs (Hall et al., 2010). By focusing more on what we know to be right than our internal biases, we have the potential to do what is right for the hundreds of thousands of innocent individuals that are negatively impacted by wide held biases against them. Studies have shown that when individuals identify with groups that are not considered religious, such as atheism, people are less likely to hold biased conceptions against other groups, such as Muslims (Ysseldyk et al., 2011). This demonstrates that it is important to fundamentally change the way that people think about other groups. If we do not hold our religious or personal beliefs above the value of others, then we are less likely to form hateful opinions towards these groups.

Overall, studies have shown that discrimination appears to be a natural part of human society. In the United States, it is a particularly prevalent phenomenon because people with many diverse backgrounds and beliefs and living within close proximity of one another. America’s past has revealed that different groups are discriminated against. Furthermore, these beliefs are taught to future generations, which perpetuates these understandings in society. It is necessary to put an end to racism and prejudice, but the best way to do so is by making people more aware of the cultures and beliefs of others. When we cease viewing people are different from us, we will be better able to provide one another with necessary support to make the United States of America an even greater place to live. The literature revealed that there is a need to continue developing our understanding of the relationship between discrimination and current events. Since international relations with Muslim and Arab countries are becoming more tense, it will be important to determine how to separate our views about these countries from the perceptions of people from these countries that have fled their nations of birth to live freely in America.

There is a need to focus on current attitudes towards Muslims and Arabs because there is a lack of information specifically pertaining to the cultural understanding of these groups. Since they are considered to be one of the newest and most prevalent immigrant groups in the past several decades, it is necessary to determine how Americans can peacefully co-exist with these individuals. The literature indicated that this could be accomplished by creating programs to achieve a more comprehensive cultural understanding of these individuals, but it is necessary to determine how this could be put in place in an effective and structurally relevant manner. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to determine why systematic discrimination exists against American Muslims and Arabs. It is apparent that the surface reason for such prejudice is the fact that Muslim and Arab groups have been responsible for many terrorist attacks since the initial September 11^th scare. By evaluating how the Muslim people could be removed from bearing the blame regarding these attacks, it will become more reasonable for sociologists and psychologists to determine ways to promote the equality of diverse peoples living in American society. While the United States of America is considered to be the great melting pot, an area in which people from diverse cultures and races come to live in freedom and harmony, there is much work that needs to be done to ensure that America is able to meet this grand expectation. Understanding the relationship between terrorist events initiated by Muslim groups and the perceptions of Muslims in America still warrants a more concise understanding so that steps could be taken to resolve this problem.

Studies of the relationship between religion and tolerance have revealed that individuals that follow specific organized religions are less likely to “practice what they preach” (Hall et al., 2010). Religious tolerance is confounded by the fact that a majority of individuals that practice religions believe that their own values are more correct than those exhibited by others. Accordingly, it was found that only agnostics were likely to exhibit racial tolerance. Other studies revealed that it is not simply religious beliefs that direct racial discrimination, world events also play a significant role (Borrell, 2015). Ultimately, it has been found that dramatic events tend to contribute to the development of social change. According to European data, there is a temporal relationship between world events and Islamophobic crimes. Shortly after reports of terrorist attacks or suspected threats, people are more likely to become actively involved in rallies against followers of Islam or subtly exhibit hate towards these groups in regular conversation. Therefore, it is valuable to emphasize that time is a factor in discrimination. People are more likely to exhibit a lack of tolerance against groups if they have recently been discussed negatively in the news or in popular culture.

The concept of right wing authoritarianism (RWA) can be used to support the connection between discrimination and religion. Independent of the religion that individuals follow, the sense of right wing values and traditional culture can overtake the sense that there should be equality between groups. It is important to consider that the simple fact of religiosity does not directly influence discrimination (Mavor et al., 2011). Instead, portions of these religious groups tend to take on viewpoints that they are superior to others groups as a tenet of their beliefs. Since small portions of groups take on this view, these views appear to be representative of the greater majority. Therefore, it is detrimental to allow these visions to become the reality and labels of such religious groups because by clouding our perception and biasing our views of these individuals, we are in turn likely to form discriminatory views against them.

Not only does the relationship between religion and discrimination impact the prevalence of feelings against certain groups of people, it is also important to consider that the relationship between the politics of a nation does not necessarily indicate the sentiment of the people. Studies have shown that the British population has done more than any other country to implement policies to support their Muslim residents, to ensure that they are able to access the same rights and freedoms as other residents of the country (Joppke, 2009). Interestingly, however, it has been found that the policies implemented by Britain are not necessarily representative of the opinions of its citizenry. According to a 2009 study, “recent polls have shown British Muslims to be more disaffected and alienated than other Muslims in Europe” (Joppke, 2009). Thus, pro-Muslim legislation is not reflective of a pro-Muslim sentiment in a particular society. Instead, it is necessary to determine additional ways to reverse the feeling of discrimination against such population in countries across the world.

To fully understand the legislative decisions with regards to religion and other seemingly discriminatory acts that are made by North American and European countries, it is beneficial to understand the cultural implications pertaining to religion in a variety of nations. In the United States, legislators make a point to remove religion from legislation in many instances because there is no official religion associated with the country (Brubaker, 2001). In some European countries, legislation is put in place in the same regards, unless the country intends to implement laws to defend its religious traditions that are tied into its cultural perceptions. The German General Social Survey (ALLBUS) of 2012 was issued to determine whether the German people would prefer to avoid education pertaining to the Islamic religion, focus only on Christian religion, or avoid teachings of religion altogether in their education system (van der Noll & Saroglou, 2014). Overall, it was found that this preference was largely dependent on the religious style of the individual. It could therefore be said that preferences related to education about Islam in Germany is not due to societal beliefs regarding education as a whole, but rather the perception of Islam due to religious bias. Therefore, it is pre-existing bias that exists for the individual, rather than beliefs of a society as a whole, that tend to direct the practice of the majority with regards to discriminatory actions in a country.

A similar study was conducted to determine the social status of Muslims in Britain and France (Bleich, 2009). An extensive review of the literature determined that negative views of Muslims have been increasing over the past several decades, and that these opinions were purely on the basis of the religion of these individuals, as opposed to their skin color and other demographic features. This is an important understanding because it demonstrates that when studying the racist remarks against Muslims, skin color is likely to be associated with the religion, which creates a physical means by which people can distinguish members of the group. As a consequence, this information can be used to explain the discrimination that many others with dark skin have been experiencing. Because of their skin color, they have been thought to be followers of Islam. Thus, there is an interesting connection between skin color and discrimination; once a religious group is thought to act or look a certain way, others that fit into this category will face prejudice even if this individual does not necessary subscribe to the beliefs that are being negatively targeted.

While many modern studies pertaining to discrimination and prejudice in terms of religion discuss the plights of Muslims and Jews, it is important to consider that during the early formation of Christianity, many Christians were not only discriminated against, but persecuted for their religious beliefs (Barnes, 1968). When Christianity first initiated, the individuals who followed Jesus Christ as their savior were in the small minority of the population. Instead, society was largely dominated by the Romans, who at the time, followed a polytheistic religion in which followers would devote themselves in prayer to many different gods. Since Christianity was a monotheistic religion that followed tenets similar to Judaism, it was not widely accepted. This became problematic when Roman leaders, such as Emperor Nero, felt threatened by Christian leaders and began to persecute and slaughter thousands of Christians. Such slaughter and terror was finally put to an end by Emperor Constantine, who promoted the Christian faith and protected followers of the religion. While this event marks a terrible moment in history, it demonstrates that a religious group that is now widely prevalent across six continents was initially discriminated against at its inception. Thus, the Christian suffering shows us that all religious groups are subject to prejudice by the majority, but it is plausible for changes to be put in place to support these individuals and allow their faith to continue without such persecution.

Many individuals are aware of the persecution that Christians faced historically, but it is also valuable to consider the retaliation that they are facing in the modern setting. Since they were long the majority of many European countries and even in the United States, minority religions are fighting against this power. Furthermore, it is necessary to consider the division between different groups of Christians. It is a commonly held fact that a majority of presidents in the United States have been Protestant Christians, although a small minority have been Catholic or other denominations. As a consequence, there is a sense of struggle among different Christian groups for power (Setzer, 1994). It is well-known that majority Christian groups undermine the beliefs of Mormons, because even though they follow a similar doctrine, these beliefs are followed due to differing interpretation. An interesting link can be drawn between the power struggle of Christians in the United States and other Western countries and the power struggle between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in the Middle East (McCarthy, 2008). While individuals from the Western world that peer into these conflicts believe these arguments and wars to be unnecessary and barbaric, it is necessary to examine these conflicts without an ethnocentric lens. The struggles in the Middle East tend to be more violent than religious battles in the Western world, but they are similar and cause and result. Overall, these conflicts demonstrate that there is a greater extent of similarity between Muslim and Christian groups in terms of history and current events than is readily observable. However, by drawing connections between unfamiliar and familiar cultures and traditions, it is plausible to gain a greater understanding of people in a manner that will allow us to understand who they are and how we can integrate them into our own society and belief system.

Arguments also demonstrate that atheists are capable of exerting prejudiced sentiments, as they are likely to receive these sentiments as well. While atheism is defined as a lack of belief, many groups disagree with atheists concerning how they view the afterlife. As a consequence, studies have shown that these groups are distrusted and their arguments are said to be invalid based on their general beliefs (Cook et al., 2015). A lack of belief in God has been shown to be connected to sentiments of both distrust as dislike (Gervais et al., 2011). Because people act to minimize threats that are imposed against their group, many distinct groups target atheism because this lack of faith is perceived to threaten their lifestyle. Thus, it can be said that prejudice is construed when threat is present, and the trigger for such threat is variable. Religion, race, gender, and other statuses or belief systems could therefore trigger sentiments of hate for similar reasons.

A summation of the present argument demonstrates that discrimination, prejudice, and racism are learned (Abram, 1962). In the modern setting, there is an important connection between religious discrimination and racism, as we believe individuals with specific belief systems to appear a certain way. As such, people are predisposed to unfair assumptions that negatively impact the way that we interact with them. Such negative connections span different religious groups and countries. It is challenging for people raised with certain religious beliefs to compromise and become tolerant of the beliefs of others (Borrell, 2015). Thus, even though many countries, such as those in North America and Europe, attempt to respond to this discrimination by implementing new legislation, these laws do not necessarily protect minority groups and do not rectify the sense of hatred that are trigged by current events (Bleich, 2009; Brubaker, 2001). It appears that prejudice will always be present when there is a single majority group in power (Barnes, 1968). When Christians were the minority, they faced mass persecution in execution. The same was true of the Jews during a series of historic events, including the holocaust in Nazi occupied Germany (Setzer, 1994). In the modern setting, Muslims have replaced the minority status that Christians and the Jews once experienced (Keene, 2011). Since Islam is technically the newest Judeo-Christian religion, the world is now expected to adjust to the belief systems that these individuals follow despite the modern events that are altering popular opinion of these peoples. It will remain necessary for the world to cope with their sense of prejudice against these groups to ensure that all involved will be able to live a life of peace and harmony in their respective countries. Integration is the key to the future.

References

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