我国是一个有着56个民族的多民族国家，各民族大杂居小聚居，民族团结、各民族共同繁荣是我国的一项基本国策。各民族在长期的历史发展中形成了许多很有特色的属于民族的风俗习惯。对这些风俗习惯进行保护，具有重要的意义。　　　本文首先介绍我国古代有关少数民族风俗习惯的规定，然后介绍新民主主义至今我国有关少数民族风俗习惯的规定及刑法第251条的侵犯少数民族风俗习惯罪的相关规定。　　　由于少数民族属于少数人，民族风俗习惯不仅是一种文化权利而且还是非物质文化权利，因此，国际公约中有关少数人文化权利保护的条款同样适用于少数民族风俗习惯的保护。 　　　目前，我国少数民族风俗习惯在刑法保护方面还存在一定的问题。首先，我国是个多民族国家，各少数民族或多或少都形成了一些民族习惯法，这些民族习惯法与刑法在一定程度上也存在冲突，具体表现在民族习惯法与刑法总则中刑罚面前人人平等、罪及个人与一事不再罚的冲突。而民族习惯法与刑法的冲突纠其原因在于少数民族对鬼神的崇拜和宗教信仰、罪刑法定以及二者之间缺乏一种调适机制，而罪刑法定是二者冲突的根本原因。其次，刑法分则第251条侵犯少数民族风俗习惯罪存在一些问题：一是该罪的主体限于国家工作人员将非国家工作人员排除在该罪之外不利于民族风俗习惯的保护；二是该罪的客体规定模糊；三是刑法条文并没有对什么是侵犯少数民族风俗习惯做出具体规定；四是刑法条文并没有对国家工作人员侵犯少数民族风俗习惯是否需要利用职权或是否需要在执行职务时做出相关规定；五是刑法条文并没有对该罪中的强制手段和情节严重做出具体说明。　　　针对我国少数民族风俗习惯刑法保护中存在的问题需要从立法和司法层面对该罪进一步完善。立法层面可以考虑制定专门的保护民族风俗习惯的法规，此外，在对民族习惯法与刑法进行调适时可以适当吸收部分民族习惯法进入到司法领域。当今世界是个多民族的世界，全球许多国家都是有着多民族的，例如加拿大、日本，这些国家在民族风俗习惯保护方面有着成功的经验，我们可以借鉴先进国家的相关经验。　　　最后，随着西部大开发的发展，更多的游客进入到中西部少数民族地区游览，越来越多的人去欣赏、体验少数民族的风俗习惯，不可避免的会造成对少数民族风俗习惯的破坏和侵犯。但是，刑法中涉及少数民族风俗习惯几个罪名的理论研究在刑法学界和理论界研究不够，众多问题上还有进一步讨论的必要。本文希望通过这篇文章，引起学界的重视，加深对相关法条的研究，愿起抛砖引玉之功效。

China is a country with 56 multi-ethnic, which inhabited by different ethnic, national unity, the common prosperity of all ethnic groups is a fundamental state policy of our country .All ethnic groups form a number of unique customs which belong to national in the long historical development. To protect these customs has important significance.　　　This paper describes the relevant provisions of ethnic customs in ancient China, then, introduce the customs regulations on minority from the new democratic to now and the relevant provision of violations of the customs of minority crime of article 251 of criminal law.　　　Because of the minority belongs to the few, ethnic customs is not only a culture right but also a non-material cultural rights, therefore, the international convention on the protection of cultural rights of minorities apply to the protection of minority customs.　　　Currently, we still have some problems in the criminal law protection of the customs of ethnic minorities. In the first, China is a multi-ethnic country, the minorities formed some ethnic customary laws more or less, these ethnic customary laws and criminal law have some conflicts in some extent, such as the conflict between ethnic customary laws and everyone is equal before the criminal punishment, the punishment no longer. The reason for the conflict is that the worship of the gods and religious for ethnics, and lack of an adjustment mechanism between them, legality is the root cause of the conflict. In addition, there are some problems in article 251 of the criminal law；firstly, the subject of the crime are limited to national staff, the non-national staff excluded from the offense is not conducive to the protection of national customs; secondly, the object of the crime is fuzzy；thirdly, the criminal law do not provision what is violate the customs of ethnic minorities；fourthly, the provision do not infringe on weather the national staff need to use the power or not, or need to be made in the performance of duties; the fifth, the criminal do not make specific instructions of coercion and in serious cases.　　　We need to solve the problems from the legislation and the judicial. We may make special legislation to protect national customs and habits from the legislative level, we can absorb part of the national customary laws entered the judicial domain when the national customary laws and the criminal laws are adjusted. Today’s world is a world with many nationalities, many countries around the world have a multi-ethnic, such as Japan, Canada, these countries has many successful experience in protection of national customs and habits, we can learn from advanced countries.　　　At last, with the development of the western develop, more and more tourists entered into the Midwest to visit the minority areas, more and more people to appreciate and experience the habits and customs of ethnic minorities, these behaviors will inevitably damage and encroach the ethnic customs. But, the charges about ethnic customs is not enough researched, we need to further discussion. This paper hopes that through this article it may cause the attention of the academic circle, to deepen the study of the relevant law, to initiate from the effect.