Combating Religious Discrimination Today

The United States has long been religiously diverse - from the multiplicity of Christian sects and other faiths in its early days, to an incredibly rich diversity of faiths today. Throughout our history, religious dissenters and minorities have found protection in our laws and institutions, from Quaker conscientious objectors during the Civil War to Jehovah's Witnesses refusing to recite the pledge of allegiance in school during World War II, among many others. However, as with other foundational rights, our country has not always lived up to the promise of religious freedom and equal treatment for all. Roman Catholics and Mormons in the 19th century, Jews in the 19th and 20th centuries, and many others have experienced discrimination - and even at times persecution - throughout our history. In light of this, Congress has enacted a number of laws that prohibit religion-based discrimination. For example, several provisions of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 contain explicit protections for religion, including Title II (public accommodations), Title III (public facilities), Title IV (education), and Title VII (employment). Likewise, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 forbids discrimination based on religion. More recent statutes include the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which prohibits local governments from adopting or enforcing land use regulations that discriminate against religious assemblies and institutions, or which unjustifiably burden religious exercise. This law also protects the religious exercise of persons confined to certain institutions. There are also a number of Federal statutes that criminalize acts of violence based on religion or directed towards houses of worship, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. These federal laws have been, and continue to be, enforced by a range of Federal agencies.