Sectarianism - a Scottish issue?

Sectarianism has been described as Scotland's shame. Sectarianism in Scotland was first called 'Scotland's shame' by James MacMillan in a lecture he gave at the Edinburgh International Festival in august 1999. Since then, Tom Devine has published a book called Scotland's Shame (2000) which is a collection of essays on bigotry and sectarianism in modern Scotland.

Many people believe that sectarianism is only a problem in the west of Scotland and that it is confined to Catholic and Protestant rivalries. Whilst this is perhaps the most visible form of sectarianism in Scotland, sectarianism and religious intolerance manifest themselves across Scotland. For example, the sectarian chants or name-calling often heard during football matches occur in stadiums throughout Scotland, not just those on the West or Central Belt. The fire-bombing of a mosque in Edinburgh in 2001 and the smashing of the windows of Langside Hebrew Congregation in Glasgow in 2002 are forms of religious intolerance in Scotland unrelated to football.

Global events also impact on the local nature and pattern of sectarianism and religious intolerance. The attacks on the Twin Towers in New York on 11 September 2001, the war in Iraq since 2003, the Israeli-Palestinian struggle and the nature of some media coverage has raised tensions and increased religious intolerance and bigotry. This intolerance has shown itself not just through targeted attacks, particularly on Islamic places of worship but also on Asian shopkeepers and women in Muslim dress who have been subjected to a greater level of racial and sectarian abuse. The Commission for British Muslims and Islamophobia published a report in June 2004 Islamophobia: issues, challenges and action. outlining the scale of issues in Britain.

While those who live outwith the Central Belt might assert that sectarianism of the Catholic and Protestant variety is rare, even unknown in their areas, (Styles 2000) the focus groups of young people involved in this project indicated that issues of religious intolerance, whether Islamophobia or secular intolerance of religious groups, exist.

A main focus of the next update of this resource will examine issues of sectarianism in other faiths as well as exploring Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism in the Scottish context.

What needs to be acknowledged is that the history of sectarianism in areas outwith the Central Belt, particularly in the North-east and Highlands is different. These areas were affected differently by the Reformation of the sixteenth century and by the immigration which followed the great famine in Ireland. However, by the nineteenth century, the Highlands had become deeply affected by sectarianism, largely between denominations of the Free Church. Therefore, it would be erroneous to conclude that sectarianism is solely an issue for people in the West of Scotland. It takes a variety of forms, which may be linked to location or territory, but is fundamentally related to how members of religious denominations conduct their interrelationships.

As can be seen from the census data people of many different religions and beliefs are distributed throughout Scotland, thus there is the potential for sectarianism and religious intolerance to occur anywhere. Furthermore, just as it is important for everyone in Scotland to be aware of racism and the need to challenge it, it is equally important for everyone in Scotland to tackle the abuses which arise from sectarianism and religious intolerance. With national and international job mobility, there is an increasing need for all of us to become more comfortable with multifaith/belief issues. Anti-sectarian education, which is what this website is about will help to raise awareness about forms of sectarianism and religious intolerance and provide ideas on how to challenge such prejudices and discrimination.

It is important not to confuse anti-sectarian education and the existence of sectarianism. Anti-sectarian education is part of good educational practice. Anti-sectarian education should form part of the way education is delivered, regardless of the diversity of faiths/beliefs in an area or whether there is evidence of sectarian discrimination, harassment or violence.

Too often it is only the obvious forms of sectarianism such as verbal abuse, chants and physical attacks that are reported in the media. The absence of such open and abusive behaviour leads many people to assume that sectarianism or religious intolerance does not exist or is not an issue in their area.

The Scottish Government have made a clear commitment to tackling religious intolerance. They state clearly that religious intolerance of any form is not acceptable in a confident, modern, multifaith and multicultural Scotland.

The Church of Scotland signified the seriousness of its role in eliminating sectarianism by initiating the setting up of the Cross-Party Working Group on Religious Hatred along with the Roman Catholic Justice and Peace Commission.

In December 2002, the then First Minister, Jack McConnell, launched the report of the Cross-Party Working Group on Religious Hatred, This report made twelve recommendations for tackling religious intolerance in Scotland.

The full report can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/society/trhr.pdf

In May 2003, 'Partnership for a Better Scotland' was published. It records the commitment made by the Government to tackling sectarianism and to implementing the recommendations of the Working Group. An update to this commitment was published in July 2004, Update on the Recommendations of the Cross-Party Working Group on Religious Hatred .