Citation

Sheridan LP. J. Interpers. Violence 2006; 21(3): 317-336.

Affiliation

Forensic Psychology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom. LPH1@leicester.ac.uk

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0886260505282885

PMID

16443594

Abstract

Although much academic research has addressed racism, religious discrimination has been largely ignored. The current study investigates levels of self-reported racial and religious discrimination in a sample of 222 British Muslims. Respondents indicate that following September 11th, 2001, levels of implicit or indirect discrimination rose by 82.6% and experiences of overt discrimination by 76.3%. Thus, the current work demonstrates that major world events may affect not only stereotypes of minority groups but also prejudice toward minorities. Results suggest that religious affiliation may be a more meaningful predictor of prejudice than race or ethnicity. General Health Questionnaire scores indicate that 35.6% of participants likely suffered mental health problems, with significant associations between problem-indicative scores and reports of experiencing a specific abusive incident of September 11th-related abuse by respondents. The dearth of empirical work pertaining to religious discrimination and its effects is a cause for concern.

Language: en