#religious hostility

Islamophobia is a fear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims, both in the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional, ideological, political and religious hostility that transcends into structural and cultural racism, it targets the symbols and markers of being a Muslim.

This definition emphasises the link between institutional levels of Islamophobia and manifestations of such attitudes, triggered by the visibility of the victim’s perceived Muslim identity. This approach also interprets Islamophobia as a form of racism, whereby Islamic religion, tradition and culture are seen as a ‘threat’ to the Western values.

Some experts prefer the label 'anti-Muslim hatred,' fearing that the term 'Islamophobia' risks condemning all critiques of Islam and, therefore, could stifle freedom of expression. But international human rights law protects individuals, not religions. And Islamophobia may also affect non-Muslims, based on perceptions of nationality, racial or ethnic background.

US Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty For Accused Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooter

US federal prosecutors are seeking death penalty for 46 year-old Robert Bowers charged with killing 11 persons in a Pittsburgh synagogue last year.

The court filing says justification for a death sentence included allegations of substantial planning and premeditation, the vulnerability and number of victims, and a motivation of religious hostility.

It also listed the injury, harm and loss caused…

Lauren Markoe. Religion News Service, Aug 20, 2012 Two conservative groups have released a "Survey of Religious Hostility in America," which seeks to draw attention to a "relentless onslaught" against religious people and institutions.

"America today would be unrecognizable to our Founders," according to the report, unveiled on Monday (Aug. 20) by the Texas-based Liberty Institute and the Washington-based Family Research Council. The FRC's security guard was shot Wednesday by a man who was reportedly angered by the group's anti-gay stances.

"Our first freedom is facing a relentless onslaught from well-funded and aggressive groups and individuals who are using the courts, Congress, and the vast federal bureaucracy to suppress and limit religious freedom," the report says.

Most of the more than 600 cases detailed in the study occurred during the past decade, and include:

-- A federal judge threatened "incarceration" to a high school valedictorian in Castroville, Texas, unless she removed references to Jesus from her graduation speech.

-- City officials prohibited senior citizens in Balch Springs, Texas, from praying over their meals, listening to religious messages or singing gospel songs at a senior activities center.

-- A public school official in St. Louis physically lifted an elementary school student from his seat and reprimanded him in front of his classmates for praying over his lunch.

The report comes in the wake of a high-profile campaign for religious liberty by the USCCB in June and July, a "fortnight of freedom," to highlight what they perceive as attacks on the right to practice religion. The Obama administration's new mandate, which requires employers, with some exceptions, to provide contraception coverage in their health plans, particularly riled the bishops.