ABSTRACT
Religion is important in relation to discussions about discrimination. Discrimination in the generic sense is differential treatment on the basis of specific features. Religion (or at least, in a European context, certain newly arrived forms of religion, mainly Islam) is increasingly prominent in many social and political contexts, and as such it is also becoming increasingly common to distinguish between people on the basis of religious affiliation. A striking example of this is the fact that whereas immigration to Europe was earlier (i.e. during the 1980s and 1990s) framed in terms of the country of origin (e.g. Turks, Pakistanis, Iranians, Somalis), most immigrants are now framed as “Muslims”. So, whereas differential treatment of these groups earlier would have been conceptualized as discrimination on grounds of nationality, language or race, it is now also necessary to consider it as discrimination on grounds of religion.
