Islam in Slovakia

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In 2010, there were an estimated 10,600 Muslims in Slovakia representing 0.2% of the country's population.[2] In the 17th century a small part of central southern Slovakia was occupied by Ottoman Turks for some time after Turkish settlements were established for example in Novohrad region[citation needed] .

History

Decades after the Hungarian defeat of Mohacs (1526) Turkish troops occupied Štúrovo (Párkány) and other parts of today's southern central Slovakia and encouraged the Protestant Christian groups while Habsburg Austrian troops occupied and recatholized the northern and western parts. Later on the Turks seized some further territories in southern central Slovakia and pillaged in territories up to Nitra. Finally, however, when the Turks lost the Battle of Vienna and the Ottoman vassal Imre Thököly was defeated in Slovakia, between 1687 and 1699 Turkish Ottoman rule in Hungary was finally broken.

Muslim demographics

Most of the Muslims in Slovakia are refugees from former Yugoslavia (Bosnians and Albanians)[citation needed] or workers from modern Turkey (Turks )[citation needed], beside them a few Arab students. Most of the Muslims live in the capital Bratislava, smaller communities also exist in Košice and Martin[citation needed]. A few of the immigrants became Slovak citizen and additionally 150 Slovaks converted to Islam[citation needed] since the end of Communism (1990) and the independence (1993).

Slovakia is the last member state of the European Union without a mosque.[3] In 2000, a dispute erupted about the building of an Islamic centre in Bratislava: the capital's mayor refused such attempts of the Slovak Islamic Waqfs Foundation.

In 2015, amidst the European migrant crisis, Slovakia agreed to admit 200 Christian asylum seekers, but refused to accept Muslims under an EU scheme to share migrants between member states. Slovak Ministry of Interior Affairs explained this decision by the absence of Muslim places of worship in Slovakia which will allegedly complicate the refugees' integration in Slovak society. The decision was criticised by the EU which doubted its legality and expressed concern for its discriminatory nature.[4]

Gallery

References

  1. Pew Forum, 2011-01 report
  2. Pew Research Center (December 18, 2012). Religious Composition by Country 2010
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External links