Religious discrimination, as the name suggests, means mistreating or discriminating against someone because of their religious beliefs. It’s not an uncommon term to hear, as it widely exists in the world that we live in. It exists in different places and areas of society, one could be discriminated against his/her religion at the workplace, schools, universities, locality they live in when renting or buying houses, at a store, etc.
What is considered religious discrimination?
Unfavorable treatment towards a certain someone just because of his faith and religious beliefs is considered religious discrimination. It is also considered religious discrimination if you treat someone unfavorably because he/she has a connection to a certain person of a certain religion.
Discrimination against people for their religion is illegal in all forms and strictly punishable under federal and state laws. If you are a victim of such discrimination, you can file a claim and sue the person who has ill-treated you because of your faith. There are heavy charges of discrimination and lawsuits.
What is religious discrimination at work?
If employers reject candidates based on their beliefs and religion, it is considered a discriminatory act. It also includes pausing promotions, ill-treatment of the employee, giving extra workload, limiting the space in the office for the individual’s use, or refusing to provide reasonable accommodation to practice religion.
As a victim of religious discrimination at workplaces, you can file a lawsuit against your company or employer. Any sort of discrimination is a punishable offense, and the case would be taken forward as the law proceeds.
Civil Rights Act of 1964, under Title VII, employees’ rights are protected from any sort of discrimination, that includes religious, racial, and other discrimination acts.
How can someone be discriminated against for religion while buying or renting homes?
It’s common for housing applications to get rejected or delayed until found other potential buyers because of their beliefs, and that is considered religious discrimination. Many times housing agencies might try to convince you that it would be better for you to find a community of your own religious group, remember the act is discrimination in itself. You can file a discrimination lawsuit to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Exceptions to the religious discrimination
When it comes to religious discrimination there are exceptions for religious organizations as it is legal for a specific religion and religious education institutes.
For example, these religious organizations and their education institutes might prefer to hire people with religion and belief who would better understand their ways. This is not considered religious discrimination under federal and state laws.
Conclusion
Religious discrimination doesn’t always happen directly to someone because it’s a punishable offense under the law. But it may still happen in many forms and with many excuses. One would always know when he/she is discriminated against for their religion. If you are certain of this discrimination, don’t hesitate on taking action otherwise it may never end.