Religion & Belief

Last updated 29 Jul 2010

Where might you face discrimination based on religion or belief online?

There are many sites which discriminate based on religion, often declaring slanderous comments, with derogatory pictures or other offensive material.  Newspaper comments, social networking site groups and other interactive engagement points on the Internet are home many of the most offensive materials.

Risks

Extremist websites

The Internet has provided a space for far greater freedom of expression and voice, which has resulted in new, exciting possibilities.  There are several downsides, however, including the rise in extremist websites, proporting potentially dangerous views and attempting to recruit new members.

If you see a website and you feel the content may be unsuitable or potentially illegal, you can report it to the Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk

Cyberbullying

Leading bullying charities site religion as a reason given for bullying.  Cyberbullying is the use of the Internet or other mobile technologies in order to bully another individual.  Bullying can be mean text messages, uploading pictures without permission, hurtful comments on social networking profiles or many other things.

If you have ever experienced any form of cyberbullying, you can talk to Cyber Mentors at www.cybermentors.org.uk for impartial, non-judgemental advice and information from other young people.

Positive Aspects

Finding out about religion

Although there is the danger of extremist websites, the accessibility of information about religion is certainly a big advantage of the Internet.  You should, however, be careful to only view trustworthy sites.

Here are some tips to test the authenticity of a website:

  • Look for web pages which you know are published by organisations which have a good reputation offline as well as online for providing correct information.
  • Cross check for information – Search the web for to see if there if there are any other sources of information to support what you have read.
  • Be aware of any biases the author of the web page – ask yourself if there are any reasons why they may want to publish something in a particular way or if they have anything to gain from this

Safety Tips

If you see any racist sites or content on the Internet, go to the The Internet Watch Foundation: www.iwf.org.uk/  They are tasked with dealing with reports on UK hosted Internet content which users believe stirs up such hatred.

If you experience any form of hate crime on the Internet, report it to your local police or: www.reporthatecrime.co.uk.

Online child abuse/sexual abuse/obscene images can be reported to: CEOP: www.ceop.gov.uk.