The Caribbean, as with any region, is no stranger to segregation and religious discrimination throughout their society. The International Religious Freedom Act was passed in 1998 by the United States as a foreign policy and included the Caribbean. This act was passed to promote religious freedom and protect those who were charged for practicing their beliefs. In the 2016 International Religious Freedom report, the US department of state categorized the Caribbean as one of many parts of the world in which conditions are far from ideal. Though this is a present-day issue, religious intolerance has been a longstanding issue in the Caribbean, dating all the way back to when the Europeans came and brought their religions with them. The Spanish and French were Roman Catholics, while the British were Protestants and the Dutch brought both Catholicism and Dutch Reform beliefs. When the African slaves were brought to the Caribbean, they too had their own variety of religious practices but were condemned for practicing their own faith and often forced into Christianity. Later on, during the period of indentured labor, Chinese, East Indians, Portuguese, Syrians, Africans and Lebanese came to the region and while they were allowed to practice their own faith, it was looked down upon as inferior through the Eurocentric perspective that was being promoted at the time. Missionaries in the region converted many to Christianity and taught only Christianity in schools as it was seen as better than other religions. Another outcome from the vast difference of cultures present in the region, was the emergence of creolized religions such as Spiritual Baptist, Rastafarianism and Voodoo which have faced many forms of discrimination at all levels even to this day.  This assignment aims to shed light on the factors which affect religious intolerance and mistrust in the Caribbean region today while also giving examples of recent events which supports this claim of religious discrimination amongst the more popular religions in the region including, Rastafarianism, Voodoo, Spiritual Baptist, Hinduism and Islam. Some of these incorporate Christian beliefs however, while Christianity is followed by a large percentage of the Caribbean, due to Eurocentris perspectives placed on the society, the challenges they have faced are minimal compared to others and therefore not much focus is placed on this religion.

Media in all its forms heavily impacts our perspective of religions based on how they are portrayed. Social media and the internet are used as an outlet for both expression and broadcasting of information whether it be accurate or not. It allows for false or biased information to be spread. Religions can be misunderstood by biased accounts of their practices or given a negative connotation by acts carried out by a minority of persons in the faith. For example, Muslims are labelled terrorists and are feared due to the actions of a few who are not a representation of the entire religion. In movies, Muslims are also made to be terrorist characters, creating a stigma that they are associated with that kind of violence. Additionally, films also depict Voodoo in the Caribbean as a form of devil worship associated with using spirits to hurt others. It creates a stereotype and increases the discrimination amongst races. Another stereotype heavily portrayed are Jamaican Rastafarians living a life that is spent everyday on the beach listening to reggae and smoking marijuana. It leads people to believe that they live a laid-back life and does not show that they are hardworking people who also hold professional high-level jobs.