Religious Prejudice in America - Essay Example

Prejudice is most likely to build up to where different groups have opposing values, when people see themselves with different identities and when groups discriminate alongside others. Prejudice manifests itself through different ways including deprecating attitudes, explicit hostility, inhospitable language, behavioral changes, emotional reactions and bad images in the media. The several ways of reducing prejudice according to Wald & Calhoun-Brown (2014) include enhancing understanding between the different social groups by increasing contact and expanding relationships.

In addition, working with children can also assist them in comprehending differences and similarity among groups, and interaction in school greatly promotes good attitudes.Background of Religious Prejudice Despite religious tolerance being a foundation stone of America, religious prejudice has also been an important element in the history of America. The Catholics from the 1830s to 1850s suffered from fashionable prejudice, which later resulted in violence. The white supremacist groups in the early 1950s campaigned against the blacks, Catholics and spread hate ideas that later led to violence.

The Jew community faced discriminatory attacks and legislation, right from late1800s to 1960s. The oil crisis during the 1970s when Arab nations increased the oil prices provoked hatred against Arabs and Muslims. Anti-Muslim feelings highly observed during the 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War. The feeling that America is against Islam and hostility against the Muslim community grew up after the September 2001 World Trade Center bombings (Wald & Calhoun-Brown, 2014).Potential Opportunities for eliminating religious prejudice Anti-Extremism preaching through open discussions, correct interpretation and debates facilitated though the internet has begun yielding positive results on the war against religious prejudice.

The freedom of expression continues to undermine the cultural certainties that extremists rely on and the good governance championed mainly through human right promotion, closure of faith schools and education, has a high potential of promoting tolerance and national cohesion and furthermore reducing the growth of fundamentalism (Wald & Calhoun-Brown, 2014). The high value of freedom that continues to grow ensures that no single religion can discriminate against other religions even when influenced by their faith.

This will help to keep extremists in contact with the law and therefore pluralism will acquire great significance.Ethical Issues that Emerge Mass confinement and migration in the country have in many times linked with religious discrimination. In some conditions as put by Wald & Calhoun-Brown (2014), there are also divisions in social and religious concerns leading to injustices and shaping racial discrimination. Religious freedom in some cases tends to overwhelmingly benefit those who are already advantaged in society.

This moves some groups far from persistent consideration.