H/W 06/01/2012

Prejudice and Discrimination

1. I believe people should be allowed to wear religious clothing or items in public, at school or at work. Some religions, such as Islam and Hasidic Judaism, have certain religious laws on what the followers of that religion can and cannot wear, for example Hasidic Jews both men and women are expected to cover their heads, be it with a hat or more commonly for women a wig or scarf. his is meant to demonstrate their devotion and respect to !od. "y not allowing people, such as Hasidic Jews, to wear their religious re#uirements, is against their human rights as it does not constitute as a threat to $public order, health or morals% &'rticle (, )uropean *onvention of Human +ights,. -or some people however, their religion does not dictate that they should wear a specific item of clothing, such as *atholicism. *atholicism does not specifically state that its followers should wear a cross or any other religious .ewellery. However, some members of *atholicism feel that it reminds them of !od and Jesus/ presence within their lives and some may feel that it is a way of keeping !od with them in their day to day lives. 0evertheless, by refusing them the right to self expression and religious preference, you are denying their human rights. 1n the other hand, some people may feel that certain items of religious clothing are irrelevant and that they may even be threatening. In recent years, there has been controversy in -rance on whether or not Islamic women should be able to wear a "ur#a, a full body cloak that covers the face and only shows the eyes. his is worn by 2uslim women as a sign of self respect, respect to their husband and family and most importantly respect to their !od, 'llah. However, the "ur#a was banned in -rance as the people seemed to feel that by women wearing a "ur#a, it didn/t enable the policy of $racial e#uality% imposed by the -rench government. However, others claimed that the "ur#a caused unrest in public, and caused people to feel uneasy. )rgo, by banning the "ur#a they are impinging on their religious rights, and their right to dress according to their religion. 3eople may chose to wear religious clothing because they feel that their religion is of great importance to them, and by wearing religious regalia expresses their individuality within a multicultural society. hey may think that, for example, wearing a Hi.ab, shows people their devotion to their !od without having to tell people openly. 1thers may think that by wearing such items in public can be seen as a form of preaching and they may not necessarily want to know whether or not that person is *hristian, or whether they are Jewish. I feel that religious clothing should be allowed because people have the right to chose what religion they follow, what they wear, and how they chose to express their beliefs. hey &religious items of clothing, also allow people to express their individuality and enable them to discretely portray their beliefs in a multicultural society. 'lso, religious items can prevent someone being offended by something that someone may have said which may not be politically correct, as people are more likely to watch what they say or if they are going to express an opinion, chose their words wisely. 4. he "ible teaches us that there is no need for racism, as all human beings are created in the image and likeness of !od, as shown in !enesis 1546748. If we are all created in !od/s own image then people of all different ethnicities are all the same as !od and by differentiating and discriminating against people for the reason of their ethnicity would essentially be discriminating against !od himself, also shown in 2atthew 49 when he states that whatever we do to the least of His brothers, we do to Him. In James 45: he describes people who pre.udge and discriminate against others as, $Judges with evil thoughts% and in James 45; we are told to love our neighbour as ourselves. In the "ible we are taught to have compassion and kindness for our fellow man in stories like the !ood Samaritan, and in )phesians :5<4 we are told, $"e kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, .ust as in *hrist !od forgave you.% In )phesians 451:, it talks about Jesus breaking

down the wall of hostility that divided the Jews and the !entiles, thus getting rid of the discrimination enforced upon the !entiles &!reeks or any non7Israelite person, by the Jews, who believe they were created by !od to be a =ingdom of priests, ministering in !entile lands. However, by ridding the people of the social divide &the wall of Hostility, the "ible shows us that all men are e#ual and tells us that racism is bad and against what !od wants for his people and his world. <. "iblical texts inform *hurch teachings on pre.udice and discrimination, by showing Jesus as a compassionate person, in stories recorded in 2ark/s !ospel. In the story of Jesus and >evi, Jesus agrees to associate with a person, >evi, a tax collector and traditionally somebody marginalised by society for his occupation. He shows compassion towards the man, something that most Jews at that time wouldn/t have done, as he would have been classed as a sinner. "y Jesus consorting with various sinners, he shows that no man nor woman should ever be cast aside by society for whatever reason, despite what they may do, as they are always allowed forgiveness. In the "ible, Jesus saves a woman, accused of adultery, by saying, $>et he who is without sin, cast the first stone.% his refers to pre.udice as the people would be .udging her for her actions and wanting to punish her for them, despite they themselves may have committed other sins, and in this case appear hypocritical. "iblical texts display lessons and messages through !ospel and various parables taught by Jesus. Such as the parable of the good Samaritan, despite not being the person whom people would expect to stop and help a man in need, he did and went against social convention to help a fellow man.