View source for List of religious slurs

{{Short description|None}}
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{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
The following is a '''list of religious slurs''' or '''religious insults''' in the English language that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about adherents or non-believers of a given [[religion]] or [[irreligion]], or to refer to them in a derogatory (critical or disrespectful), [[pejorative]] (disapproving or contemptuous), or insulting manner.

==Christians==

===Non-denominational===
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!width=100|Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Bible beater, [[wikt:Bible basher|Bible basher]] 
|[[North America]]
|Evangelicals of [[Baptist]], [[Methodist]] and [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] denominations 
|A [[dysphemism]] for evangelical Christians who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, particularly those from Baptist, Methodist and Pentecostal denominations.<ref name="Oxford-University-Press-US-2009">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FwmQpyibKkAC&pg=PA286 |title=Garner's Modern American Usage |date=2009 |publisher=Oxford University Press, US |isbn=978-0199888771 |edition=3rd |location=Oxford |page=286 |access-date=12 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212065832/https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=FwmQpyibKkAC&pg=PA286 |archive-date=12 February 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also a slang term for an evangelising Christian. Commonly used universally against Christians who are perceived to go out of their way to energetically preach their faith to others.
|<ref name="Oxford-University-Press-US-2009" /><ref>{{cite book|last1=Eble|first1=Connie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0mSJYH9KC-UC&pg=PA157|title=Slang & sociability in-group language among college students|date=1996|publisher=University of North Carolina Press|isbn=978-1469610573|location=Chapel Hill|page=157|access-date=12 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212065825/https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=0mSJYH9KC-UC&pg=PA157|archive-date=12 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Dalzell|first=Tom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7UIjVGcSe8MC&q=%22bible+thumper%22+etymology&pg=PA51|title=The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|publisher=Routledge|year=2007|isbn=9780203962114|location=London|page=51}}</ref>
|-
||Bible thumper
|[[United States]]
|[[Christians|Christian]] people
|Someone perceived as aggressively imposing their [[Christian beliefs]] upon others. The term derives from preachers thumping their hands down on the [[Bible]], or thumping the Bible itself, to emphasize a point during a [[sermon]]. The term's target domain is broad and can often extend to anyone engaged in a public show of religion, fundamentalist or not. The term is frequently used in English-speaking countries.
|<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gilbert|first=Robert E.|date=1 October 2008|title=Ronald Reagan's Presidency: The Impact of an Alcoholic Parent|journal=Political Psychology|volume=29|issue=5|pages=737–765|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00662.x}}</ref>
|-
|[[Cafeteria Christianity|Cafeteria Christian]]
|[[United States]]
|Selection of Christian doctrines
|Used by some [[Christianity|Christians]], and others, to accuse other Christian individuals or [[Christian denominations|denominations]] of selecting which [[Christian doctrine]]s they will follow, and which they will not.
|<ref>{{cite journal|last=Odermann|first=Valerian|date=February 2002|title=Pass it on: Encouraging the heart|url=http://www.osb.org/aba/news/3201/indexa.html|url-status=dead|journal=The American Monastic Newsletter|volume=32|issue=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207202947/http://www.osb.org/aba/news/3201/indexa.html|archive-date=7 February 2012|access-date=14 November 2018|quote=Yet a danger does still remain. It is the danger of "cafeteria Christianity," which lets people mix and match traditions any way they want, without discipline and without accountability. Unless we transcend cafeteria Christianity, our practices will be more [[sarabaite]] or [[Gyrovagues#Legacy|gyrovague]] than [[Benedictine]].}}<br />- {{cite news|date=29 March 2005|title=Archbishop calls on Costa Ricans to abandon "cafeteria Christianity" and defend life|publisher=Catholic News Agency|location=San Jose|url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/3473/archbishop-calls-on-costa-ricans-to-abandon-cafeteria-christianity-and-defend-life|quote=Archbishop Hugo Barrantes Urena of San Jose, Costa Rica, told Costa Ricans in his Easter message to embrace the faith without conditions or short-cuts and to defend the life of the unborn against efforts to legalize abortion. The archbishop warned that “based on a relativistic understanding of the Christian faith and a conditional adherence to the Church, some Catholics seek to construct a Christianity and, consequently, a Church to their own liking, unilateral and outside the identity and mission that Jesus Christ has fundamentally given us.”}}</ref>
|-
|[[Chuhra]] 
|[[Punjab region|Punjab]]
|Christians
|Derived from the [[Chuhra]] caste, a [[Dalit]] community whose traditional occupation was sweeping and cleaning. Most Christians in Punjab, along with many in [[Uttar Pradesh]], are from the Chuhra and [[Chamar]] communities. The term has been used in an abusive manner to refer to Dalits in the Indian subcontinent and in Pakistan specifically, it has been applied to Christians of Dalit ancestry. In India, the terms "Chuhra" and "Chamar" are used abusively as well towards those of Dalit ancestry, though without reference to any specific religious community.
|<ref name="Leslie2017">{{cite book |last1=Leslie |first1=Julia |title=Authority and Meaning in Indian Religions: Hinduism and the Case of Valmiki |date=22 November 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-77299-0 |page=69 |language=English |quote=As a result, whatever their chosen religion, Panjabi ''dalits'' are invariably defined by caste: either they are grouped together as 'untouchable' (or by a similarly demeaning label, such as 'Chuhra-Chamar') or they are marginalized as a sub-category of the religious tradition in question, such as 'Achut' ('untouchable') Hindu or 'Mazhabi' Sikh.}}</ref><ref name="Kaur2004">{{cite web |last1=Kaur |first1=Naunidhi |title=Social boycotts, segregation|url=https://frontline.thehindu.com/cover-story/article30222602.ece |publisher=[[Frontline (magazine)|Frontline]] |access-date=1 October 2020 |language=English |date=21 May 2004 |quote=The term chuhra-chamar (scavenger and tanner) is freely employed by landlords belonging to the Jat community to refer to Dalits.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Khalid |first1=Haroon |title=The language curse: How proud community names have been reduced to insults in Pakistan |url=https://scroll.in/article/817821/the-language-curse-how-proud-community-names-have-been-reduced-to-insults |website=scroll.in |date=2 October 2016 |access-date=28 September 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chaudhry |first1=Kamran |title=Pakistani politician draws censure for Christian slur |url=https://www.ucanews.com/news/pakistani-politician-draws-censure-for-christian-slur/82356 |website=UCA News |access-date=28 September 2021}}</ref>
|-
|[[Fundie]] 
|[[United States]]
|[[Christian fundamentalism|Christian fundamentalists]]
|Shortening of ''[[fundamentalist]]''. Usually used to mean a Christian fundamentalist.
|<ref>{{cite book|author=Shuy, Roger W.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n35_7HAYRWEC&pg=PA81|title=The Language of Defamation Cases|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=9780199742318|pages=81|author-link=Roger Shuy}}</ref>
|-
|[[wikt:God botherer|God botherer]]
|[[Australia]]
|Christian people
|Similar to [[wikt:Bible basher|Bible basher]], a person who is very vocal about their religion and prayer.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/god-botherer/|title=GOD-BOTHERER definition and meaning &#124; Collins English Dictionary}}</ref>
|-
|Isai
|[[Pakistan]]
|Christian people
|From ''Isa Masih'', a name of Jesus Christ in the Hindi-language Bible.<ref name="HinKhoj2024">{{cite web |title=ईसा मसीह (Isa Masih) meaning in English |url=https://dict.hinkhoj.com/%E0%A4%88%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%B8%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%B9-meaning-in-english.words#google_vignette |publisher=HinKhoj |access-date=20 November 2024 |language=English}}</ref> The term literally means '[person/people] of Jesus' in [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], but in the latter country, Isai has been pejoratively used by non-Christians to refer to 'street sweepers' or 'labourers', occupations that have been held by Christian workers of Dalit ancestry.<ref>[https://www.worldwatchmonitor.org/2015/11/pakistan-ngo-tackles-demeaning-low-caste-word-for-christians/ Pakistan NGO tackles demeaning low-caste word for 'Christians'], World Watch Monitor</ref> In neighboring India, the term ''Isai'' simply refers to Christians and has no negative connotations; in northern India, Christians use the term ''Isai'' to refer to themselves.<ref name="John2020">{{cite book |last1=John |first1=Vinod |title=Believing Without Belonging?: Religious Beliefs and Social Belonging of Hindu Devotees of Christ |date=19 November 2020 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-5326-9722-7 |page=111 |language=en |quote=“Isai” is the most common form of address for Christians throughout northern India.}}</ref>
|-
|[[Rice Christian]], Rice bag
|[[United Kingdom]], [[India]]
|Materially benefiting Christians
In India: Christians (especially lower caste converts)
|Someone who has formally declared themself a Christian for material benefits rather than for religious reasons. In India, the term has been extended to refer to any Christian convert.
|<ref>{{cite web|year=1898|title=Rice Christians.|url=http://www.bartleby.com/81/14282.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116085412/https://www.bartleby.com/81/14282.html|archive-date=16 November 2018|access-date=17 April 2007|publisher=[[Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable]]}}</ref><ref>[https://www.shethepeople.tv/home-top-video/the-term-rice-bag-christians-india-derogatory-way-to-curb-dissent/ The Term “rice bag” is a Derogatory way to Curb Dissent], SheThePeople TV</ref>
|}

===Protestants===
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|[[Campbellite]]
|[[United States]]
|Followers of [[Church of Christ]]
|Followers of the Church of Christ, from American Restoration Movement leaders Thomas Campbell and Alexander Campbell, the latter being one of two key people considered the founders of the movement.
|<ref>The ''Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary'' describes the term as "sometimes offensive".  Merriam-Webster, I. (2003). Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. (Eleventh ed.). Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.  Entry on "''Cambellite''."</ref>
|-
|[[Holy Roller]] 
|[[United States]]
|Methodists of the [[Holiness Movement]], [[Holiness Pentecostalism|Holiness Pentecostals]] 
|Named after [[church service]]s involving spontaneous acts of worship, such as sobbing, wailing, groaning, and kneeling.
|<ref name="Synan1997">{{cite book |last1=Synan |first1=Vinson |title=The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century |date=25 August 1997 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-4103-2 |page=9 |language=en |quote=At times the emotions of the sanctified Methodists would exceed the limits of control. "Some would be seized with a trembling, and in a few moments drop on the floor as if they were dead; while others were embracing each other with streaming eyes, and all were lose in wonder, love and praise," wrote one observer. Another noted that some wept for grief while others shouted for joy "so that it was hard to distinguish one from the other." At times the congregations would "raise a great shout" that could be heard for miles around.}}</ref><ref name="Snyder2006">{{cite book|last=Snyder|first=C. Albert|title=Spiritual Journey|date=1 May 2006|isbn=9781600340161|page=69|publisher=Xulon Press |quote=Holiness means different things to different people. Our church, the Free Methodist, is a "holiness" church. One doctor said to me: "Free Methodists? I know about them; they are holy rollers. They used to have camp meetings near where I grew up."}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Definition of HOLY ROLLER |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Holy%20Roller |website=Merriam Webster |access-date=19 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Hun
|United Kingdom, Ireland
|Christian [[Protestantism|Protestants]], especially [[Glasgow Rangers]] supporters
|Used by [[Irish republicans]] against Protestant [[Irish Unionism|unionists]], especially by [[Glasgow Celtic]] supporters against those of Glasgow Rangers
|<ref>{{cite book |last1= Flint |first1= John |last2= Kelly |first2= John |date= 2013 |title= Bigotry, Football and Scotland |location= [[Edinburgh]] |publisher= [[Edinburgh University]] Press Ltd |page= 204 |isbn= 978-0-7486-7037-6}}</ref><ref name="Hughes-2017"/>
|-
|Jaffa
|[[United Kingdom]]
|Christian Protestants
|Named after a common [[Jaffa Cakes|orange-flavoured cake/biscuit]] in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[United Kingdom|UK]].
|<ref name="Hughes-2017">{{Cite web|last=Hughes|first=Brendan|date=18 April 2017|title='Sponger' is slang for Catholic, says PSNI language guide|url=https://www.irishnews.com/news/2017/04/18/news/-sponger-is-slang-for-catholic-says-psni-inappropriate-language-guide-999491/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212201749/http://www.irishnews.com/news/2017/04/18/news/-sponger-is-slang-for-catholic-says-psni-inappropriate-language-guide-999491/|archive-date=12 December 2017|access-date=11 April 2019|website=The Irish News}}</ref>
|-
|Prod, Proddy
|[[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]]
|Christian Protestants
|Particularly used by bullies to disparage a child who attends a Protestant school. ''{{Not a typo|Proddywhoddy}}'' and ''{{Not a typo|proddywoddy}}'' are used in children's school rhymes in [[Cork (city)|Cork]].
|<ref>Share, Bernard (2005), p. 253.</ref><ref name="Hughes-2017"/>
|-
|Orangie
|Ireland
|[[Ulster Protestants]]
|Referring to the [[Orange Order]]
|<ref name="Hughes-2017"/>
|-
|Russellite
|[[United States]]
|[[Jehovah's Witnesses]]
|Jehovah's Witnesses, from American religious leader [[Charles Taze Russell]].
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Russellite - Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias|url=http://universalium.academic.ru/189605/Russellite|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212202854/http://universalium.academic.ru/189605/Russellite|archive-date=12 February 2015|access-date=12 February 2015|website=enacademic.com|quote=Russellite /rus"euh luyt'/, n. Offensive. a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses. [1875-80, Amer.; after C. T. Russell; see -ITE1]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=russellite - Useful English Dictionary|url=http://useful_english.enacademic.com/280160/russellite|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212201313/http://useful_english.enacademic.com/280160/russellite|archive-date=12 February 2015|access-date=12 February 2015|website=enacademic.com|quote=russellite ˈrəsəˌlīt noun (-s) Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Charles Taze Russell died 1916 American religious leader + English -ite : one of the Jehovah's Witnesses — often taken to be offensive}}</ref>
|-
|Shaker
|[[United States]]
|Christian people
|Member of the [[United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing]]. Originated as "Shaking Quakers", in reference to their similarity to [[Quakers]] as well as their charismatic worship practices, which involved dancing, shouting, and [[speaking in tongues]]. The term was originally derogatory, but very early on was embraced and used by the Shakers themselves.
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Shaker Farms Country Club - Westfield, MA|url=http://www.shakerfarmscc.com/history.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012093305/http://www.shakerfarmscc.com/history.htm|archive-date=12 October 2016|access-date=28 April 2016|website=www.shakerfarmscc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Paterwic|first=Stephen J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQhY03JJvTAC|title=Historical Dictionary of the Shakers|date=11 August 2008|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810862555|language=en|access-date=28 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501211014/https://books.google.com/books?id=oQhY03JJvTAC|archive-date=1 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=4 April 2012|title="Let us labor": The Evolution of Shaker Dance|url=http://shakerheritage.org/archives/let-us-labor-the-evolution-of-shaker-dance|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923151736/http://shakerheritage.org/archives/let-us-labor-the-evolution-of-shaker-dance|archive-date=23 September 2016|access-date=28 April 2016|website=Shaker Heritage Society}}</ref>
|-
|Shouting Methodists
|[[United States]], [[United Kingdom]]
|Methodists 
|Member of a [[Methodist]] denomination, in reference to their free expression and enthusiasm during worship, particularly during [[revival meeting|revival services]] and [[camp meetings]].
|<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Lillian C. |last2=Beasley |first2=Erin |last3=Coleman |first3=Justin |last4=Caldwell-Gross |first4=Jevon |last5=Lightsey |first5=Pamela R. |last6=Johnson |first6=F. Willis |last7=Ross |first7=Vance P. |last8=Graves |first8=Rodney Lorenzo |last9=Butler |first9=Tori C. |last10=Rasmus |first10=Rev Rudy |title=I'm Black. I'm Christian. I'm Methodist. |date=3 November 2020 |publisher=Abingdon Press |isbn=978-1-7910-1710-1 |language=en |quote=In the 1800s, Methodists were derided with the label "Shouting Methodists". }}</ref><ref name="Hudson">{{cite web |last1=Hudson |first1=Winthrop S. |url=http://alaskandreams.net/ekklesia/Shouting%20Methodists.htm|title=Shouting Methodists |publisher=Alaskan Dreams |access-date=28 July 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Soup-taker
|[[Ireland]]
|Christian who has sold out their beliefs
|Person who has sold out their beliefs, referring to the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine of Ireland]] when some Catholics converted to a Protestant faith in order to gain access to a free meal.
|<ref>Hughes,  "Ireland"  p. 78</ref>
|-
|[[Wee Free|Wee-Free]]
|[[Scotland]]
|[[Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900)|Free Church of Scotland]] 
|Following the [[disruption of 1843]], Free Kirkers were sometimes taunted with the epithet of "Wee Frees" because they were smaller ("wee") than the original [[Church of Scotland]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-24 |title=Why are Free Church of Scotland members called 'Wee Frees'? |url=https://www.thenational.scot/politics/23345051.wee-frees-free-church-scotland-members-called/ |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref>
|
|}

===Catholics===
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!width=200|Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Left-footer
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Roman Catholics]]
|An informal phrase for a Roman Catholic, particularly in the armed forces. Derived from a belief that Irish laborers kick their shovels into the ground with their left foot.
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Left-footer definition and meaning - Collins English Dictionary|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/left-footer|url-status= live|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170924045825/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/left-footer|archive-date=24 September 2017|access-date=23 September 2017|website=www.collinsdictionary.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last= Partridge|first= Eric |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IAjyQdFwh4UC&q=%22left%20footer%22&pg=PA674|title= A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|date=2 May 2006|publisher= Routledge|isbn=9781134963652|pages=674|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|[[Fenian]]
|[[United Kingdom]]
|[[Irish Catholics]]
|A term originally referencing the [[Fenian Brotherhood]] and the [[Irish Republican Brotherhood]], organizations which supported a united Ireland. Today the term is used as a sectarian slur by [[Protestantism|Protestants]], especially in [[Northern Ireland]], [[Scotland]] and [[Australia]].
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=11 November 2011|title=Socialist Worker page|url= http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/archive/1705/sw170512.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111111115440/http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/archive/1705/sw170512.htm|archive-date=11 November 2011|access-date=12 September 2019}}</ref>
|-
|Mackerel&nbsp;snapper
|[[North America]]
|Roman Catholics
|The term originated in the U.S. in the 1850s and refers to the custom of Friday [[abstinence]].  The Friday abstinence from meat (red meat and poultry) distinguishes Catholics from other Christians, especially in [[North America]].
|<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=mAdUqLrKw4YC&dq=mackerel+snapper&pg=PA1250 The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140709032356/http://books.google.com/books?id=mAdUqLrKw4YC&pg=PA1250&lpg=PA1250&dq=mackerel+snapper&source=web&ots=t0K23OffuF&sig=6WZBMGGID2DB5IAOOwBwrXg2AJ4|date= 9 July 2014}} p. 1250 (2005 Taylor & Francis)</ref><ref>{{cite book|last= Morrow|first= Maria C.|title= Sin in the Sixties: Catholics and Confession, 1955-1975|date= 2016|publisher= [[Catholic University of America Press]]|isbn= 978-0-8132-2898-3|location= Washington DC|page= 182|chapter= To Eat Meat or Not?: Paenitemini, The NCCB's Pastoral Statement, and the Decline of Penance|quote=So finally abstinence from meat on Friday became just a kind of badge of the fact we were Catholics|access-date=4 August 2017 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R-WhDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT202}}</ref>
|-
|[[Mick]]
|[[United Kingdom]]
|Irish Catholics
|Usually an Irish Catholic (a reference to the common "Mc" patronymic of Irish surnames, or a [[hypocorism]] of "Michael").
|<ref>{{cite book|last1=Dalzell|first1=Tom|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0mcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA514|title=The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English|last2= Victor|first2= Terry|date= 2014|publisher= Routledge|isbn= 9781317625124|page=514|access-date=16 February 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150216042716/https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=h0mcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA514|archive-date=16 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Papist]]
|[[Northern Ireland]], [[North America]], [[U.K.]] in general
|Roman Catholic
|Usually Irish Catholic; online often used generically for any Catholic.<ref name="Simpson">Simpson, ''Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang'' "papist"; Share, Bernard (2005), p. 237.</ref>
|<ref name="Simpson" />
|-
|Red letter tribe
|[[North America]]
|Roman Catholics
|A name given to Catholics for their keeping so many holy days; marked in their almanacs with red-coloured letters.
|<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kersey|first1=John|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zFBgAAAAcAAJ&q=%22Red%20letter%20tribe%22&pg=PP219|title=A New English Dictionary|date= 1772|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Bead-rattler
| Anglophone countries; predominantly the United States, U.K., Canada, and Australia
|Roman Catholics
|Roman Catholic person, in reference to the Catholic ritual of praying with [[rosary beads]].
|<ref name="guardianbead">{{cite news |last1=Greenslade |first1=Roy |title=Scots paper runs full-page apology for an insult to 'bead-rattling' Catholics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2008/apr/22/scotspaperrunsfullpageapol |access-date=5 October 2024 |agency=The Guardian |date=22 April 2008}}</ref><ref name="thetimeshorne">{{cite news |last1=Horne |first1=Marc |title=Sectarian march organiser posted anti-Muslim slurs online |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/sectarian-march-organiser-anti-muslim-slurs-online-xxxlzmhww |access-date=5 October 2024 |agency=[[The Times]] |date=5 March 2024}}</ref><ref name="dalzell">{{cite dictionary|last1=Victor |first1=Terry |last2=Dalzell |first2=Tom |title=Bead rattler|dictionary=The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English |date=1 December 2007 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-203-96211-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=abYBCgAAQBAJ&dq=%22Bead+rattler%22&pg=PT765 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Redneck
|[[Ireland]]
|Roman Catholics
|Roman Catholic person, now considered archaic due to its association with the [[Redneck| better-known American term]].
|<ref>{{cite book|title= The Law Reports|publisher=Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for England and Wales|year= 1902|editor1-last= Pollock|editor1-first= Frederick|editor1-link= Sir Frederick Pollock, 3rd Baronet|series= 1902|language= en|chapter= Wise v Dunning 1901 KB 169|quote=At the meeting the appellant called Roman Catholics "rednecks," a name most insulting to them, and challenged them to get up.|editor2-last=Stone|editor2-first=Arthur Paul|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fs4-AQAAMAAJ&q=redneck&pg=PA169|others=Appleton, William (Reporter)}}</ref>
|-
|[[Romanism|Romanist]]
|Predominantly North America and the U.K.
|Roman Catholics
|Term used when [[anti-Catholicism]] was more common in the United States, as well as in Northern Ireland by [[Ulster Protestants]] 
|<ref>{{cite web |title=When did the term "Roman Catholic Church first come into being? |url= https://www.catholic.com/qa/when-did-the-term-roman-catholic-church-first-come-into-being |website= catholic.com |access-date= 30 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Rev Ian Paisley 1966 | website= [[YouTube]] | date= 22 May 2018 |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zlwLyZwnBg |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>
|-
|[[wikt:shaveling|Shaveling]]
|Unknown
|Roman Catholics
|Usually disparaging: a [[tonsure]]d clergyman, priest.
|<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Shaveling}}</ref>
|-
|[[Taig]]
|[[Northern Ireland]]
|Irish Catholics
|From {{Lang|ga|tadhg}}, perhaps [[Irish language|Irish]] for "Timothy".
|<ref>Simpson, "teague"</ref>
|}

=== Oriental Orthodox ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|[[Syriac Orthodox Church|Jacobite]]
|
|[[Syriac Orthodox]]
|The term is named after [[Jacob Baradeus]] who liberated the Oriental Orthodox from persecution in the mid-6th century. This title is rejected by the Syriac Orthodox as it assumes that the Church had been started by Jacob. 
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/general-history/|title=The Syriac Orthodox Church: A Brief Overview|website=syrianorthodoxchurch.org}}</ref>
|}

=== Assyrian Church of the East ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|[[Nestorian]]
|
|
[[Assyrian Church of the East]] and the [[Ancient Church of the East]]
|
The term associated with the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], or used to refer to its members, originates from a historical misinterpretation of the [[Antiochene school|Antiochene]] [[Dyophysitism|Dyophysite]] [[Christology]] of [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]]. According to [[Sebastian Brock]], a fellow of the [[British Academy]]: "The association between the Church of the East and Nestorius is of a very tenuous nature, and to continue to call that Church 'Nestorian' is, from a historical point of view, totally misleading and incorrect – quite apart from being highly offensive [...]".{{sfn|Brock|2006|p=14}} David Wilmshurst states that for centuries "the word 'Nestorian' was used both as a term of abuse by those who disapproved of the traditional East Syrian theology, as a term of pride by many of its defenders [...] and as a neutral and convenient descriptive term by others. Nowadays it is generally felt that the term carries a stigma".{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=4}} In 1994, the [[Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East]] marked the resolution of a dispute between those two Churches that had existed since the [[Council of Ephesus]]. They expressed their common understanding of doctrine concerning the divinity and humanity of Christ, and recognized the legitimacy and rightness of their respective descriptions of Mary as, on the Assyrian side, [[Christotokos|"the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour"]], and, on the Catholic side, as [[Theotokos|"the Mother of God"]] and also as "the Mother of Christ".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104205725/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html|url-status=dead|title=Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East|archive-date=4 January 2009|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref>
|<ref>{{cite journal |last=Brock |first=Sebastian P. |title=The 'Nestorian' Church: A Lamentable Misnomer |journal=Bulletin of the John Rylands Library |volume=78 |issue=3 |year=1996 |pages=23–35}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Wilmshurst |first=David |title=The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913 |series=Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium, Subsidia |volume=104; Subsidia 5 |publisher=Peeters Publishers |year=2000 |isbn=9789042908765 |pages=855}}</ref><ref name="auto"/>
|}

=== Latter Day Saint movement ===
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|[[Molly Mormon]]
|[[United States of America|United States]]
|[[Latter Day Saint movement|Latter Day Saint]]
|Term for the stereotype of a "perfect" female member of LDS Church.
|<ref>[[Lori G. Beaman]], "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/3712231 Molly Mormons, Mormon Feminists and Moderates: Religious Diversity and the Latter Day Saints Church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923011253/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3712231|date=23 September 2018}}" "Sociology of Religion", Vol. 62, No. 1 (Spring 2001), pp. 65–86</ref>
|-
|[[Peter Priesthood]]
|[[United States of America|United States]]
|Latter Day Saint
|Term for the stereotype of a "perfect" male member of LDS Church.
|<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.shunn.net/speak/p.html#pp |title= William Shunn Writer |last= Shunn |first= William |website= www.shunn.net |accessdate= 24 April 2023}}</ref>
|-
|Jack Mormon
|[[United States of America|United States]]
|Latter Day Saint
|A non-faithful LDS person or a non-Mormon altogether. ''Jack Mormon'' is usually used by non-Mormons to describe Mormons that do not follow the [[Word of Wisdom]] (dietary and health practices that exclude the use of tobacco or alcohol) and by Mormons to describe members that do not sufficiently follow practices. It is also used by Mormons to describe those who were Mormon but remain friendly to the church. It may be applied to ex-Mormons who have repudiated the church and its teachings but that is a rare usage.
|<ref>Spears (2001), "Jack"</ref>
|}


==Jews==
{{For|the word "Jew" as a perceived or actual slur|Jew (word)#Perception of offensiveness}}
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Abbie, Abie
|[[North America]]
|[[Jews|Jewish]] male
|A [[Jewish]] male. From the proper name [[Abraham]]. Originated before the 1950s.<ref name="Spears">Spears, p. 1.</ref>
|<ref name="Spears" />
|-
|Christ-killer
|
|[[Jews]]
|In reference to [[Jewish deicide]].
|<ref>{{cite book |last1=Martin |first1=Joel |editor1-last=Prentiss |editor1-first=Craig R. |chapter=Almost White: The Ambivalent Promise of Christian Missions among the Cherokees |title=Religion and the Creation of Race and Ethnicity: An Introduction |date=June 2003 |page=90 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9q8UCgAAQBAJ&dq=Christ-killer&pg=PA90 |publisher=NYU Press |isbn=9780814767016 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Feuj ([[verlan]] for {{Lang|fr|juif}})
|[[France]]
|Jews
|A corruption of the French word for Jewish, {{Lang|fr|juif}}. Originating from the French [[argot]] [[Verlan]].
|<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wieviorka|first=Michel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ivOvCQAAQBAJ&pg=PR15|title=The Lure of Anti-Semitism: Hatred of Jews in Present-Day France|date=1 October 2007|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-474-2183-2|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Heeb, Hebe
|[[United States]]
|Jews
|Derived from the word [[Hebrews|''Hebrew'']].
|<ref>{{cite web|last=Madresh|first=Marjorie|date=28 May 2004|title=Founder of 'Hip to be Heeb' magazine speaks to students|url=http://media.www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2004/05/28/News/Founder.Of.hip.To.Be.Heeb.Magazine.Speaks.To.Students-683529.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208185413/http://media.www.thetriangle.org/media/storage/paper689/news/2004/05/28/News/Founder.Of.hip.To.Be.Heeb.Magazine.Speaks.To.Students-683529.shtml|archive-date=8 December 2010|access-date=14 February 2007|publisher=The Triangle Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Hebe}}</ref>
|-
|Hymie
|[[United States]]
|Jews
|Derived from the Hebrew ''[[Haim|Chaim]]'' ('life'). Also used in the term [[Hymietown]], a nickname for [[Brooklyn, New York]], and as [[Hymie (disambiguation)|a first name]]. 
|<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060909065402/http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/hymie.htm Hymie], Eric Wolarsky, ''Rhetoric of Race Dictionary Project'', [[The College of New Jersey|College of New Jersey]]. Retrieved 6 November 2007.</ref>
|-
|Ikey, Ike
|[[United States]]
|Jews
|Derived from ''Isaac'', an important figure in [[Judaism]] and common Hebrew given name. 
|<ref name="Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang">[[John Simpson (lexicographer)|John A. Simpson]], ''Oxford Dictionary Of Modern Slang'' {{ISBN|0-19-861052-1}}. "ikey", "ikeymo", "mock"</ref>
|-
|Itzig
|[[Nazi Germany]]
|Jews
|From Yiddish {{Lang|yi|{{Script|Hebrew|איציק}}|rtl=yes}} ({{Lang|yi-latn|itsik}}), a variant or pet form of the name ''Isaak'' (alternatively ''Isaac'').
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Education – The Holocaust Explained: Designed for schools|date=13 September 1933 |url=https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/life-in-nazi-occupied-europe/controlling-everyday-life/controlling-education/|access-date=25 November 2021|language=en-GB}}</ref>
|-
|Jewboy
|[[United States]]
|Young Jewish boys
|For a young Jewish male, originally young Jewish boys who sold counterfeit coins in 18th century London.
|<ref name="Stone2013">{{cite book|last=Stone|first=Bryan Edward|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=68h1ej_DansC&q=Jewboy&pg=PA17|title=The Chosen Folks: Jews on the Frontiers of Texas|date=1 May 2013|publisher=University of Texas Press|isbn=978-0-292-75612-0|page=17|access-date=28 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507222915/https://books.google.com/books?id=68h1ej_DansC&pg=PA17&vq=Jewboy|archive-date=7 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Shalev|first1=Chemi|date=22 January 2016|title=Israeli anti-Semites and American Jewboys, From Dan Shapiro to Wyatt Earp|work=Haaretz.com|publisher=Amos Schocken, M. DuMont Schauberg|issue=Elul 15, 5778|url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-israeli-anti-semites-and-american-jewboys-1.5394076|url-status=live|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825172907/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-israeli-anti-semites-and-american-jewboys-1.5394076|archive-date=25 August 2018}}</ref>
|-
|Jidan
|[[Romania]]
|Jews
|From {{Lang|ro|jid}}'','' Romanian equivalent of ''yid.''
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=dexonline|url=https://dexonline.ro/definitie/jidan|access-date=9 February 2022|website=Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române.}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kike]]
|[[United States]]
|Jews
|Possibly from the [[Yiddish]] word for '[[circle]]', {{Lang|yi-latn|kikel}}''.'' It was suggested by [[Leo Rosten]] that the term originates from Jews who, when entering the United States at [[Ellis Island]], signed their names with a circle instead of a [[cross]] because they associated the cross with [[Christianity]].
|<ref>Leo Rosten: ''The Joys of Yiddish'', cited in [https://web.archive.org/web/20080602102925/http://kpearson.faculty.tcnj.edu/Dictionary/kike.htm Kim Pearson's ''Rhetoric of Race''] by Eric Wolarsky. [[The College of New Jersey]].</ref><ref>Encyclopedia of Swearing: Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, and Ethnic Slurs in the English Speaking World/ Geoffrey Hughes. Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe, c2006</ref>
|-
|Mocky
|[[United States]]
|Jews
|First used in the 1930s, possibly from the Yiddish word {{Lang|yi-latn|makeh}} meaning 'plague'.
|<ref name="OxfordEnglish1137">{{cite book|last1=Stevenson|first1=Angus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anecAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA1137|title=Oxford Dictionary of English|date=2010|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199571123|page=1137|quote=ORIGIN 1930S: perhaps from Yiddish ''makeh'', 'a plague'.|access-date=12 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213143649/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=anecAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA1137|archive-date=13 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=English contemporary dictionary - Mocky|url=http://english_contemporary.enacademic.com/121122/mocky|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212201807/http://english_contemporary.enacademic.com/121122/mocky|archive-date=12 February 2015|access-date=12 February 2015|website=enacademic.com|quote=mocky adj. (Offensive slang) Jewish, of or pertaining to the Jewish religion or race in a derogatory manner}}</ref>
|-
|Red Sea pedestrian
|[[Australia]]
|Jews
|A Jew, from the story of [[Moses]] leading the Jewish people out of Egypt in the [[Book of Exodus]].
|<ref>{{Cite book|title=Red Sea pedestrian - Green's Dictionary of Slang|chapter=Green's Dictionary of Slang |publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780199829941|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199829941.001.0001}}</ref>
|-
|[[Rootless cosmopolitan]] <br/> ({{langx|ru|безродный космополит}})
|[[Soviet Union]]
|Jews
|Soviet epithet as an accusation of lack of full allegiance to the Soviet Union.
|<ref>{{cite book |last=Figes |first=Orlando |author-link=Orlando Figes |title=The Whisperers: Private Life in Stalin's Russia |year=2007 |publisher=Metropolitan Books |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-8050-7461-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/whisperersprivat00fige |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/whisperersprivat00fige/page/494 494]}}</ref>
|-
|Sheeny
|[[Europe]]
|Jews
|From Yiddish ''[[wikt:שיין|sheyn]]'' or German {{Lang|de|schön}} meaning 'beautiful'.
|<ref>{{citation|last=Rockaway|first=Robert A.|title=But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters|url=https://archive.org/details/buthewasgoodtohi00robe/page/95|page=[https://archive.org/details/buthewasgoodtohi00robe/page/95 95]|year=2000|publisher=Gefen Publishing House Ltd.|isbn=978-965-229-249-0}}</ref>
|-
|[[Shylock]]
|[[England]]
|Jews
|Jewish people as [[Economic antisemitism|shrewd and money-loving]]; derived from the character in Shakespeare's play "[[Merchant of Venice]]".
|<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rothman|first=Lily|date=17 September 2014|title=When Did 'Shylock' Become a Slur?|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|publisher=TIME Magazine|url=https://time.com/3394403/shylock-biden/|url-status=live|access-date=11 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211000722/http://time.com/3394403/shylock-biden/|archive-date=11 February 2015|quote=The word "shylock," [...] is an eponym from a Jewish character in Shakespeare's ''The Merchant of Venice''. [...] Today, "shylock" is considered an antisemitic slur.}}</ref>
|-
|[[Yid]]
|[[Europe]]
|Jews
|Yiddish word for 'Jew'.
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Yid - Origin and history of Yid by Online Etymology Dictionary|url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Yid|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170923145040/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Yid|archive-date=23 September 2017|access-date=23 September 2017|website=www.etymonline.com}}</ref>
|-
|[[Zhyd]]
[[Zhydovka]]
|[[Russia]]
[[Ukraine]]
|Jews
|From Russian and other [[Slavic languages]], originally neutral, but became pejorative during debate over the [[Jewish question]] in the 1800s. Its use was banned by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s.
|<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Klier|first1=John D.|date=1982|title="Zhid": Biography of a Russian Epithet|journal=The Slavonic and East European Review|volume=60|issue=1|pages=1–15|issn=0037-6795|jstor=4208429}}</ref>
|}

== Muslims ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Abdul, Abdool
|[[United Kingdom]], [[North America]], [[India]]
|[[Muslims]]
|Derives from the common Muslim name [[Abdul]], meaning "slave of" or "servant of".
|<ref name="Varma-2022">{{Cite web |last=Varma |first=Aishwarya |date=27 April 2022 |title=Can Tech and Humans Work Together To Make Social Media Less Communally Charged? |url=https://www.thequint.com/news/webqoof/communal-language-and-moderation-social-media-india |access-date=29 July 2022 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}</ref><ref name=ahmed>{{cite book| title=A Dictionary of Muslim Names| author=Salahuddin Ahmed| publisher = Hurst & Company| location=London| year=1999}}</ref>
|-
|[[wikt:bicot|Bicot]]
|[[France|French]]
|[[Muslims]] (and generally [[Arabs]])
|Clipping of 'arbicot' (a diminutive of arbi - meaning Arab). French word usually used for Arabs/Maghrebis and Muslims.
|<ref>{{cite web |title=BICOT |url=https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/bicot |website=in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language] |access-date=8 February 2025}}</ref>
|-
|[[wikt:bougnoule|Bougnoule]]
|[[France|French]]
|[[Muslims]]
|French word usually used for Arabs/Maghrebis, Africans/black people and Muslims. Derives from Wolof for 'wu ñuul' (meaning 'who is black').
|<ref>{{cite web |title=BOUGNOULE |url=https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/bougnoule/ |website=in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language] |access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref>
|-
|Chuslim
|[[India]]
|Muslims
|The portmanteau of the words 'Chus' and 'Muslim,' derived from 'chus' or 'chusna' (meaning 'to suck' in Hindi/Urdu), often used in internet forums and social media to mock or insult Muslims.
|<ref name="Towards-the-tipping-point-of-violence">{{cite book |last1=Soundararajan |first1=T |last2=Kumar |first2=A |last3=Nair |first3=P |last4=Greely |first4=J|title=Facebook India: Towards The Tipping Point of Violence Caste and Religious Hate Speech |date=2019 |publisher=Equality Labs |isbn=978-0-578-49021-2 |page=38 |url=https://archive.org/details/facebook-india-report-2019-equality-labs/page/n37/mode/1up?q=Chuslim}}</ref>
|-
|Jihadi
|[[North America]], [[United Kingdom]], [[India]]
|Muslims, especially fundamentalist [[Jihadism|Jihadists]]
|Derives from ''[[jihad]]''.
|<ref name="Ahmed-2021">{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Hilal |date=15 July 2021 |title=Indian Muslims have come to terms with Hindutva. They are now looking for survival strategies |url=https://theprint.in/opinion/indian-muslims-have-come-to-terms-with-hindutva-they-are-now-looking-for-survival-strategies/696179/ |access-date=29 July 2022 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|[[Kadrun (Indonesian slang)|Kadrun]]
|[[Indonesia]]
|[[Islamic fundamentalism]] and reactionaries. Sometimes [[Jokowi]] opposition although different religion
|Portmanteau of {{Lang|id|kadal gurun}} meaning 'desert lizard'. Originated as a social media political insult, the term is used for closed-minded Muslims influenced by [[Islamic extremism]] and [[Islamic fundamentalism|fundamentalism]] from the Middle East.
|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Damarjati|first=Danu|title=Asal Mula Istilah Kampret-Kadrun: Dari Persaingan Jokowi Vs Prabowo|url=https://news.detik.com/berita/d-5299004/asal-mula-istilah-kampret-kadrun-dari-persaingan-jokowi-vs-prabowo|access-date=1 October 2021|website=detiknews|language=id-ID}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ikhsan|first=M.|title=Awal Mula Munculnya Istilah Cebong, Kampret, Kadrun di Medsos|url=https://www.cnnindonesia.com/teknologi/20200814143813-192-535796/awal-mula-munculnya-istilah-cebong-kampret-kadrun-di-medsos|access-date=1 October 2021|website=teknologi|language=id-ID}}</ref>
|-
|Kala, Kaliya
|[[India]], [[Myanmar]]
|[[Rohingya people|Rohingyas]], Muslims
|Term meaning 'black' in various [[Indo-Aryan languages]], referring to the dark skin colour of South Asian Muslims. The term originally was used by [[Hindu]]s of India and targeted at all Muslims of South Asia, but more recently is used as a slur directly against Rohingyas due to their perceived Bangladeshi origin.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Irrawaddy |first=The |date=31 May 2017 |title=Facebook Ban of Racial Slur Sparks Debate in Myanmar |url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/facebook-ban-of-racial-slur-sparks-debate-in-burma.html |access-date=6 October 2023 |website=The Irrawaddy |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|Katwa, Katwe, Katuve, Katua, K2a, K2o, k2wa, kto
|[[India]]
|Muslim men
|Derives from the Hindi/Urdu for 'cut' referring to [[Circumcision in Islam|circumcision]], a common practice for baby boys. Used to mock Muslims, often in the context of religious tensions. It is often associated with the Islamophobic and communal rhetoric that has been a part of online discourse in India in recent years, especially in religious polarization.
|<ref name="Ahmed-2021" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bilaval |first1=Saib |title='Muzlim, K2A, Jih@di, Mull@h': How Right-Wing Trolls Bypass Hate Speech Filters on Twitter |url=https://thewire.in/politics/bjp-right-wing-twitter-hindutva-trolls-hate-speech-filters-muslims |access-date=14 May 2023 |work=The Wire |date=14 November 2021}}</ref>
|-
|Khatmal 
|[[Pakistan]]
|[[Shia Islam|Sh īʿi Muslims]]
|Derives from the Urdu word for 'bedbug,' this term is used to dehumanize Shīʿites by portraying them as bloodsucking parasites.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahmood |first=Shahid |date=22 January 2013 |title=Exterminating Shia Bedbugs |url=https://truthout.org/articles/exterminating-shia-bedbugs/ |website=Truthout |access-date=26 October 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Miya people|Miya]]
|[[Assam, India]]
|[[Islam in Bangladesh|Bangladeshi Muslims]]
|Derives from the honorific ''[[Mian (title)|Mian]]''
|<ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Zahan |first1=Syeda Ambia |last2=Nagvenkar |first2=Mayabhushan |date=29 April 2022 |title=In Assam, Bengali Muslims Are Asserting Their Identity Through 'Miya Poetry' |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/in-assam-bengali-muslims-are-asserting-their-identity-through-miya-poetry--magazine-193600 |magazine=Outlook |access-date=29 July 2022}}</ref>
|-
|Mujeet
|[[Europe]], [[North America]], [[India]]
|Muslims
|Derives from "Pajeet", a derogatory slur for South Asians. Initially used to refer to Muslims from [[South Asia]], now has expanded to include Muslims worldwide.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=jasmine |date=2024-10-31 |title=Current developments of anti-Muslim hate online - |url=https://ohpi.org.au/current-developments-of-anti-muslim-hate-online/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250203122528/https://ohpi.org.au/current-developments-of-anti-muslim-hate-online/ |archive-date=3 February 2025 |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=ohpi.org.au |language=en-AU}}</ref>
|-
|Mulla, Mullah, Kathmulla, Sulla, Bulla
|[[India]], [[Iran]]
|Muslims
|Derives from ''[[mullah]]'', a common title for Islamic religious scholars. ''Kathmulla'' is a derogatory slang term was first used by BJP spokesperson [[Sambit Patra]] during a television debate in 2018. The term was later frequently used by [[Yogi Adityanath]], the current Chief Minister of [[Uttar Pradesh]], in interviews and public speeches in 2022.
|<ref name="Varma-2022" /><ref name="Towards-the-tipping-point-of-violence" /><ref name="Slang term">{{cite web | title=Watch: Adityanath says ‘kathmulla’ during interview with Anjana Om Kashyap – and gets away with it | url=https://www.newslaundry.com/2022/02/19/watch-adityanath-says-kathmulla-during-interview-with-anjana-om-kashyap-and-gets-away-with-it | website=Newslaundry | date=19 February 2022 | access-date=30 December 2024}}</ref>
|-
|Muklo
|[[Philippines]]
|[[Filipino Muslims]] (especially among Bangsamoro ethnic groups)
|First used by soldiers of the [[Armed Forces of the Philippines]] stationed in Mindanao as an ethnic slur towards the Muslim Moro insurgents.
|<ref>{{Citation |last1=Sterkens |first1=Carl |title=Ethno-religious Identification and Latent Conflict: Support of Violence among Muslim and Christian Filipino Children and Youth |date=2016 |work=Conflict, Violence and Peace |pages=1–16 |editor-last=Harker |editor-first=Christopher |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4585-98-9_12-1 |access-date=20 July 2024 |place=Singapore |publisher=Springer |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-981-4585-98-9_12-1 |isbn=978-981-4585-98-9 |last2=Camacho |first2=Agnes Zenaida |last3=Scheepers |first3=Peer |editor2-last=Hörschelmann |editor2-first=Kathrin |editor3-last=Skelton |editor3-first=Tracey|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
|-
|Muzzie
|[[Australia]]
|Muslims
|A shortened version of the word ''Muslim''.
|<ref>{{cite book |last1=Peucker |first1=Mario |last2=Smith |first2=Debra |title=The Far-Right in Contemporary Australia |date=15 July 2019 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-981-13-8351-9 |page=83 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=79KiDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA83 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Namazi, Andhnamazi
|[[India]]
|Muslims
|Derives from {{Lang|fa-latn|namaz}}, the Persian word for obligatory daily prayers usually used instead of [[salah]] in the Indian subcontinent.
|<ref name="Ahmed-2021" />
|-
||Peaceful, peacefools, pissful, shantidoot
|[[India]]
|Muslims
|Derives from the common statement that Islam is a "religion of peace". Sometimes the Hindi word "shantidoot" (Messenger of Peace) is used.
|<ref name="Varma-2022" />
|-
|Osama
|[[North America]]
|Muslims men
|From [[Osama bin Laden]].
|<ref name="Peek2011" />
|-
|[[Paki (slur)|Paki]]
|United Kingdom, Canada
|[[Pakistanis]] and Muslims in general
|Short for [[Pakistanis]], word is now used as in extension as a slur to refer to all Muslims in the UK and Canada.
|<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oed.com/dictionary/paki_n?tab=factsheet|title=Paki, n. & adj. meanings, etymology and more &#124; Oxford English Dictionary}}</ref>
|-
|[[Qadiani]]
|[[Pakistan]]
|[[Ahmadiyya]]
|The term originates from [[Qadian]], a small town in present-day Indian Punjab, the birthplace of [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]], the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement. The use of Qadiani is primarily in Pakistan. The term has even been used in official Pakistani documents. It is also known as the Q-word.
|<ref name="Ispahani2017">{{cite book|author=Farahnaz Ispahani|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jl7ODQAAQBAJ&pg=PT105|title=Purifying the Land of the Pure: A History of Pakistan's Religious Minorities|date=2 January 2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-062167-4|pages=105–}}</ref><ref>[http://www.fmu.gov.pk/docs/laws/Pakistan%20Penal%20Code.pdf Pakistan Penal Code] Chap. XV "Of Offences Relating to Religion" pp. 79–81</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Constitution (Second Amendment) Act, 1974|url=http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/amendments/2amendment.html|access-date=21 January 2020|website=The Constitution of Pakistan|publisher=pakistani.org|archive-date=28 August 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010828025648/http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/amendments/2amendment.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|[[Rafida]], Rawafid
|[[Arab peninsula]]
|[[Shia Islam|Sh īʿi Muslims]](regardless of race)
|Term originally denoting extremist Shīʿites who reject ({{Lang|ar-latn|rafḍ}}) the caliphates of [[Abu Bakr]] and ʿ[[Umar]]; often employed by critics as a slur against those Shīʿi Muslims who do not criticize the first three Caliphs, but only believe in "Alī’s right to the caliphate over Muʿāwiyah".
|<ref>{{Britannica|489477|Rāfiḍah}}</ref>
|-
|Raghead
|[[North America]]
|Islamic turban wearers
|From Islamic wearing of [[Turban#Islam|turbans]].
|<ref name="Peek2011">{{cite book|last=Peek|first=Lori|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vT-xDMht-OwC&pg=PA64|title=Behind the Backlash: Muslim Americans After 9/11|publisher=Temple University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-1-59213-984-2|page=64|author-link=Lori Peek|access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="Oxford-University-Press">{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/en/definition/Raghead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208075147/https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/Raghead |url-status=dead |archive-date=8 December 2021 |title=Raghead |dictionary=[[Lexico]] US English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref>
|-
|Rapefugee
|[[United Kingdom]], [[Europe]], [[North America]]
|Muslims
|Rapefugee is derived from [[rape]] + [[refugee]]. The [[Arab Spring]] led to large scale migrations of Muslims into Europe, who arrived as refugees in the 2010s. [[Germany]] saw [[mass rape]] on the [[2015–16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults in Germany|New Year's Eve 2015]] in multiple cities by largely North African asylum seekers. This resulted in "rapefugee" being a slur directed at [[Muslim]]s in [[North America]], [[United Kingdom]] and the rest of [[Europe]].
|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ali |first1=Moonis |last2=Zannettou |first2=Savvas |title=Analyzing Antisemitism and Islamophobia using a Lexicon-based Approach |quote=Among these 10 words we choose 5 words: muzzie, mudslime, '''rapefugee''', shitskin, sandnigger our selection is again based on the knowledge of the domain. |url=https://workshop-proceedings.icwsm.org/pdf/2022_61.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 1, 2025 |language=en-UK |publisher=ICWSM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706170307/https://workshop-proceedings.icwsm.org/pdf/2022_61.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2022 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Safavid dynasty|Safavid]]
|[[Iraq]]
|[[Feyli (tribe)|Feyli Kurds]]
|Mainly used by higher class Sunni Arabs during [[Ba'athist Iraq]] to insult Feyli Kurds for their belief in [[Shia Islam]]
|<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 November 2017 |title=Faili kurds |url=https://minorityrights.org/minorities/faili-kurds/ |access-date=27 October 2022 |website=Minority Rights Group |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|-
|Shitskin
|[[North America]], [[United Kingdom]], [[India]]
|Muslims
|Anti-Muslim and racist slur directed at [[Muslims]] in [[North America]], [[United Kingdom]] and [[India]] for their extremely dark, "shit-coloured" skin-complexions.
|<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ali |first1=Moonis |last2=Zannettou |first2=Savvas |title=Analyzing Antisemitism and Islamophobia using a Lexicon-based Approach |quote=Among these 10 words we choose 5 words: muzzie, mudslime, rapefugee, '''shitskin''', sandnigger our selection is again based on the knowledge of the domain. |url=https://workshop-proceedings.icwsm.org/pdf/2022_61.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=March 1, 2025 |language=en-UK |publisher=ICWSM |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706170307/https://workshop-proceedings.icwsm.org/pdf/2022_61.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2022 }}</ref>
|-
|[[Terrorist]]
|United States
|Muslims
|Used by radical anti-Islamists, due to anti-Muslim sentiments following [[September 11 attacks]] and subsequently [[Islamic State|ISIS]] [[List of terrorist incidents linked to the Islamic State|attacks]].
|<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Aziz |first1=Sahar |title=Sticks and Stones, the Words That Hurt: Entrenched Stereotypes Eight Years after 9/11 |journal=New York City Law Review |date=1 January 2009 |volume=13 |pages=33 |url=https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/188}}</ref>
|-
|[[Hajji]], Hadji, Haji
|United States
|Muslims
|Derived from the honorific ''Al-Hajji'', the title given to a Muslim who has completed the ''[[Hajj]]'' (pilgrimage to Mecca).
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bay |first=Austin |date=28 January 2007 |title=Iraq's battlefield slang |url=https://www.latimes.com/news/la-op-bay28jan28-story.html |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Flynn |first=Chris |date=1 October 2010 |title=The language of war |url=https://overland.org.au/2010/10/the-language-of-war/ |website=Overland}}</ref>
|-
|[[Wahhabi (epithet)|Wahhabi]]
|[[Muslim world]]
|[[Salafi movement|Salafis]]
|Derived from the name of its founder [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab]], it is used by opponents of his teachings in a [[Wahhabism#Naming controversy|derogatory way to refer to his followers]], namely the Salafis.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reem |first=Abu |date=1 April 2007 |title=The Wahhabi Myth: Debunking the Bogeyman |url=https://muslimmatters.org/2007/04/01/the-wahhabi-myth-debunking-the-bogeyman/ |access-date=26 October 2024 |website=MuslimMatters.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|[[Nusayri]]
|[[Muslim world]]
|[[Alawites]]
|Derived from the name of the founder of the group, [[Ibn Nusayr]].
|<ref name=landis>{{cite web|url=http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/zahran-alloush/|title=Zahran Alloush: His Ideology and Beliefs|last=Landis|first=Joshua|date=15 December 2013|publisher=Syria Comment|access-date=24 December 2013|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325123621/http://www.joshualandis.com/blog/zahran-alloush/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|}

==Hindus==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Bongal
|[[India]] <br /> ([[Assam]] & [[West Bengal]])
|[[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Bangladeshi Hindus]]
|The term is a derogatory slur used primarily in India's [[Assam]] and [[West Bengal]], to refer to [[East Bengal]]is, mostly [[Muslim]]s, but occasionally also for east [[Bengali Hindus]] or [[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Bangladeshi Hindus]], mocking them for being foreigners or outsiders.
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gogoi |first=Suraj |date=20 May 2022 |title=From outsiders to termites and infiltrators: How 'Bangladeshi' came to signify hate and difference |url=https://scroll.in/article/1023979/from-outsiders-to-termites-and-infiltrators-how-bangladeshi-came-to-signify-hate-and-difference |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=Scroll.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bhattacharjee |first=Manash Firaq |title=We foreigners: What it means to be Bengali in India's Assam |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2020/2/26/we-foreigners-what-it-means-to-be-bengali-in-indias-assam |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|Cow piss drinker, piss drinker, Gaumutra
|[[Muslim world|Islamic world]]
|[[Hindus]]
|Referring to the [[Pseudoscience|pseudoscientific]] practice of advocacy of drinking gomutra ([[cow urine]]) as a folk medicine advocated by some orthodox Hindu groups.
|<ref>{{cite news |title=US radio producer forced to quit after anti-Hindu slur |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-radio-producer-forced-to-quit-after-anti-hindu-slur/articleshow/71102210.cms |website=Times of India |date=12 September 2019 |access-date=22 September 2021 |quote=NPR regrets the unacceptable tweet by '''New Delhi''' producer Furkan Khan.}}</ref>
|-
|[[Malaun]]
|[[Bangladesh]]
|[[Hinduism in Bangladesh|Bangladeshi Hindus]]
|Derived from Bengali {{Lang|bn|মালাউন}} ({{Lang|bn-latn|maalaaun}}), which in turn was derived from Arabic {{Lang|ar|{{Script|Arabic|ملعون}}|rtl=yes}} ({{Lang|ar-latn|mal'un}}), which means 'cursed' or deprived from God's mercy.
|<ref>{{cite book |title=The Torture of Tasneem Khalil: How the Bangladesh Military Abuses Its Power Under the State of Emergency |last1=Watch |first1=Human Rights |last2=Ganguly |first2=Meenakshi |last3=Alffram |first3=Henrik |year=2008 |publisher=Human Rights Watch |page=28 |access-date=30 May 2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qFS95bbQR7wC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report |author=House of Commons: Foreign Affairs Committee |date=25 March 2005 |title=Human Rights Annual Report 2004: Fourth Report of Session 2004-05 |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmfaff/109/109.pdf |publisher=House of Commons, United Kingdom |page=88 |access-date=31 May 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jugantor.com/window/2014/01/02/55251 |script-title=bn:সংখ্যালঘুরা কাকে ভোট দেবে? |last=Roy |first=Palash Kumar |date=2 January 2014 |work=The Daily Jugantor |language=bn |access-date=7 February 2015 |location=Dhaka}}</ref>
|-
|Dothead
|[[United States]]
|Hindu women
|Referring to the practice of applying [[Bindi (decoration)|bindi]]s, a dot-like marking used by married [[Hindu]] women. Also the namesake of a [[terrorist group]] from [[New Jersey]] that murdered elderly Indian women, known as the [[Dotbusters]].
|<ref>{{cite news |title=A Radiologist And Poet Explains How He Sees The World In Patterns |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/04/07/473238301/a-radiologist-and-poet-explains-how-he-sees-the-world-in-patterns |newspaper=NPR.org |access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref>
|-
|Pajeet
|[[Europe]], [[North America]]
|[[Hindus]], [[Sikhs]] and other [[South Asian|South Asians]]
|A derogatory racist slur used in some parts of America and western countries to target Hindus, Sikhs and other South Asians.
|<ref name="GPAHE2024">{{cite web |date=8 May 2024 |title=Online Racism Targeting South Asians Skyrockets |url=https://globalextremism.org/post/online-racism-targeting-south-asians-skyrockets/ |access-date=25 September 2024 |publisher=Global Project Against Hate and Extremism |quote=“Pajeet” is also used, referring to a derogatory made-up Indian name originating on 4chan in 2015, along with several other similar, though sometimes lesser known, racist terms. Plenty of commenters resented “pajeet immigrants,” described as “barely literate third worlder[s],” for “replac[ing]” striking workers in the tech industry. One Canadian user on the /pol/ board claimed the “jeet situation” in Canada was bad, and that they planned to “leave this dump” because of South Asian immigrants. Gab, a “free speech” platform with a similar interface to Twitter, saw hate speech against South Asians rise from 197 posts in January 2023 to 691 the next year, representing a staggering 251 percent increase. Comments include calling South Asians “pajeet chimps” and “paki scum” while leaning into derogatory stereotypes such as saying “pajeet still smell.”}}</ref><ref name="Sudhakar2022">{{Cite book |last1=Sudhakar |first1=Prasiddha |url=https://millercenter.rutgers.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Hinduphobia-NC-Labs_6.22.22.pdf |title=Anti-Hindu Disinformation: A Case Study of Hinduphobia on Social Media |publisher=Rutgers University |quote=First seen on 4Chan, The term “pajeet” is an ethnic slur, coined as a derisive imitation of Indian names. Typically, pajeet is used to describe Indians on the Internet — and, by default — Hindus. John Earnest, the white supremacist shooter of the Chabad Synagogue in San Diego, 2019, had referenced “pajeets” in this manifesto. This slur has also been used by white supremacists in white nationalist podcasts in reference to violent, murderous fantasies about Indians.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1 June 2023 |title=Racial slurs against Hindus have genocidal impact, says report |url=https://hindutimescanada.ca/racial-slurs-against-hindus-have-genocidal-impact-says-report/ |access-date=7 June 2025 |work=Hindu Times Canada |quote=''Pajeet'' is an extremely derogatory term often used interchangeably for Indians and Hindus.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hinduphobia and Anti-Hindu Hate Glossary |url=https://www.hinduamerican.org/hindu-hate-glossary |access-date=7 June 2025 |website=Hindu American Foundation |quote=Pajeet: An ethno-religious slur referring to Indians, and more specifically Hindus.}}</ref><ref name="TNIE2024">{{cite web |date=27 March 2024 |title=Baltimore bridge collapse: Racist online attacks on Indian crew of MV Dali |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2024/Mar/27/baltimore-bridge-collapse-racist-online-attacks-on-indian-crew-of-mv-dali |access-date=19 November 2024 |publisher=[[The New Indian Express]] |language=en |quote=Pajeet is a racist slur in the West to mock Sikhs who often have names ending with "jeet".}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rana |first=Aayushi |date=March 13, 2024 |title=Cow Worshippers to Pajeets: Analysing the Lexicon of Dangerous Hate Speech Online |url=https://dfrac.org/en/2024/03/13/cow-worshippers-to-pajeets-analysing-the-lexicon-of-dangerous-hate-speech-online/ |access-date=18 January 2025 |website=Digital Forensics, Research and Analytics Centre (D-FRAC)}}</ref>
|}

==Buddhists==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Buddhahead
|[[United States]]
|[[Buddhist]], specially [[Asia]]n people
|Also used by mainland [[Japanese Americans]] to refer to [[Japanese in Hawaii|Hawaiian Japanese Americans]] since [[World War II]].
|<ref>{{cite book |last1=Herbst |first1=Philip |title=The Color of Words: An Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Ethnic Bias in the United States |date=1997 |publisher=Intercultural Press |location=Yarmouth, Maine |isbn=978-1-877864-42-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/colorofwordsency0000herb/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater |url-access=registration |page=40}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |editor-last= Niiya |editor-first=Brian |title=Japanese American History: an A-to-Z Reference from 1868 to the Present |url=https://archive.org/details/japaneseamerican00dias |url-access=registration|location=New York, NY |publisher=Facts on File |page=[https://archive.org/details/japaneseamerican00dias/page/114 114] |date=October 1993 |isbn=978-0-8160-2680-7 |access-date=12 April 2015}}</ref>
|}

==Sikhs==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Khalistani
|[[India]]
|[[Sikh]] ([[Khalsa|Khalsa Sikhs]])
|Used by anti—sikh radicals, due to some extremists who advocate for a separate ethnic/religious homeland for sikhs, called [[Khalistan]], following the [[Anti Sikh Riots]]. 
|<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 February 2024 |title=Can anyone with turban be called Khalistani: CM |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/can-anyone-with-turban-be-called-khalistani-cm-mamata-banerjee-questions-the-use-of-slurs-on-sikh-ips-officer/articleshow/107904701.cms |access-date=6 September 2024 |work=[[The Times]] of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
|-
|Lassi
|[[India]], [[Pakistan]]
|[[Sikhs]]
|In reference to the famous beverage [[Lassi]], which sometimes is used a term used to denigrate Sikhs.
|<ref name="SidhuGohil2016">{{cite book|last1=Sidhu|first1=Dawinder S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KV83DAAAQBAJ&pg=PT104|title=Civil Rights in Wartime: The Post-9/11 Sikh Experience|last2=Gohil|first2=Neha Singh|date=23 May 2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-16560-6|pages=104–107|access-date=18 December 2016}}</ref>
|-
|Osama
|[[North America]]
|Sikh men (mistaken as Muslims)
|After the 9/11 attacks, images of [[Ruhollah Khomeini|Ayatollah Khomeini]], [[Osama bin Laden]], and the Taliban, all of whom don a turban and have long-beards just like Sikhs, began to be circulated. Although originally a slur directed at Muslims, soon "Osama" became an anti-Sikh slur as well.
|<ref name="JJohal">{{Cite book |last=Jhutti-Johal |first=Jagbir |title=The Sikh World |date=May 1, 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9780429848384 |pages=450–462 |chapter=37: Racism or Mistaken Identity? Anti-Sikh Hate Crimes and the Need for Better Recording and Monitoring}}</ref>
|-
|Paki
|[[United Kingdom]]
|Sikhs
|Short for Pakistani. Racism against South Asians, including Sikhs, peaked during the 1970's and early '80's in the United Kingdom, with all South Asians, mostly Muslims and Sikhs being referred to as "Pakis" by racists.
|<ref name="JJohal" />
|-
|Raghead
|United Kingdom, United States, Canada
|Sikh turban wearers (mistaken as Muslims)
|In reference to the Sikh practice of wearing [[dastar]] (turban) resembling a durag
|<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/racist-comments-after-facebook-video-starred-sikh-man-1850657.html | title='Who is this rag head?' Racist comments after Facebook video stars Sikh man | date=16 December 2014 }}</ref>
|-
|Towelhead
|United Kingdom, United States, Canada
|Sikh turban wearers (mistaken as Muslims)
|In reference to the Sikh practice of wearing [[dastar]] (turban) resembling a towel
|<ref>{{cite dictionary|last1=Ayto |first1=John |title=Towelhead |dictionary=The Oxford Dictionary Of Slang |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=42 |url=https://archive.org/details/the-oxford-dictionary-of-slang/page/42/mode/1up?q=Towelhead |language=English}}</ref>
|}

==Zoroastrians==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of
origin
!Targeted
demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|[[fire worship|Fire-worshipper]]
|[[Iran]] and elsewhere
|[[Zoroastrians]]
|Referring to Zoroastrians' veneration of fire as sacred.
|<ref>Rose, Jenny. 2011. Zoroastrianism: a guide for the perplexed. P. 30</ref>
|}

==Yazidis==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of
origin
!Targeted
demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|[[Devil worship|Devil-worshipper]]
|the Muslim world and elsewhere
|[[Yazidis]]
|Due to confusion of the [[Peacock Angel]] of Yazidi belief with [[Satan]].
|<ref>McCarron, Leon. 2023. Wounded Tigris. A journey through the cradle of civilization. 'The militants branded them devil worshippers. This is a slur that has been used to justify oppression and aggression against the community for many centuries .'</ref>
|}

==Scientologists==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!Location of
origin
!Targeted
demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Clam
|[[United States]]
|[[Scientologists]]
|Referring to a passage about clam [[Engram (Dianetics)|engrams]] in [[L. Ron Hubbard]]'s 1952 book, ''What To Audit'', later renamed ''[[Scientology: A History of Man]]''.
|<ref>{{cite web|website=Scientology Critical Information Directory|title=Scientology Glossary - C|url=http://www.xenu-directory.net/glossary/glossary_c.htm#Clam|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181023202549/http://www.xenu-directory.net/glossary/glossary_c.htm#Clam|archive-date=23 October 2018|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
|}

== African religions ==
{| class="wikitable"
!Term
!width=90|Location<br>of origin
!Targeted demographic
!Meaning, origin and notes
!References
|-
|Voodoo
|[[United States]]
|[[Haitian Vodou|Vodouists]], African diaspora people, particularly [[Haitian Americans]]
|Used against people practicing any indigenous African religions to imply they are fraudulent and dangerous, with racialized connotations of curses and primitive superstitions. Used to justify Afrophobic legislation. 
|<ref>{{cite book |last1=Boaz |first1=Daniele |title=Voodoo: The History of a Racial Slur |date=2023 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780197689417 |edition=1 |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/voodoo-the-history-of-a-racial-slur-9780197689417?cc=us&lang=en& |access-date=6 February 2024}}</ref>
|-
|[[Obeah]]
|[[Jamaica]]
|Practitioners of Obeah, Black Jamaicans
|Used against practitioners of Obeah as well as people who receive services from Obeah priests. Connotation of being fraudulent, deceptive, vengeful, and uncivilized. Originally used by colonial authorities to suppress slave rebellions that were organized by Obeah spiritual leaders. Laws still exist in Jamaica criminalizing Obeah.  
|<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.historyworkshop.org.uk/empire-decolonisation/the-racist-history-of-jamaicas-obeah-laws/ | title=The Racist History of Jamaica's Obeah Laws | date=4 July 2019 }}</ref>
|}

== General non-believers ==
; [[Giaour]] : Word for a person who is not Muslim, but especially for a Christian. Adapted from the Turkish {{lang|tr|gâvur}}. In the [[Ottoman Empire]], it was usually applied to [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Christians]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Roumen Dontchev Daskalov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FGmJqMflYgoC|title=Entangled Histories of the Balkans - Volume One: National Ideologies and Language Policies|author2=Tchavdar Marinov|date=2013|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004250765|pages=38, 44}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Murray|first1=James A.H.|url=https://archive.org/stream/oed04arch#page/n793/mode/2up|title=A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, Volume 4|last2=Bradley|first2=Henry|date=1900|publisher=Clarendon Press at Oxford|page=794}}</ref>
; [[Paganism#Heathen|Heathen]]: A person who does not belong to a widely held religion (especially one who is not a Christian, Jewish, or Muslim) as regarded by those who do.<ref name="Hobson2004">{{cite book|last=Hobson|first=Archie|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vm_mNJiflwgC&pg=PA203|access-date=4 April 2018|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517328-4|page=203}}</ref>
; [[Infidel]]: A term used generally for non-believers.<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Infidel}}</ref>
; [[Kafir]]: A derogatory term used by [[Muslims]] for a person who is a non believer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sevinç |first1=Kenan |last2=Coleman |first2=Thomas J. |last3=Hood |first3=Ralph W. |title=Non-Belief: An Islamic Perspective |journal=Secularism and Nonreligion |date=25 July 2018 |volume=7 |pages=5 |doi=10.5334/snr.111|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/kafir |title= Kafir |website = macmillandictionary.com |publisher= [[Macmillan Dictionary]] |accessdate= 23 June 2023}}</ref> Not to be confused with the South-African slur [[Kaffir (racial term)|Kaffir]].
; [[Murtad]]: A word meaning people who left Islam, mainly critics of Islam.<ref>{{cite book |title=Public attitudes towards offensive language on TV and Radio: Quick Reference Guide |date=September 2021 |publisher=Ipsos MORI Public Affairs |url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/225335/offensive-language-quick-reference-guide.pdf}}</ref>
;[[Shirk (Islam)|Mushrik]]: A person who doesn't believe in [[Tawhid]] (Islamic monotheism) and practices [[polytheism]], worships [[idol worship|idols]], [[Veneration|saints]], [[Veneration of the dead|ancestors or graves]].
;[[Paganism#Pagan|Pagan]]: A person who believes in a non-Abrahamic religion. Synonymous with heathen.<ref name="Bowersock1999p625">{{cite book|author=Peter Brown|editor1=Glen Warren Bowersock|editor2=Peter Brown|editor3=Oleg Grabar|chapter=Pagan|title=Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c788wWR_bLwC&pg=PA625|year=1999|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-51173-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lateantiquitygui00bowe/page/625 625–626]|url=https://archive.org/details/lateantiquitygui00bowe/page/625}}</ref>
;[[Savage (pejorative term)|Savage]]: A member of a people the speaker regards as primitive and uncivilised. The term has also been applied to non-adherents of Christianity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Can |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4pUIAAAAQAAJ&q=asia |title=Can the independent chiefs of savage tribes cede to any private individual the whole or a part of their states, together with the sovereign rights which belong to them in conformity with the traditional customs of the country? |date=1884 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Olsson |first=Emilio |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V45AAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22savage+tribes%22&pg=PA56 |title=The Dark Continent--at Our Doors: Slavery, Heathenism, and Cruelty in South America |date=1899 |publisher=M.E. Munson |language=en}}</ref>
;Shiksa (female), shegetz (male): (Yiddish) A non-Jewish girl (generally still single) or boy, or one who is of Jewish descent but does not practise [[Orthodox Judaism]].<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|shegetz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|shiksa}}</ref> Primarily used to refer to non-Jews. See also "[[goy]]".

== Religious practitioners in general ==
; [[Cult]], cultist: Used as an [[ad hominem]] attack against groups with differing doctrines or practices.<ref>Compare: T.L. Brink (2008) Psychology: A Student Friendly Approach. "Unit 13: Social Psychology". pp 320 [http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TLBrink_PSYCH13.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326010718/http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/TLBrink_PSYCH13.pdf|date=26 March 2012}} - "Cult is a somewhat derogatory term for a new religious movement, especially one with unusual theological doctrine or one that is abusive of its membership."</ref><ref>Chuck Shaw – [http://shawcss.tripod.com/REL101/society/sects.htm Sects and Cults] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325124316/http://shawcss.tripod.com/REL101/society/sects.htm |date=25 March 2018 }} – Greenville Technical College. Retrieved 21 March 2013.</ref><ref>Bromley, David Melton, J. Gordon 2002. Cults, Religion, and Violence. West Nyack, New York: Cambridge University Press.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Hate speech]]
* [[Lists of pejorative terms for people]]
* [[List of ethnic slurs]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* Richard A. Spears, ''Slang and Euphemism'', (2001)
* [[John A. Simpson]], ''Oxford Dictionary Of Modern Slang'' {{ISBN|0-19-861052-1}}
* John A. Simpson, ''Oxford English Dictionary Additions Series'' {{ISBN|0-19-861299-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Share |first1=Bernard |title=Slanguage: A Dictionary of Slang and Colloquial English in Ireland |date=2005 |publisher=Gill & Macmillan |isbn=9780717139590 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wpflAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}

{{Religious slurs}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Religious slurs}}
[[Category:Ethnic and religious slurs| ]]
[[Category:Lists of pejorative terms for people]]
[[Category:Lists of slang]]
[[Category:Profanity]]
[[Category:Religious persecution|Slurs]]
[[Category:Religion-related lists|Slurs]]