Persecution

n.	1.	The act or practice of persecuting; especially, the infliction of loss, pain, or death for adherence to a particular creed or mode of worship. Persecution produces no sincere conviction. - Paley.
	2.	The state or condition of being persecuted.
	3.	A carrying on; prosecution.

Noun

1.

persecution - the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion)

McCarthyism, abuse, affliction, aggravation, annoyance, bad news, bedevilment, bore, bother, botheration, bothersomeness, bullying, clawing, crashing bore, cruciation, crucifixion, devilment, difficulty, dogging, downer, drag, exasperation, harassing, harassment, harrying, headache, hectoring, hell, hell upon earth, holocaust, horror, hounding, ill-treatment, irritation, laceration, lancination, maltreatment, martyrdom, molestation, nightmare, nuisance, oppression, outrage, passion, pest, problem, punishment, purgatory, rack, red-baiting, subjugation, suppression, torment, tormenting, torture, trial, trouble, tyranny, vexation, vexatiousness, victimization, witch-hunt, witch-hunting, worriment, worry