What term is used to describe discrimination against a specific religion?

The term "religious intolerance" specifically refers to discrimination or prejudice against individuals or groups based on their religious beliefs. It encompasses a range of negative attitudes, actions, and policies directed towards those who practice a different religion or hold different spiritual beliefs. This discrimination can manifest in various forms, such as social ostracism, verbal abuse, violence, or institutional discrimination.

Understanding the concept of religious intolerance is crucial because it highlights the challenges many people face in expressing their beliefs freely in diverse societies. The term covers a broad spectrum of religious groups, not limited to any specific faith, and reflects a fundamental issue in sociology related to diversity, coexistence, and the functioning of pluralistic societies.

In contrast, while other terms like racism refer to discrimination based on race and ethnicity, nativism refers to the policy of protecting the interests of native inhabitants against those of immigrants, and anti-Semitism specifically denotes discrimination against Jewish people, they do not capture the broader category of intolerance that encompasses all religions.