101-463: United Akali Dal is a Sikhism -centric political party that was re-established on 22 November 2014 at Amritsar by leaders of United Sikh Movement and Insaf Lehar have played leading role in setting up this party. This party is led by Bhai Mohkam Singh of Damdami Taksal. On 25 June 2020 Bhai Mokham Singh and his party members dissolved the party and merged into the new Shiromani Akali Dal (Democratic) , led by Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa . United Akali Dal
202-591: A metaphysical soteriology such as a state of "heaven" or "nirvana." Nevertheless, in Sikhism, both karma and liberation are "modified by the concept of God's grace" ( nadar, mehar, kirpa, karam , etc.). Guru Nanak states that "the body takes birth because of karma, but salvation is attained through grace." To get closer to God, Sikhs: avoid the evils of maya ; keep the everlasting truth in mind; practice shabad kirtan (musical recitation of hymns); meditate on naam ; and serve humanity. Sikhs believe that being in
303-431: A Sikh gurdwara . However, most Sikh gurdwaras forbid aarti during their Bhakti practices. Religious persecution#Persecutions of Sikhs Religious persecution is the systematic oppression of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or their lack thereof . The tendency of societies or groups within societies to alienate or repress different subcultures
404-460: A Sikh should perform constant Bhakti. Some scholars call Sikhism a Bhakti sect of Indian traditions, adding that it emphasises " nirguni Bhakti ", i.e. loving devotion to a divine without qualities or physical form. While Western scholarship generally places Sikhism as arising primarily within a Hindu Bhakti movement milieu while recognizing some Sufi Islamic influences, some Indian Sikh scholars disagree and state that Sikhism transcended
505-515: A defense of the fragile values of humanism and tolerance . More recent introductions to this period are Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England, 1558–1689 (2000) by John Coffey and Charitable hatred. Tolerance and intolerance in England, 1500–1700 (2006) by Alexandra Walsham. To understand why religious persecution has occurred, historians like Coffey "pay close attention to what
606-497: A direct result of one's faith." From a sociological perspective, the identity formation of strong social groups such as those which are generated by nationalism , ethnicity , or religion, is a causal aspect of practices of persecution. Hans G. Kippenberg [ de ] says that it is these communities, which can be a majority or a minority, that generate violence. Since the development of identity involves 'what we are not' as much as 'what we are', there are grounds for
707-453: A doctrine that has been practiced in Sikh religion since the seventeenth century. The doctrine of the "Mir" (social and political aspects of life) and the "Pir" (guides to spiritual aspect of life) was revealed by the first guru of Sikhism, Guru Nanak , but propounded by the sixth guru of Sikhism, Guru Hargobind , on 12 June 1606. After the martyrdom of his father , Guru Hargobind was elevated to
808-416: A dominant group denigrate religions other than their own or religion itself where the irreligious are the dominant group) or it may be triggered by the state when it views a particular religious group as a threat to its interests or security. At a societal level, the dehumanization of a particular religious group may readily lead to acts of violence or other forms of persecution . Religious persecution may be
909-668: A few rare exceptions, such as the Persian empire under Cyrus and Darius , Denis Lacorne says that examples of religious tolerance in ancient societies, "from ancient Greece to the Roman empire, medieval Spain to the Ottoman Empire and the Venetian Republic", are not examples of tolerance in the modern sense of the term. The sociological view regards religious intolerance and persecution as largely social processes that are determined more by
1010-424: A god and at worst they can jail them for offences which are dubbed blasphemy". State atheism has been defined by David Kowalewski as the official "promotion of atheism " by a government, typically by the active suppression of religious freedom and practice. It is a misnomer which is used in reference to a government's anti-clericalism , its opposition to religious institutional power and influence, whether it
1111-495: A largely religious character. The religious motivation for population cleansing lost much of its salience early in the modern era, but until the 18th century, ethnic enmity in Europe continued to be couched in religious terms. Richard Dawkins has argued that references to ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq are euphemisms for what should more accurately be called religious cleansing. According to Adrian Koopman,
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#17330928895521212-435: A means to feel God's presence ( simran ), which can be expressed musically through kirtan or internally through naam japna ( lit. ' meditation on God's name ' ). Baptised Sikhs are obliged to wear the five Ks , which are five articles of faith which physically distinguish Sikhs from non-Sikhs. Among these include the kesh (uncut hair). Most religious Sikh men thus do not cut their hair but rather wear
1313-570: A near-universal expression of commitment to religious human rights, the frequency-and severity-of religious persecution worldwide is staggering. Although it is impossible to determine with certainty the exact numbers of people persecuted for their faith or religious affiliation, it is unquestioned that "violations of freedom of religion and belief, including acts of severe persecution, occur with fearful frequency." She quotes Irwin Colter, human rights advocate and author as saying "[F]reedom of religion remains
1414-560: A place where they could defend themselves more efficiently and escape persecution—which they often did by building their dwellings in little nooks and crannies. In the early era of 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. In 1864, Tidiani Tall ,
1515-442: A public disagreement on secondary matters might be serious enough, frequently, it has only led to religious discrimination . On the other hand, the public renunciation of the core elements of a religious doctrine under the same circumstances would have put one in far greater danger. While dissenters from the official Church only faced fines and imprisonment in Protestant England, six people were executed for heresy or blasphemy during
1616-449: A quarter of all countries in the world, the restrictions imposed by governments, or hostilities towards one or more religious groups, are high or very high . Some of the most populous countries in the world belong to this group, such as China, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Therefore, around three quarters of the world's population live in them." At the symposium on law and religion in 2014, Michelle Mack said: "Despite what appears to be
1717-509: A race rather than a religion. In keeping with what they were taught in Nazi propaganda, the perpetrators of the Holocaust made no distinction between secular Jews , atheistic Jews , orthodox Jews and Jews who had converted to Christianity . The persecution of beliefs that are deemed schismatic is one thing; the persecution of beliefs that are deemed heretical or blasphemous is another. Although
1818-486: A shift from territoriality to religious voluntarism. It was Locke who, in his Letter Concerning Toleration , defined the state in purely secular terms: "The commonwealth seems to me to be a society of men constituted only for the procuring, preserving, and advancing their own civil interests." Concerning the church, he went on: "A church, then, I take to be a voluntary society of men, joining themselves together of their own accord." With this treatise, John Locke laid one of
1919-600: A spiritual union with the Akal , which results in salvation or jivanmukti ('enlightenment/liberation within one's lifetime'), a concept also found in Hinduism . Guru Gobind Singh makes it clear that human birth is obtained with great fortune, and therefore one needs to be able to make the most of this life. Sikhs accept reincarnation and karma concepts found in Buddhism , Hinduism , and Jainism , but do not necessarily infer
2020-400: A strong social identity with the state, increases the benefits, therefore it is likely persecution from that social group will increase. Legal restriction from the state relies on social cooperation, so the state in its turn must protect the social group that supports it, increasing the likelihood of persecution from the state as well. Grim and Finke say their studies indicate that the higher
2121-446: A systematic and active state policy which encourages actions such as harassment , intimidation and the imposition of punishments in order to infringe or threaten the targeted minority's right to life , integrity or liberty . The distinction between religious persecution and religious intolerance lies in the fact that in most cases, the latter is motivated by the sentiment of the population, which may be tolerated or encouraged by
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#17330928895522222-539: A turban . The definition of a Sikh, according to the Rehat Maryada , the Sikh code of conduct, is any human being who faithfully believes in the following: The religion developed and evolved in times of religious persecution , gaining converts from both Hinduism and Islam . The Mughal emperors of India tortured and executed two of the Sikh gurus— Guru Arjan (1563–1605) and Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)—after they refused to convert to Islam . The persecution of
2323-422: Is a monotheistic and panentheistic religion. Sikhs believe that there exists only one God and that God is simultaneously within everything and is all-encompassing. The oneness of God is reflected by the phrase Ik Onkar . In Sikhism, the word for God is Waheguru ( lit. ' wondrous teacher ' ). The Waheguru is considered to be Nirankar ("shapeless"), Akal ("timeless"), Karta Purakh ("
2424-456: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sikhism Sikhism ( / ˈ s iː k ɪ z əm / SEEK -iz-əm ), also known as Sikhi ( Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖੀ Sikkhī , [ˈsɪk.kʰiː] , from Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖ , romanized: Sikh , lit. 'disciple'), is an Indian religion and philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of
2525-473: Is a Sikh religion-centric political party founded by Baba Joginder Singh in 1989. The United Akali Dal contested 1989 Indian general election and won. On 22 November 2014, the United Akali Dal was re-established at Amritsar. Bhai Mokham Singh was leading this party. This article about an Indian political party is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Sikhism-related article
2626-421: Is a complex phenomenon that exists in all places and times." In the ancient societies of Egypt , Greece and Rome , torture was an accepted aspect of the legal system. Gillian Clark says violence was taken for granted in the fourth century as part of both war and punishment; torture from the carnifex, the professional torturer of the Roman legal system, was an accepted part of that system. Except for
2727-421: Is a recurrent theme in human history . Moreover, because a person's religion frequently determines his or her sense of morality , worldview , self-image , attitudes towards others, and overall personal identity to a significant extent, religious differences can be significant cultural, personal, and social factors. Religious persecution may be triggered by religious or antireligious stances (when members of
2828-408: Is also, often, part of a larger conflict involving emerging states as well as established states in the process of redefining their national identity. James L.Gibson adds that the greater the attitudes of loyalty and solidarity to the group identity, and the more the benefits to belonging there are perceived to be, the more likely a social identity will become intolerant of challenges. Combining
2929-503: Is an important or a central marker of ethnic identity, some conflicts can best be described as "ethno-religious conflicts". Nazi antisemitism provides another example of the contentious divide between ethnic persecution and religious persecution, because Nazi propaganda tended to construct its image of Jews by portraying them as people who were members of an inferior race (see Racial antisemitism and Nazi racial theories ), it dehumanized and demonized Jews by classifying them as
3030-626: Is brought to a point by a statement of the Anglican theologian Richard Hooker : "There is not any man of the Church of England, but the same man is also a member of the [English] commonwealth; nor any man a member of the commonwealth, which is not also of the Church of England." Before a vigorous debate about religious persecution took place in England (starting in the 1640s), for centuries in Europe, religion had been tied to territory. In England, there had been several Acts of Uniformity ; in continental Europe,
3131-960: Is more loosely rendered 'the one supreme reality', 'the one creator', 'the all-pervading spirit', and other ways of expressing a diffused but unified and singular sense of God and creation. The traditional Mul Mantar goes from ik onkar until Nanak hosee bhee sach. The opening line of the Guru Granth Sahib and each subsequent raga , mentions ik onkar : ੴ ikk ōankār ਸਤਿ sat (i) ਨਾਮੁ nām (u) ਕਰਤਾ karatā ਪੁਰਖੁ purakh (u) ਨਿਰਭਉ nirabha'u ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ niravair (u) ਅਕਾਲ akāl (a) ਮੂਰਤਿ mūrat (i) ਅਜੂਨੀ ajūnī ਸੈਭੰ saibhan ਗੁਰ gur (a) ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ prasād (i) {ੴ} ਸਤਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਕਰਤਾ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਿਰਭਉ ਨਿਰਵੈਰੁ ਅਕਾਲ ਮੂਰਤਿ ਅਜੂਨੀ ਸੈਭੰ ਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ॥ {ikk ōankār} sat (i) nām (u) karatā purakh (u) nirabha'u niravair (u) akāl (a) mūrat (i) ajūnī saibhan gur (a) prasād (i) "There
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3232-399: Is one supreme being, the eternal reality, the creator, without fear and devoid of enmity, immortal, never incarnated, self-existent, known by grace through the true guru." Māyā , defined as a temporary illusion or " unreality ", is one of the core deviations from the pursuit of God and salvation: where worldly attractions give only illusory temporary satisfaction and pain that distracts from
3333-621: Is real or alleged, in all aspects of public and political life, including the involvement of religion in the everyday life of the citizen. State atheism was first practiced for a brief period in Revolutionary France and later it was practiced in Revolutionary Mexico and Marxist-Leninist states . The Soviet Union had a long history of state atheism, in which social success largely required individuals to profess atheism, stay away from churches and even vandalize them; this attitude
3434-566: Is taken for granted, but actually, this legal separation of Church and State only started to emerge a few centuries ago. In the Christian debate on persecution and toleration , the notion of civil tolerance allowed Christian theologians to reconcile Jesus' commandment to love one's enemies with other parts of the New Testament that are rather strict regarding dissent within the church. Before that, theologians like Joseph Hall had reasoned from
3535-568: Is the location of one of the seventh largest Baháʼí population in the world, with just over 251,100 as of 2010. Baháʼís in Iran have been subject to unwarranted arrests, false imprisonment, beatings, torture, unjustified executions, confiscation and destruction of property owned by individuals and the Baháʼí community, denial of employment, denial of government benefits, denial of civil rights and liberties, and denial of access to higher education. More recently, in
3636-536: The Christian and Muslim worlds during the Middle Ages . Today, atheism is punishable by death in 12 countries ( Afghanistan , Iran , Malaysia , the Maldives , Mauritania , Nigeria , Pakistan , Qatar , Saudi Arabia , Somalia , Sudan and Yemen ), all of them Muslim-majority, while "the overwhelming majority" of the 193 United Nations member countries "at best discriminate against citizens who have no belief in
3737-541: The Dogon people , an ancient tribe in Mali had faced religious and ethnic persecution—through jihads by dominant Muslim communities. These jihadic expeditions were undertaken in order to force the Dogon to abandon their traditional religious beliefs and convert to Islam. Such jihads caused the Dogon to abandon their original villages and move up to the cliffs of Bandiagara in search of
3838-463: The Guru Granth Sahib , which is the central religious scripture in Sikhism, as his successor. This brought the line of human gurus to a close. Sikhs regard the Guru Granth Sahib as the 11th and eternally living guru. The core beliefs and practices of Sikhism, articulated in the Guru Granth Sahib and other Sikh scriptures, include faith and meditation in the name of the one creator ( Ik Onkar ),
3939-470: The Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religions and among the largest in the world with about 25–30 million adherents (known as Sikhs ). Sikhism developed from the spiritual teachings of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the faith's first guru , and the nine Sikh gurus who succeeded him. The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), named
4040-624: The Popish Plot , an alleged plan to assassinate King Charles II and massacre the Protestants of the British Isles . In reality, the plot was a fictitious concoction by Titus Oates and Whig politician Lord Shaftesbury . Before the falsity of their claims were exposed, however, at least 22 innocent clergy and laity, including Archbishop Oliver Plunkett , had been unjustly convicted of high treason and executed at Tyburn . The descriptive use of
4141-540: The United Nations Commission on Human Rights on freedom of religion or belief, in a 20 March 2006 press release [2] . In the press release the Special Rapporteur states that she "is highly concerned by information she has received concerning the treatment of members of the Baháʼí community in Iran." She further states that "The Special Rapporteur is concerned that this latest development indicates that
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4242-561: The lamanes . The persecution of the Serer people continued from the medieval era to the 19th century, resulting in the Battle of Fandane-Thiouthioune . Since the 20th century, the persecution of the Serers has been less visible, nevertheless, they are still the objects of scorn and prejudice. Used before the 18th century as an insult, atheism was punishable by death in ancient Greece as well as in
4343-494: The 195 countries in the world. Between 2007 and 2017, the PEW organization found that "Christians experienced harassment by governments or social groups in the largest number of countries"—144 countries—but that it is almost equal to the number of countries (142) in which Muslims experience harassment. PEW has published a caution concerning the interpretation of these numbers: "The Center's recent report ... does not attempt to estimate
4444-675: The 20th century cannot be fully-explained by the citation of religious differences. Still, cases of genocide such as the Greek genocide , the Armenian genocide , and the Assyrian genocide are sometimes seen as cases of religious persecution and as a result, the lines between ethnic violence and religious violence are sometimes blurry. Since the Early modern period , an increasing number of religious cleansings were entwined with ethnic elements. Since religion
4545-760: 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 but was greatly weakened. During the Northern Expedition , in 1926 in Guangxi , Kuomintang Muslim General Bai Chongxi led his troops in destroying Buddhist temples and smashing idols, turning the temples into schools and Kuomintang party headquarters. During
4646-576: The Christian Middle Ages] were social and collective phenomena sanctioned by society and hardly questioned by anyone. Religious intolerance and persecution, therefore, were not seen as vices, but as necessary and salutary for the preservation of religious truth and orthodoxy and all that was seen to depend upon them." This view of persecution is not limited to the Middle Ages. As Christian R. Raschle and Jitse H. F. Dijkstra, say: "Religious violence
4747-716: The Command Headquarters of the Armed Forced in Iran states that the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei has instructed the Command Headquarters to identify people who adhere to the Baháʼí Faith and to monitor their activities and gather any and all information about the members of the Baháʼí Faith. The letter was brought to the attention of the international community by Asma Jahangir, the Special Rapporteur of
4848-558: The Congress. The report contains data which the United States collects from U.S. embassies around the world in collaboration with the Office of International Religious Freedom and other relevant U.S. government and non-governmental institutions. The data is available to the public. The 2018 study details, country by country, the violations of religious freedom taking place in approximately 75% of
4949-533: The Guru's teaching remembrance of nām (the divine Name of the Lord) leads to the end of egotism. Guru Nanak designated the word Guru ('teacher') to mean the voice of "the spirit": the source of knowledge and the guide to salvation. As ik onkar is universally immanent , Guru is indistinguishable from Akal and are one and the same. One connects with Guru only with accumulation of selfless search of truth. Ultimately
5050-525: The Guruship and fulfilled the prophecy that was given by the primal figure of Sikh, Baba Buddha , that the guru will possess spiritual and temporal power. Guru Hargobind introduced the two swords of Miri and Piri symbolizing both worldly (social and political) and spiritual authority. The two kirpan of Miri and Piri are tied together with a khanda in center, so the combination of both is considered supreme. This means that all action informed or arising out of
5151-553: The Latin phrase " cuius regio, eius religio " had been coined in the 16th century and applied as a fundament for the Peace of Augsburg (1555). It was pushed to the extreme by absolutist regimes , particularly by the French kings Louis XIV and his successors. It was under their rule that Catholicism became the sole compulsory allowed religion in France and that the huguenots had to massively leave
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#17330928895525252-616: The Sikhs triggered the founding of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699 as an order to protect the freedom of conscience and religion , with members expressing the qualities of a sant-sipāhī ("saint-soldier"). The majority of Sikh scriptures were originally written in the alphabet of Gurmukhī , a script standardised by Guru Angad out of Laṇḍā scripts historically used in present-day Pakistan and North India . Adherents of Sikhism are known as Sikhs , meaning "students" or "disciples" of
5353-484: The United States , defines religious persecution as "violence or discrimination against members of a religious minority because of their religious affiliation," referring to "actions that are intended to deprive individuals of their political rights and force minorities to assimilate, leave, or live as second-class citizens . In the aspect of a state's policy, it may be defined as violations of freedom of thought , conscience and belief which are spread in accordance with
5454-538: The assistance of his son Leb, their Almoravid allies and other African ethnic groups which had embraced Islam , the Muslim coalition army launched jihads against the Serer people of Tekrur because they refused to abandon the Serer religion in favour of Islam. The number of Serers who were killed is unknown, but the defeat of the Serers at Tekrur triggered their exodus from Tekrur to the south, where they were granted asylum by
5555-553: The attacks. The Dogon militia group denied its involvement in the massacre and it also rejected calls to disband itself. The persecution of the Serer people of Senegal , Gambia and Mauritania is multifaceted, and as a result, it includes religious and ethnic elements. The religious and ethnic persecution of the Serer people dates back to the 11th century, when King War Jabi usurped the throne of Tekrur (a part of present-day Senegal) in 1030, and in 1035, he introduced Sharia law and forced his subjects to submit to Islam . With
5656-400: The company of the satsang (association with sat , 'true', people) or sadh sangat is one of the key ways to achieve liberation from the cycles of reincarnation. The Sikh community may be seen to correspond to A.D. Smith's definition of a politicized community, sharing common ancestry myths and historical memories of martyrdom and persecution under successive rulers. Miri Piri is
5757-408: The congruence between spiritual development and everyday moral conduct. Its founder, Guru Nanak, summarized this perspective as: "Truth is the highest virtue, but higher still is truthful living." Sikhism lays emphasis on Ėk nūr te sab jag upjiā , 'From the one light, the entire universe welled up.' Guru Nanak also emphasized his teachings to his disciples by giving them real-life examples. Sikhism
5858-593: The context within which the social community exists than anything else. When governments ensure equal freedom for all, there is less persecution. Statistics from Pew Research Center show that Christianity and Islam are persecuted in more countries around the world than other religions, and that Jews and Muslims are "most likely to live in countries where their groups experience harassment". As of 2018, Christians face harassment in 145 countries, Muslims face harassment in 139 countries, and Jews face harassment in 88 countries. Respectively: Christians account for 31% of
5959-415: The country. Persecution meant that the state was committed to secure religious uniformity by coercive measures, as eminently obvious in a statement of Roger L'Estrange : "That which you call persecution, I translate Uniformity". However, in the 17th century, writers like Pierre Bayle , John Locke , Richard Overton and Roger William broke the link between territory and faith, which eventually resulted in
6060-820: The creation of the Dogon militia Dan Na Ambassagou in 2016—whose aim is to defend the Dogon against systematic attacks. That action resulted in the Ogossagou massacre of Fulanis in March 2019, and the Fula retaliated by committing the Sobane Da massacre in June of that year. In the wake of the Ogossagou massacre, the President of Mali , Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and his government ordered the dissolution of Dan Na Ambassagou—whom they hold partly responsible for
6161-413: The creator being "), Akaal Purkh ("beyond time and death") and Agam Agochar (" incomprehensible and invisible"). In a literal sense, God has no gender in Sikhism, but, metaphorically, God is presented as masculine and God's power as feminine. For example, Guru Gobind Singh refers to God as his father, and God's creative power as his mother. Similarly, another example is that the Guru Granth Sahib ,
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#17330928895526262-443: The degree of religious diversity that is tolerated within the state. In the absence of civil toleration, someone who finds himself in disagreement with his congregation does not have the option to leave and chose a different faith—simply because there is only one recognized faith in the country (at least officially). In modern western civil law any citizen may join and leave a religious organization at will; In western societies, this
6363-484: The degree of religious freedom, the lower the degree of violent religious persecution. "When religious freedoms are denied through the regulation of religious profession or practice, violent religious persecution and conflict increase." Perez Zagorin writes "According to some philosophers, tolerance is a moral virtue; if this is the case, it would follow that intolerance is a vice. But virtue and vice are qualities solely of individuals, and intolerance and persecution [in
6464-491: The divine unity and equality of all humankind, engaging in selfless service to others ( sevā ), striving for justice for the benefit and prosperity of all ( sarbat da bhala ), and honest conduct and livelihood. Following this standard, Sikhism rejects claims that any particular religious tradition has a monopoly on absolute truth. As a consequence, Sikhs do not actively proselytize, although voluntary converts are generally accepted. Sikhism emphasizes meditation and remembrance as
6565-431: The dominant religion and the state motives for restricting religious activity. Grim and Finke say it is specifically this religious regulation that leads to religious persecution. R.I. Moore says that persecution during the Middle Ages "provides a striking illustration of the classic deviance theory , [which is based on identity formation], as it was propounded by the father of sociology, Émile Durkheim ". Persecution
6666-518: The ecclesiastical intolerance of the early Christian church in the New Testament to the civil intolerance of the Christian state. The Bishop of Vladimir Feodor turned some people into slaves, others were locked in prison, cut their heads, burnt eyes, cut tongues or crucified on walls. Some heretics were executed by burning them alive. According to an inscription of Khan Mengual-Temir, Metropolitan Kiril
6767-491: The eighth century, Christianity had attained a clear ascendancy across Europe and neighboring regions, and a period of consolidation began which was marked by the pursuit of heretics , heathens , Jews, Muslims , and various other religious groups. By contrast to the notion of civil tolerance in early modern Europe , the subjects were required to attend the state church ; this attitude can be described as territoriality or religious uniformity , and its underlying assumption
6868-416: The elimination of all religious structures or all individuals who adhere to a particular religion and live within a larger community which is composed of people who are members of the same ethnicity. Throughout antiquity , population cleansing was largely motivated by economic and political factors, but occasionally, ethnic factors also played a role. During the Middle Ages , population cleansing took on
6969-549: The environment it emerged from. The basis of the latter analysis is that Bhakti traditions did not clearly disassociate from Vedic texts and their cosmologies and metaphysical worldview, while the Sikh tradition clearly did disassociate from the Vedic tradition. Some Sikh sects outside the Punjab region of India, such as those found in Maharashtra and Bihar , practice aarti (the ceremonial use of lamps) during Bhakti observances in
7070-555: The established polytheistic order than Judaism had been, because of the importance of evangelism in Christianity. Under Nero , the Jewish exemption from the requirement to participate in public cults was lifted and Rome began to actively persecute monotheists . This persecution ended in 313 AD with the Edict of Milan , and Christianity was made the official religion of the empire in 380 AD. By
7171-467: The exonym term Sikhism as they claim the word was coined by the British colonists rather than by Sikhs themselves, and they instead prefer the endonym Sikhi . They argue that an "-ism" connotes a fixed and immutable worldview which is not congruent with the internally fluid nature of the Sikh philosophy. The basis of Sikhism lies in the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors. Sikh ethics emphasize
7272-450: The fear that tolerance of 'what we are not' can contribute to the erosion of identity. Brian J. Grim and Roger Finke say that the perception that plurality is dangerous leads to religious persecution. Both the state and any dominant religion, share the concern that to "leave religion unchecked and without adequate controls will result in the uprising of religions that are dangerous to both state and citizenry," and this concern gives both
7373-509: The fictitious Popish Plot . Mehdi Ghezali and Murat Kurnaz were among the Muslims who were imprisoned in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp , but they were not found to have any connections to terrorism , because they had previously traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan to pursue their religious interests. The United States submits an annual report on religious freedom and persecution to
7474-529: The government. This dramatically worsened the persecution of Catholics in England. The 1584 Parliament of England , declared in " An Act against Jesuits, seminary priests, and such other like disobedient persons " that the purpose of all Catholic missionaries who had come to Britain was "to stir up and move sedition, rebellion and open hostility". Consequently, even strictly apolitical priests like Saint John Ogilvie , Dermot O'Hurley , and Robert Southwell were subjected to torture and execution, as were members of
7575-453: The guru. The English word Sikhism derives from the Punjabi word for the religion Sikhi ( Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖੀ Sikkhī , [ˈsɪk.kʰiː] , from Punjabi : ਸਿੱਖ , romanized: Sikh , lit. 'disciple'), which connotes the "temporal path of learning" and is rooted in the verb sikhana ( lit. ' to learn ' ). Some Sikhs oppose
7676-402: The historians as a place and time in which literally "hundreds of books and tracts were published either for or against religious toleration." The most ambitious chronicle of that time is W.K.Jordan 's magnum opus The Development of Religious Toleration in England, 1558–1660 (four volumes, published 1932–1940). Jordan wrote as the threat of fascism rose in Europe, and this work is seen as
7777-520: The laity like Sts. Margaret Clitherow and Richard Gwyn . This drastically contrasts with the image of the Elizabethan era as a golden age, but compared to the antecedent Marian Persecutions there is an important difference to consider. Queen Mary was motivated by determination to exterminate Protestantism from all her Kingdoms and to restore the independence of the English Church from control by
7878-458: The later months of 2005, an intensive anti-Baháʼí campaign was conducted by Iranian newspapers and radio stations. The state-run and influential Kayhan newspaper, whose managing editor is appointed by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei The press in Iran, ran nearly three dozen articles defaming the Baháʼí Faith. Furthermore, a confidential letter sent on 29 October 2005 by the Chairman of
7979-550: The monastery and throwing them mercilessly in icy 'vises'. The words step back, the pen does not move, in eternal darkness the ancient Solovetsky monastery is going. Of the more than 500 people, only a few managed to avoid the terrible court. Although his book was written before the September 11 attacks , John Coffey explicitly compares Islamophobia in the contemporary Western world to the English Whig Party 's paranoia about
8080-526: The most important intellectual foundations of the separation of church and state , which ultimately led to the secular state . One period of religious persecution which has been extensively studied is early modern England, since the rejection of religious persecution, now common in the Western world, originated there. The English 'Call for Toleration' was a turning point in the Christian debate on persecution and toleration , and early modern England stands out to
8181-751: The most persistently violated human right in the annals of the species." Despite the ubiquitous nature of religious persecution, the traditional human rights community typically chooses to emphasize "more tangible encroachments on human dignity," such as violations which are based on race , gender , and class by using national, ethnic, and linguistic groupings rather than religious groupings. Traditional African religions have faced religious persecution from Christians and Muslims. Adherents of these religions have been forcefully converted to Islam and Christianity , demonized and marginalized . The atrocities include killings, waging war, destroying of sacred places, and other atrocities. For almost 1000 years,
8282-626: The nephew and successor of the 19th century Senegambian jihadist and Muslim leader—El Hadj Umar Tall, chose to make Bandiagara the capital of the Toucouleur Empire thereby exacerbating the inter-religious and inter-ethnic conflict. In recent years, the Dogon have accused the Fulanis of supporting Islamic terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and they have also accused the Fulanis of sheltering members of these same terrorist groups in Dogon country, leading to
8383-694: The number of victims in each country... it does not speak to the intensity of harassment..." No religious group is free from harassment in the contemporary world . Klaus Wetzel, an expert on religious persecution for the German Bundestag , the House of Lords , the US House of Representatives , the European Parliament , and the International Institute for Religious Freedom, explains that "In around
8484-461: The persecutors said they were doing." No religion is free from internal dissent, although the degree of dissent that is tolerated within a particular religious organization can strongly vary. This degree of diversity tolerated within a particular church is described as ecclesiastical tolerance , and is one form of religious toleration . However, when people nowadays speak of religious tolerance, they most often mean civil tolerance , which refers to
8585-425: The primary Sikh scripture, says that all humans are soul-brides who long to unite with their husband Lord. In addition, the gurus also wrote in the Guru Granth Sahib that there are many worlds on which the transcendental God has created life. The Sikh scripture begins with God as Ik Onkar ( ੴ ), the 'One Creator', understood in the Sikh tradition as monotheistic unity of God. Ik onkar (sometimes capitalized)
8686-413: The process of the devotion of God. However, Nanak emphasized māyā as not a reference to the unreality of the world, but of its values. In Sikhism, the influences of ego , anger , greed , attachment , and lust , known as the pānj chor (' Five Thieves '), are believed to be particularly distracting and hurtful. Sikhs believe the world is currently in a state of Kali Yuga ('age of darkness') because
8787-868: The reign of Elizabeth I , and two other people were executed in 1612 during the reign of James I . Similarly, heretical sects like Cathars , Waldensians and Lollards were brutally suppressed in Western Europe, but in the borderlands of Eastern Europe, at the same time, Catholic Christians and 'schismatic' Orthodox Christians lived side by side after the East-West Schism . More than 300 Roman Catholics were put to death for treason by English governments between 1535 and 1681, thus they were officially executed for secular rather than religious offenses . In 1570, Pope Pius V issued his papal bull Regnans in Excelsis , which absolved Catholics from their obligations to
8888-515: The result of societal and/or governmental regulation. Governmental regulation refers to the laws which the government imposes in order to regulate a religion, and societal regulation is discrimination against citizens because they adhere to one or more religions. In many countries, religious persecution has resulted in so much violence that it is considered a human rights problem. David T. Smith, in Religious Persecution and Political Order in
8989-472: The seeker realises that it is the consciousness within the body which is the seeker/follower of the Word that is the true Guru . The human body is just a means to achieve the reunion with Truth. Once truth starts to shine in a person's heart, the essence of current and past holy books of all religions is understood by the person. Guru Nanak's teachings are founded not on a final destination of heaven or hell, but on
9090-588: The situation with regard to religious minorities in Iran is, in fact, deteriorating." [3] . The persecution of Buddhists has been a widespread phenomenon throughout the history of Buddhism , a phenomenon which continues to occur today. As early as the 3rd century AD, Buddhists were persecuted by Kirder, the Zoroastrian high priest of the Sasanian Empire . Anti-Buddhist sentiments in Imperial China between
9191-489: The spiritual heart completes one's purpose and meaning in the world of action: spirituality . Guru Nanak , the first Sikh guru and the founder of Sikhism, was a Bhakti saint. He taught that the most important form of worship is Bhakti (devotion to Waheguru ). Guru Arjan , in the Sukhmani Sahib , recommended the true religion as one of loving devotion to God. The Guru Granth Sahib includes suggestions on how
9292-572: The state. The denial of people's civil rights on the basis of their religion is most frequently described as religious discrimination , rather than religious persecution. Examples of persecution include the confiscation or destruction of property, incitement of hatred , arrests, imprisonment, beatings, torture , murder, and executions. Religious persecution can be considered the opposite of freedom of religion . Bateman has differentiated different degrees of persecution. "It must be personally costly... It must be unjust and undeserved... it must be
9393-465: The state. During her short reign from 1553 to 1558, about 290 Protestants were burned at the stake. While Mary's sister Queen Elizabeth I allegedly, "acted out of fear for the security of her realm", she sought to coerce both Catholics and Protestants to embrace a national church that was completely subservient to the state . Over the centuries that followed, English governments continued to fear and prosecute both real and imaginary conspiracies like
9494-484: The term religious persecution is rather difficult. Religious persecution has occurred in different historical, geographical and social contexts since at least antiquity . Until the 18th century, some groups were nearly universally persecuted for their religious views, such as atheists , Jews and Zoroastrians . Early Christianity also came into conflict with the Roman Empire, and it may have been more threatening to
9595-749: The widespread use of the term ethnic cleansing in such cases suggests that in many situations, there is confusion between ethnicity and religion. Other acts of violence which are not always committed against adherents of particular religions such as war , torture , and ethnic cleansing , may take on the qualities of religious persecution when one or more of the parties which are involved in them are characterized by their religious homogeneity; an example of this occurs when conflicting populations that belong to different ethnic groups also belong to different religions or denominations. The difference between religious and ethnic identity might sometimes be obscure (see Ethnoreligious ); nevertheless, cases of genocide in
9696-406: The world is led astray by the love of and attachment to māyā . The fate of people vulnerable to the five thieves is separation from God, and the situation may be remedied only after intensive and relentless devotion. According to Guru Nanak, the supreme purpose of human life is to reconnect with Akal ('The Timeless One'). However, egotism is the biggest barrier in making this connection. Using
9797-400: The world's population, Muslims account for 24%, and Jews account for 0.2%. According to a 2019 report, government restrictions and social hostilities toward religion have risen in 187 countries. "Religious cleansing" is sometimes used in reference to the removal of a population from a certain territory based on its religion. More recently, “religious cleansing” has been used in reference to
9898-425: Was considered an underground pit, where rats lived. Some people had been imprisoned and tied to the wall there, and untied after their death. Old Believers were persecuted and executed, the order was that even those renouncing completely their beliefs and baptized in the state church to be lynched without mercy. The writer Lomonosov opposed the religious teachings and by his initiative a scientific book against them
9999-515: Was especially militant during the middle Stalinist era from 1929 to 1939. The Soviet Union attempted to suppress religion over wide areas of its influence, including places like central Asia, and the post- World War II Eastern bloc . One state within that bloc, the Socialist People's Republic of Albania under Enver Hoxha , went so far as to officially ban all religious practices. The Baháʼís are Iran's largest religious minority, and Iran
10100-765: Was granted the right to heavily punish with death for blasphemy against the Orthodox Church or breach of ecclesiastical privileges. He advised all means of destruction to be used against heretics, but without bloodshed, in the name of 'saving souls'. Heretics were drowned. Novgorod Bishop Gennady Gonzov turned to Tsar Ivan III requesting the death of heretics. Gennady admired the Spanish inquisitors, especially his contemporary Torquemada , who for 15 years of inquisition activity burned and punished thousands of people. As in Rome, persecuted fled to depopulated areas. The most terrible punishment
10201-477: Was published. The book was destroyed, the Russian synod insisted Lomonosov's works to be burned and requested his punishment. ...were cutting heads, hanging, some by the neck, some by the foot, many of them were stabbed with sharp sticks and impaled on hooks. This included the tethering to a ponytail, drowning and freezing people alive in lakes. The winners did not spare even the sick and the elderly, taking them out of
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