Religious discrimination leads to loss of personal significance through social exclusion. The case of Syrian and Afghan refugees

Since the conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, negative attitudes towards Muslim refugees are increasing. For some governments and citizens, there is an association between Islam and terrorism. For refugees, the perception of being discriminated based on religion might be associated with a lack of positive treatment (e.g. not being welcomed and accepted), and with social exclusion (e.g. being excluded or rejected). These two factors might raise loss of personal significance, which could favor future radicalization leading to violence. The aim of this investigation was to test whether perceiving religious discrimination is positively associated to loss of significance, and if this association is produced by the perception of a lack of positive treatment and/or by perceptions of social exclusion. Four studies were conducted with Syrian and Afghan refugees in Spain through face-to-face interviews. Preliminary studies 1–2 (Ns = 5 Syrian and 4 Afghan refugees respectively) indicated that the perception of being discriminated based on religion emerged unvaryingly as a main concern. Studies 1–2 (Ns = 45 Syrian and 49 Afghan refugees respectively) confirmed that, for both groups, perceptions of religious discrimination were associated with the perception of a lack of positive treatment, social rejection and loss of significance. A mediation model indicated that the association between the perception of religious discrimination and loss of significance was produced through perceived social exclusion, but not through a lack of positive treatment. Our findings suggests that effective radicalization prevention policies should prioritize combating social exclusion, beyond improving positive intergroup contact with the host population.