Religious Inequalities and Human Rights: Implications for International Development

This article explores the impact of inequalities linked to religious identity on development strategies and outcomes. Religious prejudice and differential treatment among communities affect development practice and outcomes, undermining social harmony and cohesion and deflecting development strategies. Development actors, however, often fail to take these issues fully into account. Unequal treatments range from discriminatory exclusion and persecution to preferential treatment, creating or accentuating inequalities among communities. Human rights violations are often involved. By various measures, problematic situations are increasing across countries, sparking social tensions that can undermine social compacts. Assessments of inequality and policies to address inequality should take more clearly into account religious identities and communities.