Hate is most often caused by and directed toward that which is different from us. What we do not understand is what we fear and hate. Nothing divides humans more than religious beliefs, and thus religiously motivated hate is often the cause for some of the worst conflicts in our history.

Governments can be driven to hate out of fear, as is the case in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek government, out of fear of Islamic extremists, have embarked on a campaign to incarcerate, torture and sometimes kill Uzbek Muslims. Sometimes religion is more an identifier for a people, rather than the cause of the conflict. In Northern Ireland, more than 3500 lives were lost in a long conflict between Catholics and Protestants, not so much for there beliefs but for political control associated with the two groups.

Similar conflicts of hate between religious groups can be found in east and Southeast Asia. In China, since 1949, the government has sought to slow down the growth of many religious and spiritual groups such as Christianity and the Falun Gong. In Indonesia, in recent years, there has been major outbreaks of violent clashed between Christians and Muslims. These clashes resulted in the formation of terrorist groups in the region. In India, traditionally the most tolerant of religions, of the countries in region, has seen much conflict with Muslim extremists and terrorist groups.

Sometimes religious hatred is buried in the back pages of a newspaper, and barely noticed by the world. Minority religions are often persecuted in European nations and hardly noticed by those not directly involved. The Roma (Gypsies) are one such group persecuted throughout history and throughout Europe based on the origins of their religious beliefs. At other times a conflict motivated by religious hatred makes the front page weekly if not daily, as is the case with the Israeli-Palestinian battle in the Middle East.