New laws proposed to combat religious discrimination

New laws to combat discrimination on the grounds of religion will be introduced by the government, the Prime Minister has announced.

It is hoped that the measures will help put an end to religious discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services and premises.

The measures will close a loophole that currently means that while people are protected against discrimination on the basis of colour, race, nationality or national or ethnic origin, they are not protected against discrimination on the basis of religion.

The measures will address an "imbalance" which has emerged from case law where Jews and Sikhs are afforded protection while members of other religions are not.

Home Secretary, David Blunkett, said: "Faith plays a vital role in people's lives - even for those who are not overtly religious. It is a strength of our society that peoples of many faiths respect each other and are able to flourish and play a valuable role in our communities. We need to protect that strength against discrimination and intolerance.

"While some religious groups may be afforded a higher degree of protection from discrimination because they can also be defined by ethnic origin, this is not true for others. These measures will ensure fair and equal protection for all faiths."

The provisions would ban direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, and victimisation where someone is treated less favourably than others.

Faith-based schools and charities would be exempt under the provisions.

(gmcg/mb)