Discrimination against atheists includes the persecution and discrimination faced by atheists and those labelled as atheists in the past and in the current era. Differing definitions of atheism historically and culturally mean that those discriminated against might not be considered truly atheist by modern Western standards. In constitutional democracies, legal discrimination against atheists is uncommon, but some atheists and atheist groups, particularly those in the United States, have protested laws, regulations and institutions that they view as being discriminatory. In some Islamic countries, atheists face discrimination including lack of legal status or even a death sentence in the case of apostasy.