Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

They said they felt persecuted.

Some early religion's leaders were persecuted by their enemies.

He persecuted people for their religion.

I find it sick that someone should be persecuted for being single in a society where pleasure and profit are the main goals.

The Romans persecuted Christians.

The separatists are trying to portray Kabyles as an "endangered and persecuted ethnic minority" that needs to seek "independence" from a so-called "Algerian colonial regime." In fact, there are millions of Kabyles in Algeria; they live in every single part of the country; they are perfectly integrated at every level of the Algerian society; they are free to go, work, and live everywhere in Algreria; they intermarry with people from all over Algeria; they massively reject any separatist plans to divide Algeria and their parents and grandparents played a central role in the rise of Algerian nationalism and the liberation of Algeria.

Tom said he felt persecuted.

In France, we leave alone those who start fires, but we persecute those who sound the alarm.

I do not believe progress is possible if our desire to preserve our identities gives way to an impulse to dehumanize or dominate another group. If our religion leads us to persecute those of another faith, if we jail or beat people who are gay, if our traditions lead us to prevent girls from going to school, if we discriminate on the basis of race or tribe or ethnicity, then the fragile bonds of civilization will fray.