List of religious slurs#Muslims
{{Short description|None}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{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=
=Protestants=
=Catholics=
= Oriental Orthodox =
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Jacobite
| |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. |
= Latter Day Saint movement =
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Molly Mormon
|Term for the stereotype of a "perfect" female member of LDS Church. |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 |
| Peter Priesthood
|Latter Day Saint |Term for the stereotype of a "perfect" male member of LDS Church. |
| Jack Mormon
|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. |
Jews
{{For|the word "Jew" as a perceived or actual slur|Jew (word)#Perception of offensiveness}}
Muslims
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Abdul, Abdool
|United Kingdom, North America, India |Derives from the common Muslim name Abdul, meaning "slave of" or "servant of". |{{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}}{{cite book| title=A Dictionary of Muslim Names| author=Salahuddin Ahmed| publisher = Hurst & Company| location=London| year=1999}} |
| Bicot
|Muslims (and generally Arabs) |Clipping of 'arbicot' (a diminutive of arbi). French word usually used for Arabs/Maghrebis and Muslims. |
| Bougnoule
|French word usually used for Arabs/Maghrebis, Africans/black people and Muslims. Derives from Wolof for 'wu ñuul' (meaning 'who is black'). |
| Chuslim
|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. |
| Jihadi
|North America, United Kingdom, India |Muslims, especially fundamentalist Jihadists |Derives from jihad. |
| Kadrun
|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 fundamentalism from the Middle East. |{{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}}{{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}} |
| Kala, Kaliya
|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 Hindus 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. |
| Katwa, Katwe, Katuve, Katua, K2a, K2o, k2wa, kto
|Muslim men |Derives from the Hindi/Urdu for 'cut' referring to circumcision, a common practice among Muslim men. 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. |{{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}} |
| Khatmal
|Derives from the Urdu word for 'bedbug,' this term is used to dehumanize Shīʿites by portraying them as bloodsucking parasites. |
| Miya
|Derives from the honorific Mian |
| Mujeet
|Muslims |Derives from "Pajeet", a derogatory slur for Sikhs. Initially used to refer to Muslims from South Asia, now has expanded to include Muslims worldwide. |
| Mulla, Mullah, Kathmulla, Sulla, Bulla
|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. |{{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}} |
| Muklo
|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. |
| Muzzie
|Muslims |A shortened version of the word Muslim. |
| Namazi, Andhnamazi
|Muslims |Derives from {{Lang|fa-latn|namaz}}, the Persian word for obligatory daily prayers usually used instead of salah in the Indian subcontinent. |
| |Peaceful, peacefools, pissful, shantidoot
|Muslims |Derives from the common statement that Islam is a "religion of peace". Sometimes the Hindi word "shantidoot" (Messenger of Peace) is used. |
| Osama
|Muslims men |From Osama bin Laden. |
| 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. |
| Qadiani
|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. |{{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–}}[http://www.fmu.gov.pk/docs/laws/Pakistan%20Penal%20Code.pdf Pakistan Penal Code] Chap. XV "Of Offences Relating to Religion" pp. 79–81{{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}} |
| Rafida, Rawafid
|Sh īʿi Muslims(regardless of race) |Term originally denoting extremist Shīʿites who reject ({{Lang|ar-latn|rafḍ}}) the caliphates of Abu Bakr and ʿUmar; 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". |
| Raghead
|Islamic turban wearers |From Islamic wearing of turbans. |{{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}}{{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}} |
| Rapefugee
|United Kingdom, Europe, North America |Muslims |Rapefugee is derived from rape + refugee. The Arab Spring led to large scale illegal migrations of Muslims into Europe, who arrived as refugees in the 2010s. Unaccustomed to European cultural practices, Germany saw mass rape on the New Year's Eve 2015 in multiple cities by undocumented muslim refugees. This resulted in "rapefugee" being a slur directed at Muslims in North America, United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. |
| Safavid
|Iraq |Mainly used by higher class Sunni Arabs during Ba'athist Iraq to insult Feyli Kurds for their belief in Shia Islam |
| 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. |
| Terrorist
|United States |Muslims |Used by radical anti-Islamists, due to anti-Muslim sentiments following September 11 attacks and subsequently ISIS attacks. |
| 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). |{{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}}{{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}} |
| Wahhabi
|Derived from the name of its founder Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, it is used by opponents of his teachings in a derogatory way to refer to his followers, namely the Salafis. |
| Nusayri
|Derived from the name of the founder of the group, Ibn Nusayr. |
Hindus
Buddhists
Sikhs
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Khalistani
|The term is used to stigmatize certain sikh extremists who advocate for a separate ethnic/religious homeland for sikhs, called Khalistan. |{{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}} |
| Lassi
|In reference to the famous beverage Lassi, which sometimes is used a term used to denigrate Sikhs. |
| Osama
|Sikh men (mistaken as Muslims) |After the 9/11 attacks, images of 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. |
| Paki
|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. |
| Raghead
|United Kingdom, United States, Canada |Sikh turban wearers |In reference to the Sikh practice of wearing dastar (turban) resembling a durag |
| Towelhead
|United Kingdom, United States, Canada |Sikh turban wearers |In reference to the Sikh practice of wearing dastar (turban) resembling a towel |
Zoroastrians
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Fire-worshipper
|Iran and elsewhere |Referring to Zoroastrians' veneration of fire as sacred. |Rose, Jenny. 2011. Zoroastrianism: a guide for the perplexed. P. 30 |
Yazidis
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Devil-worshipper
|the Muslim world and elsewhere |Due to confusion of the Peacock Angel of Yazidi belief with Satan. |
Scientologists
| class="wikitable"
!Term !Location of origin !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Clam
|Referring to a passage about clam engrams in L. Ron Hubbard's 1952 book, What To Audit, later renamed Scientology: A History of Man. |
African religions
| class="wikitable"
!Term !width=90|Location !Targeted demographic !Meaning, origin and notes !References |
| Voodoo
|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. |
| Obeah
|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. |
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 Orthodox Christians.{{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}}{{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}}
; 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.{{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}}
; Infidel: A term used generally for non-believers.{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Infidel}}
; Kafir: A derogatory term used by Muslims for a person who is a non believer.{{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 }}{{cite web | url= https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/kafir |title= Kafir |website = macmillandictionary.com |publisher= Macmillan Dictionary |accessdate= 23 June 2023}} Not to be confused with the South-African slur Kaffir.
; Murtad: A word meaning people who left Islam, mainly critics of Islam.{{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}}
;Mushrik: A person who doesn't believe in Tawhid (Islamic monotheism) and practices polytheism, worships idols, saints, ancestors or graves.
;Pagan: A person who believes in a non-Abrahamic religion. Synonymous with heathen.{{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}}
;Savage: A member of a people the speaker regards as primitive and uncivilised. The term has also been applied to non-adherents of Christianity.{{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}}{{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}}
;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.{{Cite Merriam-Webster|shegetz}}{{Cite Merriam-Webster|shiksa}} 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.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."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.Bromley, David Melton, J. Gordon 2002. Cults, Religion, and Violence. West Nyack, New York: Cambridge University Press.
See also
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}}