See
Religion or belief discrimination is when you are treated differently because of your religion or belief, or lack of religion or belief.
Research by Sport England shows that people who state they have no religion are more likely to be physically active compared to those that belong to a faith group.
Religion and belief can affect people’s participation in sport. For instance, Jewish athletes can't play a game on a Saturday and Muslim athletes may be prohibited from mixing with the opposite gender, including staff or spectators and sports kit often pose problems for religious athletes.
Religious beliefs often have different restrictions in place:
- Clothing restrictions
- Days of worship
- Religious festivals and holidays
- Periods of fasting
- Interactions between different sexes
Report
The Metropolitan Police define Hate crime as 'Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.'
A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.
Reporting a crime can be powerful in bringing about long-lasting change. It could stop it from happening again and send a strong message that hate won’t be tolerated. It can also help authorities in understanding the real picture of hate crime, enabling them to put the correct measures in place in the future.
If you witness a hate crime/incident or are the victim of one then you can report it to the police using the below:
Police
Emergencies: 999
Non-emergencies: 101
Trains: Text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40.
Online: www.report-it.org.uk
Crime Stoppers
Call 0800 555111 or go to www.crimestoppers-uk.org
Support
The easiest way to make people feel supported after they have been the victim of hate crimes or incidents is to make it clear that you believe them and that the incident isn’t their fault.
For more information on religion and belief in sport go to the Inter Faith Network: https://www.interfaith.org.uk/
Other examples of how you can support people who have been victims of hate crime based on their religion or belief are :
- Ensure that we are not promoting a one size fits all stereotype
- Work in partnership with a variety of organisations who understand the different religious communities in your area
- Use campaigns such as This Girl Can to get faith groups more involved in sport
- Use the uniting the movement strategy