Religious persecution in the Middle East and its effect on the UK

The takeover of large parts of the Levant by ISIS/Daesh in 2014 saw a surge in religious persecution, with Yazidis being particularly vulnerable. Discrimination and violence against people because of their faith (or lack of it) is nothing new in the region, however, although there is a particularly strong tendency for some cynical politicians to use identity politics to shore up their domestic legitimacy in these troubled times, and religious persecution has always had a strongly political element in the region.

Religious persecution is one of the causes of the present refugee crisis, with a record number of people displaced, according to the UNHCR, leading to asylum applications in the UK. The UK government says that it is fulfilling its obligations to give refuge to those who are victims of religious persecution in the region, and has policies in place to try to prevent the spread of radicalisation and religious intolerance in the UK.