What is sectarianism?

There are different types of sectarianism, for example, political and religious sectarianism. This resource is concerned with religious sectarianism.

Sectarianism (religious)
A narrow-minded following of a particular belief by members of a denomination that leads to prejudice, bigotry, discrimination, malice and ill-will towards members, or presumed members, of another denomination.Sectarianism can occur in different ways, either at an individual, group, cultural or institutional level.

A denomination is a division or grouping within a faith. For example, Protestants and Catholics within Christianity, Sunni and Shia within Islam, and Orthodox and Reform within Judaism. Denominations within one faith share the same basic (fundamental) elements of the faith but they have differing practices or differing interpretations of specific elements of the faith.

Sectarianism in Scotland is often related to Protestant/Catholic divisions. In tackling sectarianism, it is helpful to understand that sectarianism occurs within other faiths as well as Christianity and is a feature of religious intolerance. (See the section on Sectarianism and religious intolerance later in this section).

Forms of sectarianism

Sectarianism can appear in several, often inter-related forms, e.g. personal, cultural, institutional and structural.

In a report to the General Assembly in 2002, The Demon in Our Society: sectarianism in Scotland, the Church of Scotland provided food for thought when they wrote:

Sectarianism in Scotland today

is seen and heard in the small asides which say little and reveal much
is most publicly evident in behaviour associated with football matches but is by no means confined to this
is, thanks to legislation and changing patterns in society, less blatant than before in employment and recruitment practices but continues to generate claims of prejudice in the work situation
is still, in its most extreme form, ugly, intimidating and murderous
is still very much in the public eye, generating extensive media coverage and comments
is capable of demonstrating itself throughout Scotland. It is not limited to cities and urban communities
is pervasive and will continue to be so unless we are willing to search our own consciences and to review our own language, attitudes and actions

Sectarianism is not someone else's problem. It is an issue for all of us.

This resource is based on the recognition that in Scotland, people of all faiths and no faith may have perspectives that promote religious intolerance and, simultaneously, those who follow religious beliefs and practices or who have no faith may suffer discrimination because of their faith or beliefs. Religious intolerance, or acts of religious intolerance, can be carried out by any group or individual regardless of whether or not they themselves hold any religious beliefs.

This resource is anchored within a framework of human rights, social justice and anti-discrimination. The emphasis of this resource is placed on offering opportunities to understand better the nature of sectarianism and its influence and effects. Information is more accessible in some fields than in others and it has been necessary to use what is available rather than conducting further research.

The material also attempts to acknowledge that, in the population as a whole, and within categories and groups of people, there are likely to be differences concerning what is and what is not secular or religious. It is also recognized that many factors and characteristics, apart from (non-) religious belief and perspectives, contribute to our identities, our outlooks and our behaviour as both individuals and groups.

Sectarian Violence

Whilst sectarianism often takes the form of name-calling, jokes or other forms of verbal abuse or discrimination, it can also take the form of physical violence. There is little information in Scotland at present about the exact number of incidents of sectarian violence. This should change due to the provisions in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 which require all crimes which are alleged to have been motivated by religious prejudice to be noted by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland.

The number of instances of sectarian murders in Scotland is a topic of some controversy. Some regard much of the alleged sectarian violence as being caused by other factors such as drunkeness or hooliganism rather than sectarian hatred. A variety of figures, mostly between 6-11 in the past ten years have been suggested by a range of academics. (see Bruce et al 2004 pp. 133-140 for discussion on sectarian murders).

One sectarian murder or other violent incident is one too many: the priority is to prevent any more. The provision in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 sends out a strong message that crimes motivated by sectarianism and religious intolerance are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Relying on legislation alone to stop sectarianism and religious intolerance is not sufficient. A change in culture is necessary if significant change is to occur. This will require attitudes to be challenged, publicly where necessary and will require all sections of the Scottish community to be vigilant and mindful of the possibilities of sectarianism and religious intolerance. The use of language is very important and words which are sectarian and discriminatory need to be challenged. This is why this resource is called Don't Give It, Don't Take It. It will also require every person, organisation and institution in Scotland to examine their own views and actions to ensure that they are not contributing to sectarianism or religious intolerance.

Sectarianism and religious intolerance

For many people in Scotland, the term sectarianism is used to refer to Protestant and Catholic differences, particularly in the west of Scotland. Some recognise that sectarianism occurs in other religions too, e.g. among Sunni and Shia adherents within Islam. Others use the term sectarianism to refer to differences between religions, e.g. in relation to Islam and Hinduism.

In this resource, the term sectarianism is used to refer to narrow-mindedness or bigotry between denominations within the same religion, that is, intra-faith intolerance or conflict.

This resource defines prejudices between members of different religions (inter faith intolerance or bigotry) or prejudices by people of no faith towards those with faith, or vice versa, as religious intolerance. Sectarianism and religious intolerance are therefore distinct but interrelated.

While the resource uses the above definitions these are not regarded as final or conclusive. In this controversial and complex area usage changes and develops in the light of new circumstances and understandings.

Religious intolerance

Religious intolerance can be defined as 'treating someone negatively because of their faith'. It can take different forms:

Intolerance by members within one denomination of a faith towards the members of another denomination within the same faith (sectarianism).
Intolerance by members of one faith towards the members of another faith.
Intolerance by those who subscribe to a faith or belief by those who do not.
Intolerance of secular traditions by those within faith and belief communities.

Countering sectarianism and religious intolerance requires all the above forms of religious intolerance to be recognised and challenged.