"D" Word; Discrimination

Europe (various countries)

• Some countries have laws restricting:
  • Wearing religious clothing (e.g. hijab, niqab)
  • Certain Islamic practices
• European human rights data shows:
  • Many Muslims experience discrimination in public life and institutions [unric.org]
• Reports also mention laws affecting Muslim dress and religious freedoms [uscirf.gov]

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India – Citizenship law (CAA)

• A 2019 law fast-tracks citizenship for migrants from neighbouring countries—but excludes Muslims explicitly. [hrw.org]
• Human rights groups warned it could:
  • Leave some Muslims at risk of losing citizenship
  • Create unequal treatment based on religion [hrw.org]

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South Africa – Muslim marriages

• For many years, Muslim marriages were not legally recognized under national law.

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China – Uyghur Muslims

• Reports say over one million Muslims have been detained in Xinjiang. [cfr.org]
• Measures described include:
  • Mass detention
  • Religious restrictions
  • Surveillance and forced labour [cfr.org]

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Egypt - Baha'is

Refusal to record the correct marital status in official identification documents for Egyptian Bahá’ís has caused significant hardship. 

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Across these examples, the same legal mechanisms recur:

• Recognition vs. exclusion → Who counts as a legitimate religion
• Equality vs. differentiation → Whether all citizens are treated the same under law
• Rights vs. public order → Governments often justify limits using security or stability
• Courts as corrective forces → In some systems, courts push back against discrimination 

“Acceptance of the oneness of humanity demands that prejudice—

whether racial, religious, or gender-related—must be totally eliminated.” [bahai.org]