Mr.Wisner
World History
2nd Tuesday/ Thursday
4/13/17
http://www.worldreligionnews.com/religion-news/restrictions-religious-groups-rise-europe
Key Vocabulary
1. Religion: The service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or
limited or restricted.
unwelcome and pervasive comments or behavior regarding their religion that create a
An article was recently posted on the web site World Religion News.com titled:
current religious restrictions in Europe specifically aimed at Islamic groups. The article points to
Cantu, Noah
Mr.Wisner
World History
2nd Tuesday/ Thursday
4/13/17
a variety of events occurring in Europe that deal with religious religious restrictions and
harassment aimed pointedly at Muslim people. The article states that the harassment comes in
many forms, both direct and indirect. Some subtle ways that religious harassment can take place
include the implementation of practicing religion in public. An example of a more direct form of
religious harassment includes the Vehement way the burkini ban was enforced.
immigrants. The article speaks of cases where Muslims have been asked to remove their hijabs
and shave their beards. The article also sees a rise in physical attacks on Muslims due to the
recent terrorist attacks. Some claim that this abuse or harassment is necessary to national
security, while others say that this abuse it retaliatory. These offensive acts are clearly acts of
religious persecution.
The article also points to religious restrictions in the United States. The article states that
perceived religious persecution of Christians lead most Christians in the U.S. to vote for Donald
Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election. According to the article this is primarily because most
Christians are finding it harder to pray and publicly display their religion in public due to
religious restrictions placed on them by secular forces. It appears that the article suggests that not
even the United States is immune to religious intolerance. Thus religious persecution is currently
a global issue.
Recently there appears to have been a rise in religious restrictions, specifically in Europe,
aimed mostly at the Muslim Community. I can understand why many people would want to
Cantu, Noah
Mr.Wisner
World History
2nd Tuesday/ Thursday
4/13/17
establish restrictions in light of recent terrorist attacks perpetrated by Islamic terrorist groups.
Fear of these groups may have caused some to generalize, that anything related to Islamic
traditions and customs could lead to further acts of terrorism. While I and most people do not
condone terrorist acts on any level I believe any decision regarding religious customs should be
openly discussed and debated prior to implementation rather than instituted in an impulsive
reactionary way. For example France recently banned the use of the burkini; a full body
swimsuit used by muslim women. However most would agree that this ban was the primary
result due to fear. As FDR once said The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. meaning that
One cannot help to think of the religious persecution experienced by the Jewish people of
Nazi Germany. Ultimately this persecution lead to a horrific outcome that included the genocide
of six million Jews. These circumstances begin in with a slow process of restricting religious
customs. Thus history demonstrated what can happen if these types of restrictions go
unchallenged. The difference between these two events is that because this was within the last
hundred years and because it was documented thoroughly most people are well aware of the
atrocities experienced by the Jewish people in World War II and are less likely to sit back and do
and ideologies. This article clearly illustrates the interaction of two cultures which in this case
are the western Europeans and people practicing Islamic traditions and customs. The difference
group.