Despite the many steps our society has taken towards acceptance and tolerance of groups of people ostracized in the past, discrimination towards these parties has not ended. In many parts of the world, religious discrimination is still rampant and a threat to the lives of members of several religions. Some of the most abundant forms of religious discrimination in the current times include Islamophobia and anti-Semitism. 

An extreme case of Islamophobia seen in Asia is the case of the Uighur Muslims in China. Uighur Muslims are an officially recognized ethnic group mainly residing in Xinjiang, the largest province in the nation. Since early 2019, Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang have been detained and brought to ‘reeducation camps’ for vocational training. However, in November of 2019, documents called the ‘China Cables’ were released which details the true nature of these camps as communist detention camps where approximately 3 million of the 11 million Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang are being imprisoned, abused, and forcefully converted. Activists for the release of Uighur Muslims have also been imprisoned and killed as well.

 
In other parts of the world, along with rampant Islamophobia, anti-Semitism has also resurfaced. In the United States of America, anti-Semitic sentiments have increased in some states such as New York and San Diego. In December 2019, several hate crimes in New York took place including a shooting at a Kosher supermarket in Jersey, with three civilians and one police officer being killed.  In Brooklyn, a mother and son were attacked, and a mass stabbing occurred at a rabbi’s home in Monsey. 

In our modern day and age, it is even easier to spread hate speech through social media or other forms of online platforms. Many bigoted individuals utilize social media to spread fear of foreign religious groups, and their sentiments are easily shared and circulated to a vast number of people in a matter of minutes or hours. 

These incidents not only serve as explicit proof that religious discrimination is a legitimate threat to our society, but that it is a global phenomenon not to be taken lightly. As the youth, we should all be aware of the dangers these ways of thinking pose to our future.  Freedom of one’s religion is not a mere luxury afforded by few, but a universal human right. We should all take steps to ensure that not just tolerance, but the acceptance of the many diverse religious groups is promoted and achieved by all.