Religious persecution is the systematic oppression, discrimination, and harassment of individuals or groups based on their religious beliefs, affiliation, or lack thereof. This can range from legal discrimination and societal prejudice to violent physical attacks and mass killings. It is often driven by a desire for religious uniformity within a society or by a government viewing a religious group as a threat to its interests. It usually starts with the Legal and Governmental, where the Discriminatory laws, restrictions on religious practices, and state-sanctioned violence against certain groups are found. Then it goes into a society of Dehumanization of religious minorities, prejudice in daily life, and community-based attacks. This can cause systemic interference in religious affairs by other spheres of public life, such as employment or housing, and the use of "personal status laws" to control marriage, divorce, and inheritance for specific faiths.
It can also lead to religious uniformity, which is the belief that a society should have one dominant religion and that dissenters should be punished. This can be a threat to State Interests when a government perceives a religious group as a threat to its power, security, or social order. Due to Cultural Differences, Religion can be a significant factor in cultural and social identity, making religious differences a source of conflict and division.
Some examples of this include the Holocaust, where the systematic murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime is one of the most severe examples of religious persecution, along with the Spanish Inquisition: a historical example where religious authorities persecuted citizens, leading to long-lasting negative societal impacts, including lower income and education, according to PNAS. Although in Modern Cases, Christians face high levels of persecution in countries like North Korea, Somalia, and Yemen, and religious minorities often experience discrimination even in countries with constitutional rights to religious freedom.