“The religious other as a threat”

Religious persecution expressing xenophobia – a global survey of Christian-Muslim convivience

Abstract

This article examines xenophobia as a significant factor in religious persecution in contexts where Christians and Muslims live together, because “the religious other” is often perceived as a threat, resulting in restriction of religious freedom and social discrimination. The article explores a deeper understanding of the interplay between religion, xenophobia and religious persecution by examining the relevant data in the most extensive scholarly surveys on religious freedom/ persecution in the world and draws on a new hermeneutical model of understanding the stranger.