What can be decisive for how people treat each other based on their religion and view of life, and the perception of other people's religions and views of life?

Religion has been a source of conflict throughout human history, especially since the rise of the Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism). These conflicts range from struggles among these religions, such as the Jewish Wars in the first century (CE) and the Crusades (in the 11th–13th century), and they also include infighting between Christian and Catholic groups (such as the Thirty Years’ War).

That said, religion is often blamed for violence that is political or cultural in nature. Additionally, when religions have practices that are controversial in the context of human rights (such as jihad, or “holy war,” which is stipulated as one of the commandments of Islam), it attracts the attention of populations representing other religions. These more controversial matters included in sharia (Islam’s code of religious laws) have to do with women’s rights especially (such as their victimization of domestic violence, and their ability to inherit property, as outlined by sharia).

Many religions have adapted to meet the standards of human rights, as well as the modern condition of women and homosexuals, among other things. Islam is not the only religion whose holy texts allude to practices that are inhumane by modern standards, but it is these practices that are the source of much criticism from those outside of a given religion.