Discrimination against atheists

With the systematic discrimination against atheists and state- approved or sponsored discrimination and persecution of atheists and agnostics is described because of their explicit negation of a belief. They must be distinguished from discrimination against people because of their non- membership of a particular community of faith. Discrimination against non-believers and a confession takes place in different forms around the world. In parts of the world there is a pursuit of these groups of people, the punishment including the death penalty is sufficient in some Islamic states.

Background and History

The term asebeia " sacrilege against the gods " became " godlessness " in antiquity, punished or " impiety " as a criminal offense. In Plato Nomoi the preservation of piety is an important task of the legislator. The continuity partially manufactured in the Enlightenment to the present Atheismusbegriff is thus by no means assured.

The rediscovery of the prefectures and other classical writings only took place in the early modern period. Winfried Schröder atheism but rather understood in the early modern period as an epithet for religious dissenters, a credo of non- existence of God was at that time no serious philosophy. Virulent was atheism as a battle cry in the modern debates about Spinzoas pantheism.

Partly as " atheists " designated movements such as the free-thinkers and monist came with the 19th century to bear, in essence they were agnostic and often spin-offs of the regular churches. The biologist Ernst Haeckel postulated as Monistenpapst about the full integration of man in nature. Atheism as a partly with reference to Spinoza nature and equal with God translated pantheism were there quite synonymously, the renunciation of all revelation and belief in miracles separated these flows especially from the Catholic doctrine. It was not until 1847 leaving the church was at all practicable in Germany. A systematic discrimination Atheismusvorwurfs per se is difficult to identify because of the different political no means uniform mappings. The combined now under the umbrella organization of free philosophical communities various free religious, monistic and unitary currents were playing at religion far Socialists as a role such as the German Unitarian Religious Community was also nationalist and anti-Semitic motivation. For the atheist organizations including the Federation of intellectual freedom and the federal government free Religious communities in Germany as a corporation under public law are now recognized analogous to religious communities. They are like other smaller religious communities publicly supported a claim to speak for all non-denominational, but not recognized.

Constitutional law as Martin Heckel see a state of non-religious discrimination also occurs when state institutions deal with these according to the standards of a religious community alone, equal treatment would be discriminatory. In ecclesiastical law, according to Heckel found such Diskrimierungen through equal treatment in the course of denominational divisions, especially the Reformation as the culture wars of the 19th and the Church struggles of the 20th instead, they affected not only atheists. With the introduction of civil marriage, a very substantial discrimination against dissidents and atheists in the 19th century had been eliminated because here the state ceased to treat them according to canon law. Associations of freethinkers and atheists in Germany see in the religious policy in Germany and the European Union, and in particular the German state church law a form of discrimination. The current state- canonical interpretation, namely Heckel but sees no reason to treat the churches reversed by atheist standards. Thus, the German constitution is by no means the demand for a Lists and leveling of religion in harmony and one is far from being regarded atheism as the sole guiding principle of the Constitution. The State is also not in the obligation to produce success equality.

After the canon Axel Freiherr von Campenhausen the confessional division of the Reformation was the starting point for the modern canon law, so far as a non-denominational secular framework order was created, the competing religious communities guarantees equal protection and opportunity for development. After Campenhausen the German separation of church and state is less defensively or exclusionary designed as in France, but emphasizes the uniformity of consideration and support. The defense of discrimination even by atheists and securing individual freedom is done by a neutral features of areas of law such as marriage, school, social welfare, conservation, etc., which does not force the citizens under the principles of a foreign religion.

State religion as a possible discrimination

• Catholic Christianity
• Orthodoxy
• Evangelical Christianity
• Anglican Christianity
• Theravada Buddhism
• Tibetan Buddhism
• Sunni Islam
• Shi'ite Islam
• Ibaditischer Islam
• No state religion

State religions, referred to in Europe as the state churches, mean official recognition and preference of one religion. Some states or constitutions call the main religious affiliation of the population. In countries with a Christian Orthodox national churches there is a high historically grown identification of society with the local churches. This results in de facto close relations and support by the state. A slight significance is given when the State, although institutionally preferred a religion, but at the same time guarantees the individual freedom of religion without restriction. Examples of these are currently in particular England and Denmark until 2000, Sweden and Norway until 2012. In these states is / was the Anglican or Lutheran church part of the state and was also controlled by the state.

The Queen of Great Britain is also head of the Anglican Church of England ( " Fidei Defensor " ), the main bishops are represented as Lords Spiritual in the Upper House of Parliament. Likewise, the Queen of Denmark is also head of the Lutheran Church of Denmark until the mid-19th century belonging to the Lutheran church was also a prerequisite for civil rights in various Scandinavian countries. Conversely endure internal church decisions in the form of state laws, the churches are committed as part of the State to grant, for example, of religious freedom. In some Islamic countries, the link between polity and religion is more extensive by the basis of the community are the religious rules of a branch of Islam. The content- identification with a religion goes hand in hand with the pursuit of other creditors, and especially the state religion of the apostate. Examples include the Yemen and Saudi Arabia in particular. The state has also the task of the "true" to protect religion and to preserve and thus ensures the cohesion of society and the domestic political stability. In these countries avowed atheists considerable persecution are exposed.

Recognition of atheists in leadership positions

• States in which elected or appointed after 1945 openly atheistic government at the national federal or state level
• States and countries where openly atheistic government lawfully excluded
• States and countries in which an openly atheist prime minister would be possible, but was not elected after 45
• States and countries without free elections since 1945

In the U.S., religious and ethnic associations play a significant role in elections. Traditionally, recruit President of the WASPS, the white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Eisenhower and Hoover were of German descent exceptions, John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic. In the run up to the presidential election in the United States in 2008, when took a black candidate for the first time, led the Gallup conducted a survey for voice readiness of amerikanischern population. According to the survey 95% of respondents were willing to elect a Catholic as president, 92 % said that they would vote for a Jewish candidate and 72 % said that they would vote for a Mormon. The latter was in the presidential election in the United States in 2012 because of the Mormon creed of Mitt Romney, a critical aspect. Even for black candidates (92% ), women ( 88%) and Hispanics (87%), there was support. The lowest vocal willingness specified for atheist candidate. 45% of respondents said that they would vote for an atheist for president.

In a representative survey from 2008 reported 41 % of the participating atheists that they had experienced in the past five years discrimination. Among the reported forms of discrimination included not only insults and social exclusion and the denial of services and Hate crimes.

Have regulations that do not allow non-believers to work in the public service or to run for public office in seven U.S. states (Texas, Maryland, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina) in the USA. In the U.S. state of Arkansas, it is also forbidden atheists to testify in court. In practice, these rules have no application because they are held by the Supreme Court to be incompatible with the U.S. Constitution.

Situation in different countries

Russia and Greece

In Russia and Greece, the Orthodox Church is strictly protected from criticism and lose at official ceremonies a place of honor, as a study by the International Humanist and Ethical Union ( IHEU ).

United States

In the U.S., a state church is constitutionally excluded. Nevertheless, In God we trust ( "In God We Trust" ) since 1956, a central motto of the United States and the U.S. state of Florida.

This motto is controversial in the United States. According to the critics, the reference to God in this slogan a violation of the right to freedom to practice religion dar. Also from religious side is voiced criticism. To prohibit a number of biblical passages ( eg Ex 20.7 EU), including the second and third biblical commandment that calls the name of God for little things.

The U.S. customary long and deep-rooted school prayer was, however, by the U.S. Supreme Court in several decisions, including Angel v. Vitale (1962) and Abington School District v. Schempp (1963 ), prohibited as discriminatory. The majority unpopular decision has been circumvented in many schools and on formal occasions by demonstrative minutes of silence, which should provide a legally allowed opportunity for prayer.

Islamic world

Currently under threat of the death penalty in Afghanistan, Iran, Maldives, Mauritania, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Sudan atheists and converts. Although no death penalty for religious reasons would currently officially done, but other charges would be advanced to the study of the IHEU. In these and other countries such as Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Kuwait and Jordan, the publication of atheistic or humanistic writings also be banned or severely restricted by " blasphemy " laws.

A special form of opinion restriction also applies to the Internet. So in 2012, more than a dozen people were sentenced in ten countries due to blasphemous statements on Facebook or Twitter. In Egypt, a blogger was in 2007 sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly insulting former President Hosni Mubarak and the Islamic al -Azhar University in his blog. Then other Egyptian bloggers and Internet activists were convicted and imprisoned in recent years. The Facebook users Jabeur Mejri and Ghazi Beji were convicted in March 2012 in Tunisia to seven and a half years' imprisonment. They should have blasphemous images posted on Facebook. Also in 2012, a Facebook user has been sentenced to two and a half years ' imprisonment for " blasphemy " in Indonesia, because he confessed to be atheist and had insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Amnesty International sharply criticized the ruling and called it a " serious setback for freedom of expression in Indonesia ."

In many countries, including Malaysia, the citizens are also being forced to register as a member of a religious community. Accepted here are a few religions - in addition to the Muslim nor the Christian and Jewish. This would atheists, Non - Religious or members of other religions force you to lie, for example, to obtain an identity card. But it was denied to travel them without official documents, to drive, to go to a university or to get access to medical care, the report says. In Indonesia, according to the Pancasila and the principle contained in it the All-One Divine rule obliged every citizen to be part of a five world religions, with Judaism is not recognized.