Globally, acts of religious hostility hit a six-year high in 2012 with Muslims and Jews suffering most hostility. PHOTO: FILE
The Pew Research Center's report issued two indices, based on statistics from the years 2007-2012:
1) The Government Restrictions Index (GRI), which measures government laws, policies and actions that restrict religious beliefs and practices.
2) The Social Hostilities Index (SHI), which measures acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organisations or groups in society.
The results show that "Pakistan had the highest level of social hostilities involving religion, and Egypt had the highest level of government restrictions on religion."
Neighbours Afghanistan and India were also up there with Pakistan in the SHI index.
Worldwide, except for the Americas, "the share of countries with a high or very high level of social hostilities involving religion reached a six-year peak in 2012," while "the share of countries with a high or very high level of government restrictions on religion stayed roughly the same in the latest year studied."
Pakistan topped the list for most religious hostilities while showing a 'very high' range of scores in the other index too.
Overall restrictions on religion - whether gov't policies or social hostilities - at 6 yr high http://t.co/FPBjj9dkHL pic.twitter.com/8eCV0qWJ19
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 14, 2014
Global Trends
SHI - One third of 198 countries reviewed saw high or very high levels of internal religious strife, such as sectarian violence, terrorism or bullying in 2012, compared to 29 percent in 2011 and 20 percent in 2010.
The biggest rise came in the Middle East and North Africa, two regions that are still feeling the effects of the Arab Spring of 2010-2011, said the Pew Research Center.
As an example, the report cites an increase in attacks on Coptic churches and Christian-owned businesses in Egypt. It said China has also witnessed a big rise in religious conflict.
https://twitter.com/conradhackett/status/423109435817725953
PEW said that radical elements often target mainstream Muslims and Christians in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Somalia, while India has recurring tensions between its majority Hindus and minority Muslims and Christians.
Mob violence related to religion occurred in a 25% countries in 2012 http://t.co/FPBjj9dkHL pic.twitter.com/Ub2C1lvTO7
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 14, 2014
Results for strong social hostility such as anti-Semitic attacks, assaults by Muslims on churches and Buddhist agitation against Muslims were the highest seen since the series began, reaching 33 per cent of surveyed countries in 2012 after 29 per cent in 2011 and 20 per cent in mid-2007.
Christians and Muslims, who make up more than half of the world's population, have been stigmatised in the largest number of countries. Muslims and Jews have suffered the greatest level of hostility in six years, the report said.
Religious violence declined in the Ivory Coast, Serbia, Ethiopia, Cyprus and Romania.
GRI - The number of countries whose governments have imposed restrictions, such as bans on practicing a religion or converting from one to another, has remained more or less the same, however. Three out of ten countries have high or very high levels of restrictions, the study said.
Change in restrictions on religion over time. http://t.co/4Y20xHZ1zJ http://t.co/PJg6teSesB
— Pew Research Center (@pewresearch) January 14, 2014
Official bans, harassment or other government interference in religion rose to 29 per cent of countries surveyed in 2012 after 28 per cent in 2011 and 20 per cent in mid-2007.
Harassment against women and religious connotations of the way they dress has also risen in nearly a third of countries to 32 per cent, compared to 25 per cent in 2011 and seven per cent in 2007.
The five countries with the most government restrictions on religion are Egypt, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
Among the 25 most heavily populated countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Russia, Pakistan and Myanmar suffered the most religious restrictions.
The 198 countries studied account for more than 99.5 per cent of the world's population, said the Pew center.
It did not include North Korea, whose government "is among the most repressive in the world, including toward religion."
The Washington-based center, which is non-partisan and takes no policy position in its reports, gave no reason for the rises noted in hostility against Christians, Muslims, Jews and an "other" category including Sikhs, Bah'ais and atheists. Hindus, Buddhists and folk religions saw lower levels of hostility and little change in the past six years, according to the report's extensive data.
Increase in hostility largest in Europe
Europe showed the largest median increase in hostility due to a rise in harrassment of women because of religious dress and violent attacks on minorities such as the murder of a rabbi and three Jewish children by a radical in France.
Tensions in Israel arise from the Palestinian issue, disagreements between secular and religious Jews and the growth of ultra-Orthodox sects that live apart from the majority.
Jews face hostility
The world's two largest faiths, Christianity and Islam, make up almost half the world's population and were the most widely targetted in 2012, facing official and social hostility in 110 and 109 countries respectively.
Jews suffer hostility in 71 countries, even though they make up only 0.2 per cent of the world's population and about 80 per cent of them live in Israel and the United States.
https://twitter.com/conradhackett/status/423114904561008640
The report said there were probably more restrictions on religion around the world than its statistics could document but its results could be considered "a good estimate".
It classified war and terrorism as social hostility, arguing: "It is not always possible to determine the degree to which they are religiously motivated or state sponsored."
COMMENTS (34)
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@dollarkhappay: If you cannot reason or see logic then blame it on the others ideally Jews and other minorities.
Yet another attempt to malign Pakistan, everybody know Myanmar has religious violence more often than not and backed by government, and who can breadth in Afghanistan other than Taliban? We all know about Somalia and Nigeria, and what about so called secular India which is at 3rd
@optimist: There is this city in an Islamic republic where a human is tortured, killed and his face and head is skinned like that of a sheep. optimist, do you have an idea which Islamic republic is this or the ones who are reading this know which country is this.
@Okkkk: its a research by PEW not ET. Also its been mentioned that NK has been excluded for being the most reggresive.
well someones delusional. @dollarkhappay:
all lies! Zionist propaganda! Pakistan is nothing short of a bastion of religious tolerance to be replicated by all nations great and small! Ell oh Ell :)
Lies, liars, and statistics...these are often used for propaganda purposes. Facts, boots on the ground are entirely another matter: For all to see.
@Ch. Allah Daad: FYI ,These religious processions were present for hundreds of years.When pakistan's economy was flourishing these procession were there and they also exist in most of free islamic countries. Extremism is a mindset present far n wide especially in people whose religious thoughts have been changed with purpose either to get money or jihadis from them.No one will block the road if our state is efficient enough to protect its citizen. Lastly, fanatics are those who have become so intolerant to other people's beliefs that they slit there throats of people who disagree from there interpretation. Bro be tolerant if educated people like you will become intolerant then our society is deemed to collapse.
How can you not take population into account?
India has 1/6th of the world population - 1.3 Billion. To give some perspective - the number of Muslims in the world is 1.4 Billion.
Comparing such numbers makes sense.
There is no guessing which of the above group was more violent.
Indians are 3rd most intolerant of others' religions. If we have to be socially intolerant, then to ensure social harmony in a multi-religious society of a secular country, will it not be better to become intolerant of all religions.
@Okkkk: Afghanistan is second on the list above. If you would just try to use your little brain and read the actual article before commenting.
Who is increasing and prolifiratinf religious hostility? The report should mention the name of some states in the world.
The responsibility for bringing Pakistan to this state is fixed by many on Zia ul Haq. Who should be given the responsibility for making Pakistan a tolerant and safe country? ET run a poll on this question to determine what your readers want.
The reports of such kind must be read with a pinch of salt. They are usualy misleading and not for adhoc public consumption. For example one incidence of a lunatic french youth of North African parents, who wanted to join the French Legion and was refused, he then went to Qandhar in Afghanistan and was refused to fight with the Talibans, upon his return he went berserk and shot down couple of armed soldiers and later attacked a jewish school killing a teacher and the three children. Eventualy he was traced and killed by the police. This is referred to in the report as " violent attacks on minorities" in France. The facts are that France has the extreme right political set up which attracts more than 30 % and its two successive Presidents have been following anti immigrant and racist inspired policies while engaged themselves in love affairs, allowing the marriage of homosexuals despite the fact that more than 70 percent people are conservative catholics; such acts are the sources for the radicalisation. It is not simple majority against the minority!.
Rex Minor
@Bakhtiyar Ghazi Khan:
Why don't you just straight out say that only the countries that are persecuting muslims should have be named in this list? Your comments are so deeply bigoted that at times I wonder whether you are being paid to make the Pakistanis look bad.
ET, pls don't censor my comment.
Burma should be first, India second, and Egypt third. Mob violence is communal and social, esp with the rise of persecution of Muslims worldwide.
Foreign attacks by proxies in Pakistan do not count as social hostilities among our people.
Seems correct. The degree of religious intolerance in Pakistan is unbelievably high.
Terrorist attacks and hostilities cannot be termed as religious hostilities. If a suicide bomber on someone else payroll attacks a church and kill dozens then by all account it is a terrorist act. Similarly if two gunmen attacks a Shia imambargah and the same terrorists attack a mosque then again it is a terrorist activity. The number of people killed and the number of attacks obviously gives a totally different picture to the world which perceives it as there are hostilities between the sects and religious minorities.
Mubarak to all the different flavoured mullahs in pakistan for this fantastic honour for the nation and its people - next stage the mullahs should be encouraged to land on the moon so they can take it over for us all!
Pakistan number 1, Afghanistan number 2, India number 3... . In Central African republic, a RANDOM muslim man was dragged out of a bus by a mob, he was killed and his leg was eaten by those cannibals!!! I've never seen such barbarity in Asian countries. . Does this report have any credibility?
Useless reports...!!!!!
Bangladesh is doing much better than India. They should be proud of it and India needs to improve a lot.
The Govt of Pakistan is aware of this and is working on a way to solve the problems listed in the report.... and of course, the solution lies in blocking Pew Research Center's website... PTA to the Rescue...
Not surprised with this survey. When you live in a country where the forces of religion are given a free hand to bully, intimidate and ultimately murder people, this will happen. Without critical thinking and science Pakistan's future is grim.
Looks like both India and Pakistan have some work ahead of them. Seems like the countries that have high religious hostilities have high Muslim populations - coincidence?
A country made in the name of religion..........tops the list of religious intollerant countries........IRONIC.
We are also number one for religious holidays, religious processions, road closures by religious fanatics and working days lost by religious activities. In Pakistan, religion has become a top factor in economic downfall except those countries where religious fanatics have already accomplished their mission.
ET with a clear agenda of pleasing its masters. Where does Afghanistan rank in all this. What about North Korea where just having a bible will result in death. Why exclude North Korea.