Editing Persecution (section)

==Religious==
{{Main|Religious persecution}}
Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group due to their [[Religion|religious affiliation]]. Not only theorists of [[secularization]] (who presume a decline of [[religiosity]] in general) would willingly assume that religious persecution is a thing of the past{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}. However, with the rise of [[fundamentalism]] and [[Religious terrorism|religiously related terrorism]], this assumption has become even more controversial{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}. Indeed, in many countries of the world today, religious persecution is a Human Rights problem.

===Atheists===
{{Main|Discrimination against atheists}}
[[Atheism|Atheist]]s have experienced persecution throughout [[History of atheism|their history]]. Persecution may refer to unwarranted arrest, imprisonment, beating, torture, or execution. It also may refer to the confiscation or destruction of property.

===Baháʼís===
{{Main|Persecution of Baháʼís}}
The persecution of Baháʼís refers to the [[religious persecution]] of Baháʼís in various countries, especially in [[Iran]],<ref name="fdih1">{{cite web | date = 2003-08-01 | title = Discrimination against religious minorities in Iran | author = International Federation for Human Rights | publisher = fdih.org | access-date = 2006-10-20 | url = http://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ir0108a.pdf}}</ref> which has the seventh largest Baháʼí population in the world, with just over 251,100 as of 2010.<ref name="ARDA-10">{{cite web |title=QuickLists: Most Baha'i Nations (2010) |work=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]] |year=2010 |url= https://www.thearda.com/QL2010/QuickList_40.asp |access-date=2020-10-14}}</ref> The [[Baháʼí Faith]] originated in Iran, and it represents the largest religious minority in that country.

===Buddhists===
{{Main|Persecution of Buddhists|Decline of Buddhism in India|Genocide of Indigenous peoples#Bangladesh|Chakma people|Jumma people|Four Buddhist Persecutions in China|Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution|Turkic settlement of the Tarim Basin|Haibutsu kishaku}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of Buddhists|Persecution by Buddhists}}

The persecution of Buddhists has been a widespread phenomenon throughout the [[history of Buddhism]], a phenomenon which is continuing today. As early as the 3rd century AD, Buddhists were persecuted by Kirder, the Zoroastrian high priest of the [[Sasanian Empire]]. {{Citation needed|date=October 2020|reason=Unsourced}}

Anti-Buddhist sentiment in [[History of China#Imperial China|Imperial China]] between the 5th and 10th century led to the ''[[Four Buddhist Persecutions in China]]'' of which the ''[[Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution]]'' of 845 was probably the most severe. However, Buddhism managed to survive in China, but it was greatly weakened. During the [[Northern Expedition]], in 1926 in [[Guangxi]], the [[Kuomintang]] Muslim General [[Bai Chongxi]] led his troops on a campaign to destroy Buddhist temples and smash idols, they turned the temples into schools and Kuomintang party headquarters.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tCA9AAAAIAAJ&q=muslim |title=Region and nation: the Kwangsi clique in Chinese politics, 1925-1937 |author=Diana Lary |year=1974 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=98 |isbn=978-0-521-20204-6 |access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref> During the [[Kuomintang Pacification of Qinghai]], the Muslim General Ma Bufang and his army wiped out many Tibetan Buddhists in the northeast and eastern Qinghai, and destroyed [[Tibetan Buddhist]] temples.<ref name="David S. G. Goodman 2004 72">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbkfQATHikQC&pg=PA72 |title=China's campaign to "Open up the West": national, provincial, and local perspectives|author=David S. G. Goodman |year=2004 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=72 |isbn=978-0-521-61349-1 |access-date=2010-06-28}}</ref>

The [[Muslim conquests of the Indian subcontinent|Muslim invasion of the Indian subcontinent]] was the first great [[iconoclasm|iconoclastic]] invasion of the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>Levy, Robert I. Mesocosm: Hinduism and the Organization of a Traditional Newar City in Nepal. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1990 1990.</ref> According to William Johnston, hundreds of Buddhist monasteries and shrines were destroyed, Buddhist texts were [[Book burning|burnt]] by the Muslim armies, monks and nuns were killed on the [[Indo-Gangetic Plain]] during the 12th and 13th centuries.<ref name="Johnston2000p335">{{cite book|author=William M. Johnston|title=Encyclopedia of Monasticism: A-L|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GfC0TDkJJNgC&pg=PA335 |year=2000|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-57958-090-2 |pages=335 }}</ref> The Buddhist university of [[Nalanda]] was mistaken for a fort because of its walled campus. The Buddhist monks who had been slaughtered were mistaken for [[Brahmin]]s according to [[Minhaj-i-Siraj]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eraly |first=Abraham |date=April 2015 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyEoAwAAQBAJ&q=bakhtiyar+mistook+buddhist+fort&pg=PT508 |title=The Age of Wrath: A History of the Delhi Sultanate |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=9789351186588}}</ref> The walled town, the [[Odantapuri]] monastery, was also destroyed by his forces. Sumpa based his account on that of [[Śākyaśribhadra]] who was at [[Magadha (Mahajanapada)|Magadha]] in 1200, states that the Buddhist university complexes of Odantapuri and [[Vikramashila|Vikramshila]] were also destroyed and the monks were massacred.<ref>A Comprehensive History Of India, Vol. 4, Part 1, pp. 600 & 601.</ref> Muslim forces attacked the north-western regions of the Indian subcontinent many times.<ref>Historia Religionum: Handbook for the History of Religions By C. J. Bleeker, G. Widengren p. 381.</ref> Many places were destroyed and renamed. For example, Odantapuri's monasteries were destroyed in 1197 by [[Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji]] and the town was renamed.<ref>{{cite book |page=41 |title=Where the Buddha Walked |author=S. Muthiah}}</ref> Likewise, [[Vikramashila]] was destroyed by the forces of Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1200.<ref>Sanderson, Alexis. "The Śaiva Age: The Rise and Dominance of Śaivism during the Early Medieval Period." In: Genesis and Development of Tantrism, edited by Shingo Einoo. Tokyo: Institute of Oriental Culture, University of Tokyo, 2009. Institute of Oriental Culture Special Series, 23, pp. 89.</ref> The sacred [[Mahabodhi Temple]] was almost completely destroyed by the Muslim invaders.<ref>''The Maha-Bodhi'' by Maha Bodhi Society, Calcutta (page 8)</ref><ref>''The Maha-Bodhi'' by Maha Bodhi Society, Calcutta (page 205)</ref> Many Buddhist monks fled to [[Nepal]], Tibet, and [[South India]] to avoid the consequences of war.<ref>Islam at War: A History By Mark W. Walton, George F. Nafziger, Laurent W. Mbanda (p. 226)</ref> Tibetan pilgrim Chöjepal (1179-1264), who arrived in India in 1234,<ref>{{cite book |title=The Holy Land Reborn: Pilgrimage and the Tibetan Reinvention of Buddhist India |date=15 September 2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SjzSpGf1eM0C&q=Ch%C3%B6jepal&pg=PA66 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=9780226356501}}</ref> had to flee advancing Muslim troops multiple times, as they were sacking Buddhist sites.<ref>Roerich, G. 1959. Biography of Dharmasvamin (Chag lo tsa-ba Chos-rje-dpal): A Tibetan Monk Pilgrim. Patna: K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute. pp. 61–62, 64, 98.</ref>

In Japan, the [[haibutsu kishaku]] during the [[Meiji Restoration]] (starting in 1868) was an event which was triggered by the official policy of separation of [[Shinto]] and Buddhism (or [[shinbutsu bunri]]). This policy caused great destruction to [[Buddhism in Japan]], the destruction of Buddhist temples, images and texts took place on a large scale all over the country and Buddhist monks were forced to return to secular life.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020|reason=Unsourced}}

During the [[2012 Ramu violence]] in Bangladesh, a 25,000-strong Muslim mob set fire to at least five Buddhist temples and dozens of homes throughout the town and throughout the surrounding villages after they saw a picture of an allegedly desecrated [[Quran]], which they claimed had been posted on [[Facebook]] by Uttam Barua, a local Buddhist man.<ref>{{cite web |title=Protesters burn Bangladesh Buddhist temples |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2012/09/201293092057855387.html |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |date=30 September 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Religious attacks lead to 300 arrests in Bangladesh |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-02/an_bangladesh-riots/4291778 |work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]] |date=2 October 2012 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

===Christians===
{{Main|Persecution of Christians}}
{{See also|Sectarian violence among Christians}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of Christians|Persecution by Christians}}

[[File:Siemiradzki Christian Dirce.jpg|thumb|400px|''A Christian Dirce'', by [[Henryk Siemiradzki]]. A Christian woman is martyred under [[Nero]] in this re-enactment of the myth of [[Dirce]] (painting by [[Henryk Siemiradzki]], 1897, [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]], [[Warsaw]]).]]
The persecution of Christians is [[religious persecution]] that [[Christians]] may be subjected to as a consequence of professing [[Christianity|their faith]], both [[History of Christianity|historically]] and in the [[Christianity in the modern era|modern era]].  [[Early Christians]] were persecuted for their [[Faith in Christianity|faith]] at the hands of both [[Persecution of Christians by the Jews|Jews]] from [[Split of early Christianity and Judaism|whose religion Christianity arose]] and the [[Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire|Roman Empire]] which controlled much of the [[Early centers of Christianity|land across which early Christianity was distributed]]. [[Christianity in the 4th century|Early in the fourth century]], the religion was legalized by the [[Edict of Milan]], and it eventually became the [[State church of the Roman Empire]].

[[Christian missionaries]], as well as the people that they converted to Christianity, have been the target of persecution, many times to the point of being [[Martyrdom|martyred for their faith]].

There is also a history of individual [[Christian denominations]] suffering persecution at the hands of other Christians under the charge of [[Heresy in Christianity|heresy]], particularly during the 16th century [[Protestant Reformation]] as well as throughout the Middle Ages when various Christian groups deemed heretical were persecuted by the Papacy.

In the 20th century, Christians have been persecuted by various groups, and by [[state atheism|atheistic states]] such as the [[USSR]] and [[North Korea]]. During the [[Second World War]] members of many Christian churches were persecuted in [[Germany]] for resisting the [[Nazi]] ideology.

In more recent times the Christian missionary organization [[Open Doors]] (UK) estimates 100&nbsp;million Christians face persecution, particularly in [[List of Muslim-majority countries|Muslim-dominated countries]] such as [[Pakistan]] and [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref>[[Open Doors]]: [http://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/country_profiles.php The worst 50 countries for persecution of Christians] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304014428/http://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/country_profiles.php |date=2012-03-04 }}</ref><ref>Open Doors: [http://www.opendoors-de.org/downloads/wvi/weltverfolgungsindex2012.pdf Weltverfolgungsindex 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120713221505/http://www.opendoors-de.org/downloads/wvi/weltverfolgungsindex2012.pdf |date=2012-07-13 }}, p. 2</ref> According to the [[International Society for Human Rights]], up to 80% of all acts of persecution are directed against people of the Christian faith.<ref>{{citation |last=Philpott |first=Daniel |title=Pope Francis and Religious Freedom |url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/pope-francis-and-religious-freedom |publisher=Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs |location=Washington, DC}}</ref>

====Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism)====
{{Main|Anti-Mormonism}}
{{unreferenced section|date=May 2021}}
The Missouri [[Missouri Executive Order 44|extermination order]] forced Mormons to move to Illinois. This was after [[Sidney Rigdon]] gave his [[Rigdon's July 4th oration|July 4th Oration]] which meant to state that Mormons would defend their lives and property. This speech was taken critically by the [[Government of Missouri|state government]]. Missouri state militia troops slaughtered Mormons in what is now known as the [[Haun's Mill massacre]]. Their forcible expulsion from the state caused the death of over a hundred due to exposure, starvation, and resulting illnesses. The founder of the church, [[Joseph Smith]], was [[killing of Joseph Smith|killed]] in [[Carthage, Illinois]] by a mob of about 200 men, almost all of whom were members of the Illinois state militia including some members of the militia who were assigned to guard him. The Mormons suffered through [[tarring and feathering]], their lands and possessions being repeatedly taken from them, mob attacks, false imprisonments, and the US sending an army to Utah to deal with the "Mormon problem" in the [[Utah War]] which resulted in a group of Mormons led by [[John D. Lee]] massacring settlers at the [[Mountain Meadows Massacre]].

====Jehovah's Witnesses====
{{Main|Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses}}
Throughout the history of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], their beliefs, doctrines and practices have engendered [[Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses|controversy]] and opposition from local governments, communities, and mainstream Christian groups.

===Copts===
{{Main|Persecution of Copts}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of Copts}}
The persecution of Copts is a historical and ongoing issue in [[Egypt]] against [[Coptic Orthodox Christianity]] and its followers. It is also a prominent example of the poor status of [[Christians in the Middle East]] despite the religion being native to the region. [[Copt]]s are the [[Christ (title)|Christ]] followers in Egypt, usually [[Oriental Orthodoxy|Oriental Orthodox]], who currently make up around 10% of the population of Egypt — the largest religious minority of that country.{{Efn|In 2017, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that "the vast majority of Egypt's estimated 9.5 million Christians, approximately 10% of the country's population, are Orthodox Copts."<ref name=RoccaKholaif>Francis X. Rocca & Dahlia Kholaif, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/pope-francis-calls-on-egypts-catholics-to-embrace-forgiveness-1493464066 Pope Francis Calls on Egypt’s Catholics to Embrace Forgiveness], ''Wall Street Journal'' (April 29, 2017).</ref> In 2019, the Associated Press cited an estimate of 10 million Copts in Egypt.<ref name=Elhennawy>Noha Elhennawy, [https://apnews.com/a115f4d4a86c4f9b8cdb0802ccf3e5e5 Egyptian woman fights unequal Islamic inheritance laws], Associated Press (November 15, 2019).</ref> In 2015, the ''Wall Street Journal'' reported: "The Egyptian government estimates about 5 million Copts, but the Coptic Orthodox Church says 15-18 million. Reliable numbers are hard to find but estimates suggest they make up somewhere between 6% and 18% of the population."<ref name=WSJ2015>{{cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/02/16/5-five-things-to-know-about-egypts-coptic-christians/|newspaper=Wall Street Journal|date=February 16, 2015|title=Five Things to Know About Egypt's Coptic Christians}}</ref>  The ''[[CIA World Factbook]]'' reported a 2015 estimate that 10% of the Egyptian population is Christian (including both Copts and non-Copts).<ref name=CIA2015>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/egypt/|title=Egypt |work=The World Factbook |date=30 March 2023 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref>}} Copts have cited instances of persecution throughout their history and [[Human Rights Watch]] has noted "growing religious intolerance" and sectarian violence against Coptic Christians in recent years, as well as a failure by the Egyptian government to effectively investigate properly and prosecute those responsible.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/24/egypt-and-libya-year-serious-abuses Egypt and Libya: A Year of Serious Abuses] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704163742/http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/24/egypt-and-libya-year-serious-abuses |date=2011-07-04 }}, hrw.org, January 24, 2010</ref><ref name="Egypt's Persecuted Christians">{{cite news | last = Zaki | first = Moheb | title = Egypt's Persecuted Christians | newspaper = The Wall Street Journal | date = May 18, 2010 | url = https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703745904575248301172607696 | access-date = June 4, 2010 | url-status = live | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100603203131/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703745904575248301172607696.html | archive-date = June 3, 2010 }}</ref>

The [[Muslim conquest of Egypt]] took place in AD 639, during the [[Byzantine Empire]]. Despite the political upheaval, Egypt remained a mainly Christian, but Copts lost their majority status after the 14th century,<ref name="FA">{{cite journal|last1=Shea|first1=Nina|title=Do Copts have a future in Egypt|journal=Foreign Affairs|date=June 2017|url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/egypt/2017-06-20/do-copts-have-future-egypt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620201311/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/egypt/2017-06-20/do-copts-have-future-egypt|archive-date=2017-06-20|url-access=subscription}}</ref> as a result of the intermittent persecution and the destruction of the Christian churches there,<ref>{{cite book|title=Middle East, Region in Transition: Egypt| first=Laura S. |last= Etheredge|year= 2011| isbn= 9789774160936| page =161|publisher=Britannica Educational Publishing}}</ref> accompanied by heavy [[tax]]es for those who refused to convert.<ref>{{Citation|title=Conversion, Exemption, and Manipulation: Social Benefits and Conversion to Islam in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages: Forcing taxes on those who refuse to convert|url=https://www.medievalworlds.net/0xc1aa5576%200x00372f27.pdf|quote= ʿUmar is depicted as having ordered that "the poll-tax should be taken from all men who would not become Muslims"}}</ref> From the [[Muslim conquest of Egypt]] onwards, the Coptic Christians were persecuted by  different Muslims regimes,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|title=Refworld {{!}} World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Egypt : Copts of Egypt|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/49749d2b2d.html|access-date=2020-06-15|website=Refworld|language=en}}</ref> such as the [[Umayyad Caliphate]],<ref>H. Patrick Glenn, Legal Traditions of the World. Oxford University Press, 2007, p. 219.</ref> [[Abbasid Caliphate]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Goddard|first=Hugh|title=A History of Christian–Muslim Relations|date=2000|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=1566633400 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Bq2oLEvHzl8C&pg=PA71 |page=71|access-date=20 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first=Frank |last=Feder |chapter=The Bashmurite Revolts in the Delta and the ‘Bashmuric Dialect’ |title=Christianity and Monasticism in Northern Egypt: Beni Suef, Giza, Cairo, and the Nile Delta |editor-first1=Gawdat |editor-last1=Gabra |editor-first2=Hany N. |editor-last2=Takla |year=2017 |publisher=American University in Cairo Press |pages=33–35}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author-link=Ira M. Lapidus |first=Ira M. |last=Lapidus |title=The Conversion of Egypt to Islam |journal=Israel Oriental Studies |volume=2 |year=1972 |page=257}}</ref> [[Fatimid Caliphate]],<ref name="Robert Ousterhout 1989 pp. 66-78">Robert Ousterhout, "Rebuilding the Temple: Constantine Monomachus and the Holy Sepulchre" in ''The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'', Vol. 48, No. 1 (March, 1989), pp.66–78</ref><ref name="Saunders2002">{{cite book|author=John Joseph Saunders|title=A History of Medieval Islam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_d2KAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT109|date=11 March 2002|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-93005-0|pages=109–}}</ref><ref name="Rustow2014">{{cite book|author=[[Marina Rustow]]|title=Heresy and the Politics of Community: The Jews of the Fatimid Caliphate|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MGWsBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT219|date=3 October 2014|publisher=Cornell University Press|isbn=978-0-8014-5529-2|pages=219–}}</ref> [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk Sultanate]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Teule|first1=Herman G. B.|editor1-last=Thomas|editor1-first=David|editor2-last=Mallett|editor2-first=Alex|title=Christian-Muslim Relations. A Bibliographical History, Volume 5 (1350-1500)|date=2013|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004252783|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgy7SN3ZixsC&pg=PA11|chapter=Introduction: Constantinople and Granada, Christian-Muslim Interaction 1350-1516 |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Coptic Identity and Ayyubid Politics in Egypt, 1218-1250| first= Kurt J.|last=Werthmuller |year= 2010| isbn=  9780805440737| page = 76|publisher= American Univ in Cairo Press}}</ref> and [[Ottoman Empire]]; the persecution of Coptic Christians included closing and demolishing churches and [[forced conversion]] to [[Islam]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Cave Church of Paul the Hermit at the Monastery of St. Pau| first=William |last=Lyster|year= 2013| isbn= 9789774160936|publisher=Yale University Press|quote= Al Hakim Bi-Amr Allah (r. 996—1021), however, who became the greatest persecutor of Copts.... within the church that also appears to coincide with a period of forced rapid conversion to Islam}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt (641-1517)| first=Mark |last= N. Swanson|year= 2010| isbn= 9789774160936| page =54|publisher=American Univ in Cairo Press|quote= By late 1012 the persecution had moved into high gear with demolitions of churches and the forced conversion of Christian ...}}</ref><ref>ha-Mizraḥit ha-Yiśreʼelit, Ḥevrah (1988). Asian and African Studies, Volume 22. Jerusalem Academic Press. Muslim historians note the destruction of dozens of churches and the forced conversion of dozens of people to Islam under al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah in Egypt ...These events also reflect the Muslim attitude toward forced conversion and toward converts.</ref>

Since 2011 hundreds of Egyptian Copts have been killed in sectarian clashes, and many homes, Churches and businesses have been destroyed. In just one province ([[Minya Governorate|Minya]]), 77 cases of sectarian attacks on Copts between 2011 and 2016 have been documented by the [[Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights]].<ref name="Eltahawy-nyt-12-16">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/opinion/egypts-cruelty-to-christians.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region|title=Egypt's Cruelty to Christians|date=22 December 2016|work=The New York Times|last1=Eltahawy|first1=Mona|access-date=22 December 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224220308/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/opinion/egypts-cruelty-to-christians.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region&region=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-region|archive-date=24 December 2016}}</ref> The abduction and disappearance of Coptic Christian women and girls also remains a serious ongoing problem.<ref>{{cite book|last1=United States. Congress. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe|title=Escalating Violence Against Coptic Women and Girls: Will the New Egypt be More Dangerous than the Old? : Hearing before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Second Session, July 18, 2012|date=July 18, 2012|publisher=Government Printing Office|location=Washington, DC|url=https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo55657|access-date=8 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masress.com/en/dailynews/168782|title=Masress : Sectarian tensions rise in wake of crime boss death|work=Masress|access-date=2 January 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125080803/http://www.masress.com/en/dailynews/168782|archive-date=25 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.premier.org.uk/content/view/full/928769|title=Newlywed becomes 8th Egyptian Christian woman to be kidnapped since April|last=Premier|date=2018-05-09|website=Premier|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref>

===Dogons===
{{main|Dogon people|Dogon religion}}
For almost 1000 years,<ref name="Griaule"/> the [[Dogon people]], an ancient tribe of [[Mali]]<ref>[[The Independent]], ''Caught in the crossfire of Mali's war'' (25 January 2013) by Kim Sengupta [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/caught-in-the-crossfire-of-mali-s-war-8467800.html] (retrieved March 14, 2020)</ref>  had faced religious and ethnic persecution—through jihads by dominant Muslim communities.<ref name="Griaule">[[Marcel Griaule|Griaule, Marcel]]; [[Germaine Dieterlen|Dieterlen, Germaine]]; (1965). ''Le mythe cosmologique. Le renard pâle.'', 1. Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie Musée de l'homme, p. 17</ref> These jihadic expeditions were to forced the Dogon to abandon [[Dogon religion|their traditional religious beliefs]] for Islam. Such jihads caused the Dogon to abandon their original villages and moved up to the [[Bandiagara Escarpment|cliffs of Bandiagara]] for better defense and to escape persecution—often building their dwellings in little nooks and crannies.<ref name="Griaule"/><ref>''[[Africa Today]],'' Volume 7, [[Africa Media Review|Afro Media]] (2001), p. 126</ref> 
In the early era of [[French colonial empire|French colonialism]] in Mali, the French authorities appointed Muslim relatives of [[El Hadj Umar Tall]] as chiefs of the [[Bandiagara]]—despite the fact that the area has been a Dogon area for centuries.<ref>[[Christopher Wise|Wise, Christopher]], ''Sorcery, Totem, and Jihad in African Philosophy'', [[Bloomsbury Publishing]] (2017), p. 68, {{ISBN|9781350013100}} (retrieved March 14, 2020) [https://books.google.com/books?id=YNwCDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA68]</ref>

In 1864, [[Tidiani Tall]], nephew and successor of the 19th century [[Senegambian]] jihadist and Muslim leader—El Hadj Umar Tall, chose Bandiagara as the capital of the [[Toucouleur Empire]] thereby exacerbating the inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflict.  In recent years, the Dogon accused the [[Fula people|Fulanis]] of supporting and sheltering [[Islamic terrorism|Islamic terrorist]] groups like [[Al-Qaeda]] in Dogon country, leading to the creation of the Dogon militia [[Dan Na Ambassagou]] in 2016—whose aim is to defend the Dogon from systematic attacks.  That resulted in the [[Ogossagou massacre]] of Fulanis in March 2019, and a Fula retaliation with the [[Sobane Da massacre]] in June of that year. In the wake of the Ogossagou massacre, the [[List of heads of state of Mali|President of Mali]], [[Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta]] and his government ordered the dissolution of Dan Na Ambassagou—whom they hold partly responsible for the attacks. The Dogon militia group denied any involvement in the massacre and rejected calls to disband.<ref>[[World Politics|World Politics Review]], ''What Explains the Rise of Communal Violence in Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia?'' (Sept. 11, 2019) by Hilary Matfess. [https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28182/what-explains-the-rise-of-communal-violence-in-mali-nigeria-and-ethiopia]</ref>

===Druze===
[[File:Qalb Lauzeh - GAR - 11-001.JPG|thumb|[[Qalb Loze]]: in June 2015, Druze were [[Qalb Loze massacre|massacred there]] by the [[jihadist]] [[Nusra Front]].<ref name="AFP">[https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2012/Sep-08/187193-syria-druze-back-sunnis-revolt-with-words-but-not-arms.ashx Syria Druze back Sunnis' revolt with words but not arms]. [[Agence France-Presse]]. 2012-09-08.</ref>]]
Historically the relationship between the [[Druze]] and [[Muslims]] has been characterized by intense persecution.<ref>{{cite book|title=Historical Dictionary of the Druzes| first=Samy|last=Swayd|year= 2015| isbn= 9781442246171| page = 132|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|quote= Some Muslim rulers and jurists have advocated the persecution of members of the Druze Movement beginning with the seventh Fatimi Caliph Al-Zahir, in 1022. Recurring period of persecutions in subsequent centuries ... failure to elucidate their beliefs and practices, have contributed to the ambiguous relationship between Muslims and Druzes}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Conflict in the Modern Middle East: An Encyclopedia of Civil War, Revolutions, and Regime Change| first=Jonathan|last= K. Zartman|year= 2020| isbn=9781440865039| page = 199|publisher=ABC-CLIO|quote= Historically, Islam classified Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians as protected “People of the Book,” a secondary status subject to payment of a poll tax. Nevertheless, Zoroastrians suffered significant persecution. Other religions such as the Alawites, Alevis, and Druze often suffered more.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Marriage, Divorce, and Succession in the Druze Family: A Study Based on Decisions of Druze Arbitrators and Religious Courts in Israel and the Golan Heights| first=Aharôn|last= Layiš|year= 1982| isbn=9789004064126| page = 1|publisher=BRILL|quote= the Druze religion, though originating from the Isma'lliyya, an extreme branch of the Shia, seceded completely from Islam and has, therefore, experienced periods of persecution by the latter.}}</ref> The [[Druze]] faith is often classified as a branch of [[Isma'ili]]. Even though the faith originally developed out of [[Ismaili Islam]], most [[Druze]] do not identify as [[Muslims]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Are the Druze People Arabs or Muslims? Deciphering Who They Are |url=https://www.arabamerica.com/are-the-druze-people-arabs-or-muslims-deciphering-who-they-are/ |website=Arab America |access-date=13 April 2020 |language=en |date=8 August 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Middle East Today: Political, Geographical and Cultural Perspectives| first=Dona|last= J. Stewart|year=2008| isbn=9781135980795| page = 33|publisher=Routledge|quote= Most Druze do not consider themselves Muslim. Historically they faced much persecution and keep their religious beliefs secrets.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Handbook of American Islam| first=Yvonne |last=Yazbeck Haddad|year=2014| isbn=9780199862634| page = 142|publisher=Oxford University Press|quote=While they appear parallel to those of normative Islam, in the Druze religion they are different in meaning and interpretation. The religion is considered distinct from the Ismaili as well as from other Muslims belief and practice... Most Druze consider themselves fully assimilated in American society and do not necessarily identify as Muslims..}}</ref> and they do not accept the [[Five Pillars of Islam|five pillars of Islam]].<ref>{{cite book|title= The Political Role of Minority Groups in the Middle East|first=Ronald|last= De McLaurin|year= 1979| isbn= 9780030525964| page =114 |publisher=Michigan University Press|quote= Theologically, one would have to conclude that the Druze are not Muslims. They do not accept the five pillars of Islam. In place of these principles the Druze have instituted the seven precepts noted above..}}</ref> The [[Druze]] have frequently experienced persecution by different Muslim regimes such as the [[Shia]] [[Fatimid Caliphate]],<ref>{{cite book|title=The Druze between Palestine and Israel 1947–49| first=L.|last=Parsons|year= 2000| isbn= 9780230595989| page = 2|publisher=Springer|quote= With the succession of al-Zahir to the Fatimid caliphate a mass persecution (known by the Druze as the period of the ''mihna'') of the Muwaḥḥidūn was instigated ... }}</ref> [[Mamluk]],{{Sfn |Hitti |1924}} [[Sunni]] [[Ottoman Empire]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Middle East Conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 volumes]| first=Spencer C. |last= C. Tucker|year= 2019| isbn= 9781440853531| pages = 364–366|publisher=ABC-CLIO}}</ref> and [[Egypt Eyalet]].<ref>Taraze Fawaz, Leila. ''An occasion for war: civil conflict in Lebanon and Damascus in 1860''. p.63.</ref><ref name=goren>Goren, Haim. ''Dead Sea Level: Science, Exploration and Imperial Interests in the Near East.'' p.95-96.</ref> The persecution of the Druze included [[massacre]]s, demolishing Druze prayer houses and holy places and [[forced conversion]] to Islam.<ref>{{cite book|title=Middle East Conflicts from Ancient Egypt to the 21st Century: An Encyclopedia and Document Collection [4 volumes]| first=Spencer C. |last= C. Tucker|year= 2019| isbn= 9781440853531| page = 364|publisher=ABC-CLIO}}</ref> Those were no ordinary killings in the Druze's narrative, they were meant to eradicate the whole community according to the Druze narrative.<ref>{{cite book|title= Middle Eastern Minorities: The Impact of the Arab Spring|first=Ibrahim|last=Zabad|year= 2017| isbn= 9781317096726|publisher=Routledge}}</ref> Most recently, the [[Syrian Civil War]], which began in 2011, saw persecution of the Druze at the hands of [[Islamic extremism|Islamic extremists]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33092902|title=Syria conflict: Al-Nusra fighters kill Druze villagers|work=BBC News|date=11 June 2015 |access-date=27 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2015/06/11/nusra-front-kills-syrian-villagers-from-minority-druze-sect.html|title=Nusra Front kills Syrian villagers from minority Druze sect|date=11 June 2015|work=thestar.com|access-date=27 July 2015}}</ref>

[[Ibn Taymiyya]] a prominent [[Muslims|Muslim]] [[scholar]] [[muhaddith]], dismissed the Druze as non-Muslims,<ref>{{cite book|title= Religious Minorities in the Middle East: Domination, Self-Empowerment, Accommodation|first=Anne Sofie|last= Roald|year= 2011| isbn= 9789004207424| page =255|publisher=BRILL|quote= Therefore, many of these scholars follow Ibn Taymiyya'sfatwa from the beginning of the fourteenth century that declared the Druzes and the Alawis as heretics outside Islam ...}}</ref> and his [[fatwa]] cited that Druzes: "Are not at the level of ′Ahl al-Kitāb ([[People of the Book]]) nor [[Shirk (Islam)|mushrikin]] ([[polytheist]]s). Rather, they are from the most deviant kuffār ([[Infidel]]) ... Their women can be taken as slaves and their property can be seized ... they are to be killed whenever they are found and cursed as they described ... It is obligatory to kill their scholars and religious figures so that they do not misguide others",<ref>{{cite book|title= Middle Eastern Minorities: The Impact of the Arab Spring|first=Ibrahim |last=Zabad|year= 2017| isbn=9781317096733| page =126|publisher=Taylor & Francis}}</ref> which in that setting would have legitimized violence against them as [[Apostasy in Islam|apostates]].<ref>{{cite book|title= Journey to the End of Islam|first=Michael |last=Knight|year= 2009| isbn= 9781593765521| page =129 |publisher=Soft Skull Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= The A to Z of the Druzes|first=Samy|last=S. Swayd|year= 2009| isbn= 9780810868366| page =37 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|quote= Subsequently, Muslim opponents of the Druzes have often relied on Ibn Taymiyya's religious ruling to justify their attitudes and actions against Druzes...}}</ref> [[Ottoman Turks|Ottomans]] have often relied on Ibn Taymiyya religious ruling to justify their persecution of [[Druze]].<ref>{{cite book|title= The Druzes: An Annotated Bibliography|first=Samy|last= S. Swayd|year= 2009| isbn= 9780966293203| page =25 |publisher=University of Michigan Press}}</ref>

===Falun Gong===
{{Main|Persecution of Falun Gong}}
[[Falun Gong]] was introduced to the general public by [[Li Hongzhi]] in [[Changchun]], [[China]], in 1992. For the next few years, Falun Gong was the fastest growing ''[[qigong]]'' practice in Chinese history and, by 1999, there were millions of practitioners. Following the seven years of widespread popularity, on July 20, 1999, the government of the [[People's Republic of China]] began a nationwide persecution campaign against Falun Gong practitioners, except in the special administrative regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]].<ref>Faison, Seth (April 27, 1999) [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/042799china-protest.html "In Beijing: A Roar of Silent Protesters"] ''New York Times'', retrieved June 10, 2006</ref><ref>Kahn, Joseph (April 27, 1999) [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/042799china-protest-leader.html "Notoriety Now for Exiled Leader of Chinese Movement"] ''New York Times'', retrieved June 14, 2006</ref> In late 1999, legislation was created to outlaw "heterodox religions" and retroactively applied to Falun Gong.<ref name="Leung">Leung, Beatrice (2002) 'China and Falun Gong: Party and society relations in the modern era', Journal of Contemporary China, 11:33, 761 – 784</ref> [[Amnesty International]] states that the persecution is "politically motivated" with "legislation being used retroactively to convict people on {{Sic|hide=y|politically|-}}driven charges, and new regulations introduced to further restrict fundamental freedoms".<ref name=Amnesty1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030711022606/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA170112000 The crackdown on Falun Gong and other so-called ''heretical organizations'' ], The Amnesty International</ref>

===Hindus===
{{Main|Persecution of Hindus}}
{{Category see also|persecution of Hindus|persecution by Hindus}}

Persecution of Hindus refers to the [[religious persecution]] inflicted upon [[Hindu]]s that may undergo as a consequence of professing their faith, both historically and in the current era. Hindus have been brutally persecuted during the historical  [[Islam]]ic rule of the [[Indian subcontinent]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Durant|first=Will|title=The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental Heritage|page=459|quote=The Mohammedan Conquest of India is probably the bloodiest story in history. It is a discouraging tale, for its evident moral is that civilization is a precarious thing, whose delicate complex of order and liberty, culture and peace may at any time be overthrown by barbarians invading from without or multiplying within. The Hindus had allowed their strength to be wasted in internal division and war; they had adopted religions like Buddhism and Jainism, which unnerved them for the tasks of life; they had failed to organize their forces for the protection of their frontiers and their capitals, their wealth and their freedom, from the hordes of Scythians, Huns, Afghans and Turks hovering about India's boundaries and waiting for national weakness to let them in. For four hundred years (600–1000 AD) India invited conquest; and at last it came.}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2018}} and during [[Portugal|Portuguese]] [[Goa Inquisition|rule]] of [[Goa]].

Even in modern times, Hindus in [[Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]] have suffered persecution. Most recently, thousands of Hindus from [[Sindh]] province in Pakistan have been fleeing to [[India]] voicing fear for their safety. After the [[Partition of India]] in 1947, there were 8.8 million Hindus in Pakistan (excluding Bangladesh) in 1951. In 1951, Hindus constituted 1.58% of the Pakistani population.<ref name="1951CensusB">{{cite web|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7452/1/1422_1951_POP.pdf|title=CENSUS OF PAKISTAN, 1951 POPULATION ACCORDING TO RELIGION TABLE 6|access-date=30 January 2023|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032054/http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/7452/1/1422_1951_POP.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Today, the Hindu minority amounts to 1.7 percent of Pakistan's population.<ref>[http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/area_pop/area_pop.html Census of Pakistan] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222185234/http://www.statpak.gov.pk/depts/pco/statistics/area_pop/area_pop.html |date=December 22, 2010 }}</ref>
 	
The [[Bangladesh Liberation War]] (1971) resulted in one of the largest genocides of the 20th century. While estimates of the number of casualties was 3,000,000, it is reasonably certain that Hindus bore a disproportionate brunt of the Pakistan Army's onslaught against the Bengali population of what was East Pakistan. An article in [[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] dated 2 August 1971, stated "The Hindus, who account for three-fourths of the refugees and a majority of the dead, have borne the brunt of the Muslim military hatred."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,878408,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311141813/http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,878408,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 11, 2007 |title=World: Pakistan: The Ravaging of Golden Bengal - Printout |publisher=TIME |date=2 August 1971 |access-date=2013-10-25}}</ref> Senator [[Ted Kennedy|Edward Kennedy]] wrote in a report that was part of [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations]] testimony dated 1 November 1971, "Hardest hit have been members of the Hindu community who have been robbed of their lands and shops, systematically slaughtered, mass rape and in some places, painted with yellow patches marked "H". All of this has been officially sanctioned, ordered and implemented under martial law from [[Islamabad]]". In the same report, Senator Kennedy reported that 80% of the refugees in India were Hindus and according to numerous international relief agencies such as [[UNESCO]] and [[World Health Organization]] the number of East Pakistani refugees at their peak in India was close to 10 million. In a syndicated column "The Pakistani Slaughter That Nixon Ignored", [[Pulitzer Prize]]–winning journalist [[Sydney Schanberg]]  wrote about his return to liberated Bangladesh in 1972. "Other reminders were the yellow "H"s the Pakistanis had painted on the homes of Hindus, particular targets of the Muslim army" (by "Muslim army", meaning the [[Pakistan Army]], which had targeted Bengali Muslims as well), ([[Newsday]], 29 April 1994).
 	
In Bangladesh, on 28 February 2013, the [[International Crimes Tribunal (Bangladesh)|International Crimes Tribunal]] sentenced [[Delwar Hossain Sayeedi]], the Vice President of the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]] to death for the war crimes committed during the 1971 [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. Following the sentence, activists of [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]] and its student wing [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami#Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir|Islami Chhatra Shibir]] attacked the Hindus in different parts of the country. Hindu properties were looted, Hindu houses were burnt into ashes and Hindu temples were desecrated and set on fire.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bagerhat Hindu Temple Set on Fire|url=http://dev-bd.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=241410&cid=2|access-date=March 20, 2013|newspaper=bdnews24.com|date=March 2, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407194310/http://dev-bd.bdnews24.com/details.php?id=241410&cid=2|archive-date=April 7, 2013}}</ref>{{Additional citation needed|date=June 2023}} The violence included the looting of Hindu properties and businesses, the burning of Hindu homes, the rape of Hindu women,{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} and the [[desecration]] and destruction of, according to community leaders, more than 50 [[Hindu temples]]; 1,500 Hindu homes were destroyed in 20 districts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bangladesh: Wave of violent attacks against Hindu minority|url=http://amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority-2013-03-06#.UTeKDSrYyD8.twitter|work=Press releases|publisher=Amnesty International|access-date=8 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309203359/http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/bangladesh-wave-violent-attacks-against-hindu-minority-2013-03-06#.UTeKDSrYyD8.twitter|archive-date=2013-03-09|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="bbc09032013-1">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21712655|title=Bangladesh minorities 'terrorised' after mob violence|last=Ethirajan|first=Anbarasan|date=9 March 2013|work=BBC News|access-date=17 March 2013|location=London}}</ref> While the government has held the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]] responsible for the attacks on the minorities, the [[Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami|Jamaat-e-Islami]] leadership has denied any involvement. The minority leaders have protested the attacks and appealed for justice. The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has directed the law enforcement to start ''[[suo motu]]'' investigation into the attacks. US Ambassador to Bangladesh express concern about attack of Jamaat on Bengali Hindu community.<ref name=US_amb_ds-1>{{cite news|title=US worried at violence|url=http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/us-worried-at-violence/|access-date=12 March 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)]]|date=March 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name=US_amb_Itt-1>{{cite news|title=Mozena: Violence is not the way to resolution|url=http://www.clickittefaq.com/featured-area/mozena-violence-is-not-the-way-to-resolution/|access-date=12 March 2013|newspaper=[[The Daily Ittefaq]]|date=March 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141116055856/http://www.clickittefaq.com/featured-area/mozena-violence-is-not-the-way-to-resolution/|archive-date=16 November 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Jews===
{{Main|Antisemitism|Persecution of Jews|The Holocaust}}
[[File:Massacre of Jews in Lietūkis garage.jpeg|thumb|[[Kaunas pogrom]] in [[German occupation of Lithuania during World War II|German-occupied Lithuania]], June 1941]]
The [[persecution of Jews]] is a recurring phenomenon throughout [[Jewish history]]. It has occurred on numerous occasions in widely different geographic locations. It may include [[pogrom]]s, [[looting]] and the demolition of private and public Jewish property (e.g., [[Kristallnacht]]), unwarranted arrest, imprisonment, [[torture]], killing, or even mass execution (in [[World War II]] alone, approximately [[The Holocaust|six million people were deliberately killed]] because they were Jewish). They have been [[Expulsions and exoduses of Jews|expelled]] from their hometowns/countries, hoping to find safe havens in other polities. In recent times [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitism]] has often been manifested as [[Anti-Zionism]],<ref>[[New antisemitism]]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/Antizionism.htm|title=Anti-zionism as an expression of anti-Semitism in recent years<!-- Bot generated title -->|website=huji.ac.il|access-date=22 October 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512173240/http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/Antizionism.htm|archive-date=12 May 2017}}</ref> where Anti-Zionism is a prejudice against the Jewish movement for self-determination and the right of the Jewish people to a homeland in [[the State of Israel]]. Anti-Zionism can include threats to destroy the State of Israel (or otherwise eliminate its Jewish character), unfounded and inaccurate characterizations of Israel's power in the world, and language or actions that hold Israel to a different standard than other countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/what-is-anti-israel-anti-semitic-anti-zionist|title=What Is… Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitic, Anti-Zionist?|website=Anti-Defamation League}}</ref>

===Muslims===
{{Main|Persecution of Muslims}}
{{See also|Persecution by Muslims}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of Muslims|Persecution by Muslims}}

[[File:Srebrenica Massacre - Exhumed Grave of Victims - Potocari 2007.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Mass grave where events of the [[Srebrenica massacre]] of [[Bosniaks|Bosnian]] Muslims unfolded]]
The persecution of [[Muslim]]s has been a recurring phenomenon throughout the [[history of Islam]]. Persecution may refer to unwarranted arrest, imprisonment, beatings, torture, or execution. It may also refer to the confiscation or destruction of property, or incitement to hate Muslims.

Persecution can extend beyond those who perceive themselves to be Muslims and include those who are perceived by others as Muslims, or it can include Muslims who are considered non-Muslims by fellow Muslims. The [[Ahmadiyya]] regard themselves as Muslims, but are seen by many other Muslims as non-Muslims and "heretics". In 1984, the Government of [[Pakistan]], under General [[Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul-Haq]], passed [[Ordinance XX]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thepersecution.org/50years/paklaw.html|title=Government of Pakistan – Law for Ahmadis|website=www.thepersecution.org|access-date=22 October 2017}}</ref> which banned proselytizing by Ahmadis and also banned Ahmadis from referring to themselves as [[Muslim]]s. According to this ordinance, any Ahmadi who refers to oneself as a Muslim by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, directly or indirectly, or makes the call for prayer as other Muslims do, is punishable by imprisonment of up to 3 years. Because of these difficulties, [[Mirza Tahir Ahmad]] migrated to London.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

===Pagans ===
{{Category see also|Persecution of Pagans}}

[[Persecution of Heathens (disambiguation)|Persecution of Pagans]] refers to the historical and ongoing acts of religious intolerance, violence, and oppression against followers of pagan or polytheistic religions. This persecution has been carried out by various religious and political groups, including Christians, Muslims, and governments throughout history. 
The rise of Christianity as a state religion in the [[Late Roman Empire]] led to the persecution of Pagans, who were seen as a threat to the new faith and persecution of pagans have continued in Post-Roman [[Europe]], Arabia, and North Africa. The destruction and conversion of pagan temples into churches, mosques, or other structures were common practices during the [[Christianization of the Roman Empire]] and later the [[Spread of Islam]] in [[Middle East and North Africa]]. This was done to eradicate paganism and assert the dominance of Christianity and Islam. During the [[Age of Discovery]], Many Europeans consider aspects of [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]], [[African Tribes]], Polynesian, and [[ Aboriginal Australian]] religion as pagans, which attributed to their [[Genocide of Indigenous peoples|genocide]] and [[forced conversions]]. Some notable examples are the [[Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire]], [[Christianisation of the Germanic peoples]], [[Islamization of the Sudan region]], [[Persecution of pagans under Theodosius I]], [[Persecution of pagans under Constantius II]], [[Scramble for Africa]], [[Colonization of Australia]], and [[ Colonization of the Americas]]. Modern Pagans, who practice various forms of paganism, are a religious minority in every country where they exist. They have been subject to religious discrimination and/or religious persecution. The largest modern Pagan communities are in North America and the United Kingdom, and the issue of discrimination receives most attention in those locations.  Although the persecution of Pagans has decreased in recent centuries, it still exists in some parts of the world. The community of Pagans and [[Wiccans]] continues to face Christian persecution, particularly in the United States, where they are frequently subjected to negative stereotypes and misconceptions, such as those perpetuated during the [[Satanic Panic]].

===Philosophers===
{{Main|Persecution of philosophers}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of philosophers}}

Philosophers throughout the [[history of philosophy]] have been held in courts and tribunals for various offenses, often as a result of their philosophical activity, and some have even been put to death.  The most famous example of a philosopher being put on trial is the case of [[Socrates]], who was tried for, amongst other charges, corrupting the youth and impiety.<ref>[http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/socratestrial/f/SocratesCharge.htm "What Was the Charge Against Socrates?"] Retrieved September 1, 2009</ref> Others include:

* [[Giordano Bruno]] - pantheist philosopher who was [[burned at the stake]] by the [[Roman Inquisition]] for his heretical religious views, his cosmological views, or both;<ref>{{cite book |last=Martínez |first=Alberto A. |year=2018 |title=Burned Alive: Giordano Bruno, Galileo and the Inquisition |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/B/bo28433424.html |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-1780238968}}</ref><ref>Michael J. Crowe, ''The Extraterrestrial Life Debate 1750–1900'', Cambridge University Press, 1986, p. 10, "[Bruno's] sources... seem to have been more numerous than his followers, at least until the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century revival of interest in Bruno as a supposed 'martyr for science.' It is true that he was burned at the stake in Rome in 1600, but the church authorities guilty of this action were almost certainly more distressed at his denial of Christ's divinity and alleged diabolism than at his cosmological doctrines."</ref>
* [[Tommaso Campanella]] - confined to a [[convent]] for his heretical views, namely, an opposition to the authority of [[Aristotle]], and later imprisoned in a castle for 27 years during which he wrote his most famous works, including ''[[The City of the Sun]]'';<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/campanella/#Year "Tommaso Campanella" - first published Wed Aug 31, 2005" at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy] Retrieved September 1, 2009</ref>
* Baruch Spinoza - Jewish philosopher who, at age 23, was put in [[Herem (censure)|cherem]] (similar to excommunication) by [[Portuguese Synagogue (Amsterdam)|Jewish religious authorities]] for [[Heresy in Judaism|heresies]] such as his controversial ideas regarding the authenticity of the [[Hebrew Bible]], which formed the foundations of modern [[biblical criticism]], and the pantheistic nature of the Divine.<ref>{{cite book |last=Scruton |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Scruton |date=2002 |title=Spinoza: A Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mRf9C8H6SPUC |publisher=[[OUP Oxford]] |pages=144 |isbn=978-0-19-280316-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nadler |first1=Steven M. |title=Spinoza: A Life |date=2001 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-00293-6 |pages=2, 7, 120 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iSe95FJrfeYC&pg=PA120}}</ref> Prior to that, he had been attacked on the steps of the community synagogue by a knife-wielding assailant shouting "Heretic!",<ref>{{cite book |last=Scruton |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Scruton |date=2002 |title=Spinoza: A Very Short Introduction |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mRf9C8H6SPUC&pg=PA21 |publisher=[[OUP Oxford]] |page=21 |isbn=978-0-19-280316-0}}</ref> and later his books were added to the Catholic Church's [[Index of Forbidden Books]].

===Serers===
{{main|Serer religion|Serer history}}
The persecution of the [[Serer people]] of [[Senegal]], [[Gambia]] and [[Mauritania]] is multifaceted, and it includes both religious and ethnic elements. Religious and ethnic persecution of the Serer people dates back to the 11th century when [[War Jabi|King War Jabi]] usurped the throne of [[Tekrur]] (part of present-day Senegal) in 1030, and by 1035, introduced [[Sharia law]] and forced his subjects to submit to [[Islam]].<ref>Clark, Andrew F., & Phillips, Lucie Colvin, "Historical Dictionary of Senegal". ed: 2, Metuchen, New Jersey : Scrarecrow Press (1994) p 265</ref> With the assistance of his son (Leb), their [[Almoravid]] allies and other [[Ethnic groups in Senegal|African ethnic groups who have embraced Islam]], the Muslim coalition army launched [[jihad]]s against the Serer people of Tekrur who refused to abandon [[Serer religion]] in favour of Islam.<ref name="Page, Willie F. 1500 pp 209, 676">Page, Willie F., "Encyclopedia of African history and culture: African kingdoms (500 to 1500)", pp 209, 676. Vol.2, Facts on File (2001), {{ISBN|0-8160-4472-4}}</ref><ref>Streissguth, Thomas, "Senegal in Pictures, Visual Geography", Second Series, p 23, Twenty-First Century Books (2009), {{ISBN|1-57505-951-7}}</ref><ref>Oliver, Roland Anthony, Fage, J. D., "Journal of African history", Volume 10, p 367. Cambridge University Press (1969)</ref><ref name="Godfrey">Mwakikagile, Godfrey, "Ethnic Diversity and Integration in The Gambia: The Land, The People and The Culture," (2010), p 11, {{ISBN|9987-9322-2-3}}</ref>  The number of Serer deaths are unknown, but it triggered the exodus of the Serers of Tekrur to the south following their defeat, where they were granted asylum by the [[lamane]]s.<ref name="Godfrey"/> Persecution of the Serer people continued from the [[medieval era]] to the 19th century, resulting in [[the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune]]. From the 20th to the 21st centuries, persecution of the Serers is less obvious, nevertheless, they are the object of scorn and prejudice.<ref>Abbey, M T Rosalie Akouele, "Customary Law and Slavery in West Africa", Trafford Publishing (2011), pp 481-482, {{ISBN|1-4269-7117-6}}</ref><ref name="Mwakikagile">[[Godfrey Mwakikagile|Mwakikagile, Godfrey]], "Ethnic Diversity and Integration in The Gambia: The Land, The People and The Culture," (2010), p 241, {{ISBN|9987-9322-2-3}}</ref>

===Sikhs===
{{Main|Chhota Ghallughara|Vadda Ghalughara|1984 anti-Sikh riots}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of Sikhs}}
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots or the 1984 Sikh Massacre was a series of [[pogroms]]<ref name="toiprog">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110811083708/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-12-31/india/27838902_1_communal-tension-communal-violence-gujarat-riots State pogroms glossed over]. [[The Times of India]]. 31 December 2005.</ref><ref name="rediffprog">{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/2001/may/09sikh.htm |title=Anti-Sikh riots a pogrom: Khushwant |work=Rediff.com |access-date=23 September 2009}}</ref><ref name="2009BBCremember">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8306420.stm|title=Indira Gandhi's death remembered|last=Bedi|first=Rahul|date=1 November 2009|publisher=BBC|quote=The 25th anniversary of Indira Gandhi's assassination revives stark memories of some 3,000 Sikhs killed brutally in the orderly pogrom that followed her killing|access-date=2 November 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091102113639/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8306420.stm| archive-date= 2 November 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbcactive.com/BroadCastLearning/asp/catalogue/productdetail.asp?productcode=22026|title=The Assassinations of Indira & Rajiv Gandhi|last=Nugus|first=Phillip|date=Spring 2007|publisher=BBC Active|access-date=23 July 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2020|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> directed against [[Sikh]]s in [[India]], by anti-Sikh mobs, in response to the [[assassination of Indira Gandhi]], on 31 October 1984, by two of her Sikh [[bodyguard]]s in response to her actions authorising the military operation [[Operation Blue Star]]. There were more than 8,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/cheat-sheet/delhi-court-to-give-verdict-on-re-opening-1984-riots-case-against-congress-leader-jagdish-tytler-352179|title=Delhi court to give verdict on re-opening 1984 riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler|website=ndtv.com|access-date=22 October 2017}}</ref> deaths, including 3,000 in Delhi.<ref name="2009BBCremember"/> In June 1984, during [[Operation Blue Star]], [[Indira Gandhi]] ordered the [[Indian Army]] to attack the [[Harmandir Sahib|Golden Temple]] and eliminate any insurgents, as it had been occupied by Sikh separatists who were stockpiling weapons. [[Operation Woodrose|Later operations]] by Indian paramilitary forces were initiated to clear the separatists from the countryside of [[Punjab (Indian state)|Punjab]] state.<ref name="Charny1999">{{cite book|last=Charny|first=Israel W.|title=Encyclopaedia of genocide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Q30HcvCVuIC&pg=PA516|access-date=21 February 2011|year=1999|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-87436-928-1|pages=516–517}}</ref>
 	
The Indian government reported 2,700 deaths in the ensuing chaos. In the aftermath of the riots, the Indian government reported 20,000 had fled the city, however the [[People's Union for Civil Liberties]] reported "at least" 1,000 [[displaced person]]s.<ref name="Mukhoty 1984">{{Citation |title=Who are the Guilty ? | last1 =Mukhoty | first1 =Gobinda | last2 =Kothari | first2 =Rajni |url=http://www.sacw.net/aii/WhoaretheGuilty.html |year=1984 |publisher=[[People's Union for Civil Liberties]]| access-date=4 November 2010 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> The most affected regions were the Sikh neighbourhoods in [[Delhi]]. The [[Central Bureau of Investigation]], the main Indian investigating agency, is of the opinion that the acts of violence were organized with the support from the then Delhi police officials and the central government headed by [[Indira Gandhi]]'s son, [[Rajiv Gandhi]].<ref name="IBN23April">{{cite news|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/1984-antisikh-riots-backed-by-govt-police-cbi/251375-37-64.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425011626/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/1984-antisikh-riots-backed-by-govt-police-cbi/251375-37-64.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=25 April 2012 |title=1984 anti-Sikh riots backed by Govt, police: CBI |publisher=[[IBN Live]]|date=23 April 2012 |access-date=27 April 2012}}</ref> Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as Prime Minister after his mother's death and, when asked about the riots, said  "when a big tree falls, the earth shakes" thus trying to justify the communal strife.<ref name="HT18NOV">{{cite news |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/India/Article1-352523.aspx |title=1984 anti-Sikh riots 'wrong', says Rahul Gandhi |publisher=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=18 November 2008 |access-date=5 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012025532/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/India/Article1-352523.aspx |archive-date=12 October 2013 }}</ref>
 
There are allegations that the government destroyed evidence and shielded the guilty. The ''[[Asian Age]]'' front-page story called the government actions "the Mother of all Cover-ups"<ref name=coverup-1>{{cite news | last = Mustafa |first = Seema | title = 1984 Sikhs Massacres: Mother of All Cover-ups | page = 1| work = The Asian Age | date = 2005-08-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Agal |first = Renu | title = Justice delayed, justice denied | publisher = BBC News | date = 2005-08-11}}</ref> There are allegations that the violence was led and often perpetrated by Indian National Congress activists and sympathisers during the riots.<ref name="Leaders">{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4130962.stm | title=Leaders 'incited' anti-Sikh riots | publisher=BBC News | date=August 8, 2005 | access-date=November 23, 2012}}</ref> The chief weapon used by the mobs, [[kerosene]], was supplied by a group of Indian National Congress Party leaders who owned filling stations.<ref name="http">{{cite book|last1=Kaur|first1=Jaskaran|last2=Crossette|first2=Barbara|title=Twenty years of impunity: the November 1984 pogroms of Sikhs in India |page=29 |url=http://ensaaf-org.jklaw.net/publications/reports/20years/20years-2nd.pdf|edition=2nd|year=2006|publisher=Ensaaf|location=Portland, OR|isbn=978-0-9787073-0-9| access-date=4 November 2010 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref>

===Yazidis===
{{Main|Persecution of Yazidis|Persecution of Yazidis by Muslim Kurds}}
{{Category see also|Persecution of Yazidis}}

The Persecution of [[Yazidis]] has been ongoing since at least the 10th century.<ref name="Oxford">{{Cite book|last=Naby|first=Eden|url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e1282|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023141910/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t236/e1282|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 23, 2020|title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=2009|isbn=9780195305135|editor-last=Esposito|editor-first=John|editor-link=John Esposito|chapter=Yazīdīs|author-link=Eden Naby}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Acikyildiz|first=Birgul|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3RNEBAAAQBAJ&q=Sindi+Kurds&pg=PA45|title=The Yezidis: The History of a Community, Culture and Religion|date=2014-08-20|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=978-1-78453-216-1}}</ref> The [[Yazidism|Yazidi religion]] is regarded as [[devil worship]] by [[Islamist]]s.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Jalabi|first=Raya|date=2014-08-11|title=Who are the Yazidis and why is Isis hunting them?|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/07/who-yazidi-isis-iraq-religion-ethnicity-mountains|access-date=2020-12-01|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Yazidis have been persecuted by Muslim [[Kurds|Kurdish]] tribes since the 10th century,<ref name="Oxford"/> and by the [[Ottoman Empire]] from the 17th to the 20th centuries.<ref>Evliya Çelebi, The Intimate Life of an Ottoman Statesman: Melek Ahmed Pasha (1588–1662), Translated by [[Robert Dankoff]], 304 pp., SUNY Press, 1991; {{ISBN|0-7914-0640-7}}, pp. 169–171</ref> After the 2014 [[Sinjar massacre]] of thousands of Yazidis by the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]], Yazidis still face violence from the [[Turkish Armed Forces]] and its ally the [[Syrian National Army]], as well as discrimination from the [[Kurdistan Regional Government]]. According to Yazidi tradition (based on oral traditions and folk songs), estimated that 74 genocides against the Yazidis have been carried out in the past 800 years.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kizilhan |first1=Jan Ilhan |last2=Noll-Hussong |first2=Michael |title=Individual, collective, and transgenerational traumatization in the Yazidi |journal=BMC Medicine |date=2017 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=198 |doi=10.1186/s12916-017-0965-7 |pmid=29224572 |pmc=5724300 |issn=1741-7015|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hosseini |first1=S. Behnaz |title=Trauma and the Rehabilitation of Trafficked Women: The Experiences of Yazidi Survivors |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-07869-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DFzsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT16}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=von Joeden-Forgey |first1=Elisa |last2=McGee |first2=Thomas |title=Editors' Introduction: Palimpsestic Genocide in Kurdistan |journal=Genocide Studies International |date=1 November 2019 |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.3138/gsi.13.1.01 |s2cid=208687918 |url=https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/gsi.13.1.01 |issn=2291-1847}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Six-Hohenbalken |first1=Maria |title=The 72nd Firman of the Yezidis: A "Hidden Genocide" during World War I? |journal=Genocide Studies International |date=1 November 2019 |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=52–76 |doi=10.3138/gsi.13.1.04 |s2cid=208688838 |url=https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/gsi.13.1.04}}</ref>

===Zoroastrians===
{{main|Persecution of Zoroastrians}}
{{Category see also|Anti-Zoroastrianism}}
[[File:A_Zoroastrian_Family_Teheran_1910.JPG|right|thumb|A Zoroastrian family in&nbsp;[[Qajar dynasty|Qajar]]&nbsp;Iran about 1910.]]
[[Persecution of Zoroastrians]] is the religious persecution inflicted upon the followers of the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] faith. The persecution of Zoroastrians occurred throughout the religion's history. The discrimination and harassment began in the form of sparse violence and [[Forced conversion to Islam|forced conversions]]. [[Muslims]] are recorded to have destroyed [[fire temples]]. Zoroastrians living under [[Muslim]] rule were required to pay a tax called [[jizya]].<ref name=hou100>{{Cite book | last =Houtsma | first =Martijn Theodoor | title =First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913-1936: E.J.Brill's| publisher =BRILL |year=1936 | id =9789004097964 | isbn =90-04-09796-1 |volume=2 |page=100}}</ref>
 
Zoroastrian [[fire temple|places of worship]] were desecrated, [[fire temple]]s were destroyed and mosques were built in their place. Many libraries were [[book burning|burned]] and much of their cultural heritage was lost. Gradually an increasing number of laws were passed which regulated Zoroastrian behavior and limited their ability to participate in society. Over time, the persecution of Zoroastrians became more common and widespread, and the number of believers decreased by force significantly.<ref name=hou100 />

Most were forced to convert due to the systematic abuse and discrimination inflicted upon them by followers of [[Islam]]. Once a Zoroastrian family was forced to convert to [[Islam]], the children were sent to an [[Madrasa|Islamic school]] to learn [[Arabic]] and study the teachings of [[Islam]], as a result some of these people lost their Zoroastrian faith. However, under the [[Samanids]], who were Zoroastrian converts to Islam, the [[Persian language]] flourished. On occasion, the Zoroastrian clergy assisted Muslims in attacks against those whom they deemed Zoroastrian heretics.<ref name=hou100 />

A Zoroastrian astrologer named [[Mulla Gushtasp]] predicted the fall of the [[Zand dynasty]] to the Qajar army in Kerman. Because of Gushtasp's forecast, the Zoroastrians of Kerman were spared by the conquering army of [[Mohammad Khan Qajar|Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar]]. Despite the aforementioned favorable incident, the Zoroastrians during the [[Qajar dynasty]] remained in agony and their population continued to decline. Even during the rule of Agha Mohammad Khan, the founder of the dynasty, many Zoroastrians were killed and some were taken as captives to [[Azerbaijan]].<ref name=sh21>{{Citation|last =Shahmardan|first =Rashid|title =History of Zoroastrians past Sasanians |page=125}}</ref> Zoroastrians regard the Qajar period as one of their worst.<ref name=price111>{{Citation|last =Price|first =Massoume |title =Iran's diverse peoples: a reference sourcebook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzpdq679oJwC&pg=PP1|page=205|year=2005|edition=Illustrated|publisher =ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781576079935}}</ref> During the&nbsp;[[Qajar dynasty]], religious persecution of the Zoroastrians was rampant. Due to the increasing contacts with influential&nbsp;[[Parsi people|Parsi]]&nbsp;philanthropists such as&nbsp;[[Maneckji Limji Hataria]], many Zoroastrians left [[Iran]] for [[India]]. There, they formed the second major Indian Zoroastrian community known as the&nbsp;[[Irani (India)|Iranis]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/zoroastrianism-02-arab-conquest-to-modern|title=ZOROASTRIANISM ii. Arab Conquest to Modern – Encyclopaedia Iranica|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=2020-04-03}}</ref>