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EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
EUROPEAN
B
y gathering 35 local scholars, experts, and civil society activists specialized in
racism and human rights, the fifth edition of the European Islamophobia Report
ISLAMOPHOBIA
addresses a still timely and politically important issue. All 32 country reports
included in this book follow a unique structure that is convenient, first, for comparing
REPORT
countries and, second, for selected readings on a particular topic such as politics, em-
ployment, or education with regard to Islamophobia across Europe.
2019
The present report investigates in detail the underlying dynamics that directly or indirectly
ENES BAYRAKLI • FARID HAFEZ (Eds)
support the rise of anti-Muslim racism in Europe. This extends from Islamophobic state-
ments spread in national media to laws and policies that restrain the fundamental rights
of European Muslim citizens and threaten the whole of society. As a result, the European
Islamophobia Report 2019 discusses the impact of anti-Muslim racism on human rights,
multiculturalism, and the state of law in Europe.
This fifth edition of our report highlights how European societies are progressively over-
whelmed by the Islamophobic discourse of the “Great Replacement” and other far-right
conspiracy theories. The 32 country reports demonstrate how governments and main-
stream media participate in reproducing such discourses that put the fundamental rights of
millions of European citizens in jeopardy and how one can counteract these developments.
This compendium of useful insights and data aims to provide European policy-makers,
institutions, and NGOs with recommendations on how to tackle anti-Muslim racism in
Europe seriously.
About SETA
ENES BAYRAKLI • FARID HAFEZ (Eds)
Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) is a non-profit research
institute based in Turkey dedicated to innovative studies on national, regional and in-
ternational issues. SETA is the leading think tank in Turkey and has offices in Ankara,
Istanbul, Washington D.C., Berlin and Brussels. The objective of SETA is to produce
up-to-date and accurate knowledge and analyses in the fields of politics, economy, and
society, and inform policy makers and the public on changing political, economic, social,
and cultural conditions. Through research reports, publications, brain storming sessions,
conferences and policy recommendations, SETA seeks to guide leaders in government,
civil society, and business, and contributes to informed decision making mechanisms.
9 786257 040525
ANKARA • ISTANBUL • WASHINGTON D.C. • BERLIN • BRUSSELS
EUROPEAN
ISLAMOPHOBIA
REPORT
2019
ENES BAYRAKLI • FARID HAFEZ (Eds)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN: 978-625-7040-52-5 COPYRIGHT © 2020 by SETA First Published in 2020 Cover and Layout: Erkan Söğüt Proofreading: Dr. Eva Stamoulou Oral Printed in Turkey, İstanbul by Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık A.Ş., SETA | FOUNDATION FOR POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH Nenehatun Caddesi No: 66 GOP Çankaya 06700 Ankara TÜRKİYE Phone:+90 312.551 21 00 | Fax :+90 312.551 21 90 www.setav.org | info@setav.org | @setavakfi SETA | İstanbul Defterdar Mh. Savaklar Cd. Ayvansaray Kavşağı No: 41-43 Eyüpsultan İstanbul TÜRKİYE Phone: +90 212 315 11 00 | Fax: +90 212 315 11 11 SETA | Washington D.C. 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 1106 Washington, D.C., 20036 USA Phone: 202-223-9885 | Fax: 202-223-6099 www.setadc.org | info@setadc.org | @setadc SETA | Berlin Französische Straße 12, 10117 Berlin Germany Phone: +49 30 20188466 SETA | Brussels Avenue des Arts 27, 1000 Bruxelles, Belgique Tel: +3226520486
ABOUT EDITORS Enes Bayraklı Mr. Bayraklı earned his BA, MA and PhD from the Department of Political Sci- ence at the University of Vienna, and conducted research for his PhD thesis at the University of Nottingham in Britain between 2009 and 2010. He took office as a deputy director at Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Center in London in 2011-2013. Mr. Bayraklı also served as the founding director of Yunus Emre Turkish Cultural Centers in Constanta and Bucharest during the period of August-December 2012. Mr. Bayraklı has been a faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the Turkish-German University since 2013. His fields of research include the Trans- formation of Turkish Foreign Policy, Cultural Diplomacy, Foreign Policy Analysis, German Politics and Foreign Policy. bayrakli@tau.edu.tr Farid Hafez Farid Hafez, PhD (Political Science, University of Vienna), is a political scientist and non-resident senior researcher at Georgetown University’s “The Bridge Initiative” at the School of Foreign Service. He defended his habilitation thesis on “Islam Politics in the Second Republic of Austria” at the University of Salzburg in 2019. In 2017, he was a Fulbright visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley and in 2014, he was a visiting scholar at Columbia University, New York. Since 2010, he has been the editor of the Islamophobia Studies Yearbook, and since 2015 the co-editor of the European Islamophobia Report. Hafez has received the Bruno Kreisky Award for the “Political Book of the Year” for his anthology Islamophobia in Austria (co-edited with John Bunzl). He has more than 100 publications in leading journals such as Politics and Religion, Patterns of Prejudice, and German Politics and Society. His latest publications are Islamophobia in Muslim Majority Societies (Routledge, co-edited with Enes Bayrakli, 2019) and Feindbild Islam. Über die Salonfähigkeit von Rassismus (Islam- ophobia. On the Acceptance of Racism. Bohlau, 2019). Email: farid.hafez@sbg.ac.att For more information about the EIR: www.islamophobiaeurope.com islamophobia@setav.org
ISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
ISLAMOPHOBIA IN
SLOVAKIA
NATIONAL REPORT 2019
JOZEF LENČ
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 703
EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019 704 setav.org
ISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA The Author Jozef Lenč is an assistant professor at the Department of Philosophy and Applied Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, Slovakia. His research focuses on the relationship of religion and politics, especially in regards to political parties, Islam, and Islamic philosophy. Lenč is a commentator of Slovak and international politics, especially regarding the Middle East. He has co-authored the book Young Migrants in the Slovak Society (2012) and is the author of the book Religion in Politics and the Position of Religious Political Parties (2016). Email: jozef.lenc@ucm.sk Disclaimer: Statements of fact and opinion in the national reports of the European Islamophobia Report are those of the respective authors. They are not the expression of the editors or the funding institutions. No representation, either expressed or im- plied, is made of the accuracy of the material in the national reports. The editors of the European Islamophobia Report cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The reader must make his or her own evaluation of the accuracy and appropriateness of the material. To cite this report: Jozef Lenč: Islamophobia in Slovakia: National Report 2019, in: Enes Bayraklı & Farid Hafez, European Islamophobia Report 2019, Istanbul, SETA, 2020. islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 705
EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
Executive Summary
In 2019, Islamophobia in Slovakia manifested itself mainly in social networks, po-
litical campaigns, and in several media that published conspiracy theory articles
especially in connection to repeated proposals to tighten the abortion law and to
the parliamentary debate on the so-called Istanbul Convention (Council of Europe
convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic
violence). Politicians spreading Islamophobic views not only enjoyed more media
coverage during parliamentary debates, but Islamophobic narrative became an im-
portant part of the campaign before the presidential election (March 2019) and the
European Parliament election (May 2019).
Politicians, both the government coalition and parts of the opposition, have
used Islamophobic statements in their election campaigns (2019). Some politicians
repeatedly ignore the fact that Muslims are citizens of the Slovak Republic and that
they have the same rights and obligations as other citizens. Slovak Muslims are re-
peatedly associated with terrorism, illegal migration, and labelled as a security threat
to Slovakia.
In this light, the positive change from previous years is that the legislative po-
sition of Muslims in Slovakia has not deteriorated. Slovak Muslims were also par-
tially publicly supported by the new President Zuzana Čaputova. In 2019, several
non-governmental organisations, in cooperation with the Islamic Foundation in Slo-
vakia, joined a series of discussions on interfaith dialogue to mitigate the effects of
Islamophobia.
706 setav.orgISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
Zhrnutie
Verejné prejavy islamofóbie sa v roku 2019 sa sústredili prednostne na sociálne siete.
Napriek tomu sa šíreniu islamofóbie venoval relatívne veľký mediálny priestor. Na-
jmä v súvislosti s opakovanými návrhmi sprísnenia zákona o interrupciách a v par-
lamentnej diskusii o tzv. Istanbulskom dohovore (Dohovor Rady Európy o pred-
chádzaní násiliu na ženách a domácemu násiliu a o boji proti nemu). Politici, ktorí
šíria islamofóbne názory, mali väčší mediálny priestor nielen počas parlamentných
debát, ale tiež počas kampane pred prezidentskými voľbami (marec 2019), a voľbami
do Európskeho parlamentu (máj 2019).
Politici (vládnej koalície a časti opozície) využívali islamofóbne vyjadrenia v
predvolebnej kampani, iní sa negatívne vyjadrovali smerom k moslimom v ad hoc
situáciách naprieč celým rokom. Veľká časť politikov opakovane ignoruje fakt, že
moslimovia sú občanmi Slovenskej republiky. Slovenskí moslimovia sú tiež často
spájaní s terorizmom, nelegálnou migráciou a sú označovaní za bezpečnostnú hrozbu
pre Slovensko.
V tomto svetle je pozitívnou zmenou oproti minulým rokom to, že sa legis-
latívne postavenie moslimov na Slovensku nezhoršilo. Slovenských moslimov sa či-
astočne verejne zastala aj nová prezidentka Zuzana Čaputová. V roku 2019 sa viaceré
mimovládne organizácie v spolupráci s Islamskou nadáciou na Slovensku zapojili do
série diskusií spojených s medzináboženským dialógom s cieľom zmierniť dopady
politickej islamofóbie na spoločnosť.
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 707EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
Country Profile
EIR 2019
Country: Slovakia
Type of Regime: Unitary Parliamentary Republic
Form of Government: Parliamentary System
Ruling Parties: SMER-SD (Direction-Social Democracy, left-wing populism,
nationalism), SNS (Slovak National Party, nationalism), Most-Hid (Bridge, centre)
Opposition Parties: SaS (Freedom and Solidarity, national liberalism, Euro-
scepticism); OĽaNO-NOVA-KU-ZZ (Ordinary People and Independent Personali-
ties, conservativism, populism); K-LSNS (Kotlebovci – People’s Party – Our Slovakia,
neo-fascism); Sme Rodina (We Are Family, national conservativism, social populism)
Last Elections: 2019 Presidential Election (Zuzana Čaputova [Independent]
won 58.41% of the vote against 41.59% of Maroš Šefčovič [SMER-SD]); 2016
Legislative Election (SMER-SD; Robet Fico: 49 seats, SaS; Richard Sulik: 21 seats,
OLaNO-NOVA-KU-ZZ; Igor Matovič: 19 seats, SNS; Andrej Danko: 15 seats,
K-LSNS; Marian Kotleba: 14 seats, Sme Rodina; Boris Kollár, 11 seats, Most-Híd;
Béla Bugár, 11 seats, Sieť [Network]; Radoslav Procházka, 10 seats); next Legislative
Election 29 February 2020.
Total Population: 5.45 million (2018)
Major Languages: Slovak
Official Religion: No official religion (secularism)
Statistics on Islamophobia: The Slovak Republic doesn’t have official statistics
that report Islamophobia and hate crimes against Muslims.
Statistics on Racism and Discrimination: N/A
Major Religions (% of Population): Catholic Church (62.0%), No Religion
(13.4%), Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession (5.9%), Greek Catholic
Church (3.8%), Reformed Christian Church (1.8%)
Muslim Population (% of Population): 4,800-5,000 people (0.001%) in 2018
Main Muslim Community Organizations: Islamic Foundation in Slovakia
(ISN), Foundation al-Huda in Kosice, Association of Muslims in Central Slovakia
– al-Bakara
Main NGOs Combating Islamophobia: Islamic Foundation in Slovakia, Fo-
rum of the World Religions Slovakia, Open Society Foundation, Centre for Research
of Ethnicity and Culture
Far-Right Parties: Kotlebovci – People’s Party Our Slovakia (Kotleba – Ľudová
strana naše Slovensko, K-ĽSNS), Homeland (Vlasť), Slovak Revival Movement (Slov-
enské hnutie obrody, SHO)
Far-Right Movements: Our Homeland Is the Future (Naša vlasť je budúcnosť,
NVB)
Far-Right Terrorist Organizations: N/A
708 setav.orgISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
Limitations to Islamic Practices:
ű Hijab Ban: None
ű Halal Slaughter Ban: None
ű Minaret Ban: None. In 2017, members of the alt-right political party We Are
Family submitted a law to parliament banning the construction of mosques,
which was not accepted.
ű Circumcision Ban: None
ű Burka Ban: None
ű Prayer Ban: None
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 709EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
Introduction
In 2019, four events that influenced the perception of the Muslim community in
the eyes of the public and defined the possibilities of its future status are crucial for
evaluating the manifestations of Islamophobia in Slovakia.
The beginning of the year was marked by a campaign that preceded the pres-
idential election in March 2019. The campaign included candidates who openly
spread lies about Muslims and migrants in general, and thus supported widespread
prejudice towards the Muslim community in Slovakia. Their statements were mainly
based on the various conspiracies and arguments used in previous years by the far
right in parliamentary debates in order to enforce legislation that would curtail the
rights of Muslims, and respectively protect Slovakia from mass migration.
The European Parliament elections in Slovakia (May 2019) was the space in
which the extreme right political parties and Eurosceptic political entities used the
“Muslim card” and the threat of “bringing refugees to Slovakia”. This was part of
the campaign of the K-LSNS, the SNS, and some smaller political parties that were
formed shortly before the European Parliament elections (Christian Union, Chris-
tian Democracy – Life and Prosperity).
In the autumn of 2019, the Slovak Parliament was once again embroiled in a de-
bate about the so-called Istanbul Convention. The main motto of the opponents of
the international documentary to help reduce domestic violence and violence against
women was “Stop the evil from Istanbul”. This was seized by several Islamophobic
organisations who wanted to exploit the fear of Islam (exemplified in this instance
by Istanbul) as an element in the general rejection of the convention, which they
blamed, in particular, for the spread of so-called gender ideology.
In November 2019, the official campaign for the parliamentary elections of
2020 began. Several political parties decided to run their political campaigns on a
platform premised on the fear of Islam. They spoke again of the threat of “bringing
migrants to Slovakia” or said they wouldn’t allow a “comprehensive Muslim commu-
nity” in Slovakia.1
Discussion of Islamophobic Incidents and
Discursive Events
Physical and Verbal Attacks
The Slovak Republic doesn’t provide statistics on attacks that are motivated by hatred
of a particular religion. Physical or verbal attacks against Muslims, which were re-
1. Jozef Lenč, “Predvolebná kampaň 2020: V znamení šírenia strachu z islámu a muslimov”, IslamOnline.sk, 31
December 2019, http://www.islamonline.sk/2019/12/predvolebna-kampan-2020-v-znameni-sirenia-strachu-z-isla-
mu-a-muslimov/, (Access date: 25 January 2020).
710 setav.orgISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
ported in previous reports on Islamophobia in Slovakia, were reported to the Islamic
Foundation in Slovakia, which informed the public about them. For 2019, it did not
report any information on physical violence against Muslims.
Employment
It is not possible to ascertain from the available sources any data that Muslim women
or men in Slovakia were discriminated against on the basis of their religion. There
were no recorded Islamophobic instances that could be labelled as discriminatory in
the context of the employment of Muslims in Slovak workplaces in 2019.
Education
In Slovakia, the long-term problem is that most Slovak history textbooks describe
the era of the Ottoman Empire’s domination of the Kingdom of Hungary (including
parts of today’s Slovakia) as a period of darkness in the country’s national history, full
of oppression and violence by the Turks. This interpretation of history is one of the
reasons for the negative view in Slovak society of Islam.2 This historical interpreta-
tion is also used by Christian organisations or extreme right-wing political parties
to spread a negative image of Muslims.3 The most common argument is the unsuc-
cessful siege of Vienna by the Ottomans and the victory of Christians over Muslims,
which is interpreted as a key event in defending Europe against Islam.4
Politics
In the presidential election of March 2019, candidates ran three different types of
campaigns in terms of their position vis-à-vis Muslims. The first category included
those who stylised themselves on the position that they will protect Slovakia from the
threat of future Islamisation. This included former chairman of the Supreme Court
of the Slovak Republic Štefan Harabin and chairman of the neo-Nazi political party
K-LSNS, Marián Kotleba. Both candidates associated the threat of Islamisation of
Slovakia with the “dictate of Brussels” and if they did not win the elections, the EU
would import Muslim migrants to Slovakia.5
In the campaign, Kotleba criticised President Kiska for awarding German Chan-
cellor Angela Merkel the highest state decoration, the Order of the White Double
2. Radoslav Štefančík and Jozef Lenč, “Mladí migranti v slovenskej spoločnosti, Medzinárodná migrácia, moslimo-
via, štát a verejná mienka”, (Tribun EU, Brno: 2012), pp. 104-121.
3. “Absurdné! V bitke pri Viedni sa Európa zachránila pred moslimskou inváziou. Dnes sa za to hanbí”, Kotlebovci
– ĽSNS, 26 September 2018, http://www.naseslovensko.net/nase-nazory/absurdne-v-bitke-pri-viedni-sa-europa-
zachranila-pred-moslimskou-invaziou-dnes-sa-za-to-hanbi/, (Access date: 25 January 2020).
4. “Keď sa bojovalo o Viedeň”, Katolícke noviny, 20 May 2019, https://www.katolickenoviny.sk/kultura/category/
kultura/article/ked-sa-bojovalo-o-vieden.xhtml, (Access date: 25 January 2020).
5. Karol Sudor, “Unavený Harabin strašil, že do Veľkého Krtíša môže prísť 200-tisíc migrantov. Zoštátnil by vere-
jnoprávne médiá”, Denník N, 10 March 2019, https://dennikn.sk/1404981/unaveny-harabin-strasil-ze-do-velke-
ho-krtisa-moze-prist-200-tisic-migrantov-zostatnil-by-verejnopravne-media/, (Access date: 26 January 2020); Tibor
Habo, “Kotlebovci strašia islamom na novom webe, propagujú ho aj bilbordy”, Aktuality.sk, 9 January 2019, https://
www.aktuality.sk/clanok/654792/kotlebovci-strasia-islamom-na-novom-webe/, (Access date: 26 January 2020).
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 711EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
Cross of the First Class, saying that she “has flooded all Europe with Africans and
Muslims and made Germany die in two generations”.6 His campaign included ad-
vertising the website stratenaeuropa.sk7 as well as an allegedly “scary document from
our visit to immigrant-dominated European cities”. The essence of this “document”
was the spread of lies that cities in Western Europe are full of Muslims and immi-
grants who have created no-go zones and terrorize Europeans.8 For this campaign,
the Institute for Human Rights filed a criminal complaint against the K-LSNS.9
The Advertising Standards Council also had a problem with Kotleba’s Islamophobic
advertising; the council decided that such advertising was unethical.10
Figure 1: K-LSNS poster for their Islamophobic campaign “Lost Europe”. Part of the campaign was a film showing how
“Muslims gradually control Europe” (Spring 2019).11
Figure 1: K-LSNS poster for their Islamophobic campaign “Lost Europe”. Part of the campaign was a film
showing how "Muslims gradually control Europe" (Spring 2019). 11
6. “Marián Kotleba kritizuje Kisku za udelenie vyznamenania Merkelovej”, Kotlebovci – LSNS, 8 February 2019,
http://www.naseslovensko.net/nase-nazory/vyhlasenia/marian-kotleba-kritizuje-kisku-za-udelenie-vyznamena-
nia-merkelovej/, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
7. It is a project of the political party Kotlebovci-LSNS, which they used in the campaign before the presidential and
EP elections with the intention of spreading fear of Muslims and migrants and questioned Slovakia’s EU member-
ship. Stratená Európa, http://www.stratenaeuropa.sk/, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
8. “Film Stratená Európa, zobrazujúci desivé následky imigrácie, si prišli napriek zákazom pozrieť prvé stovky ľudí”,
Kotlebovci – LSNS, 8 October 2019, http://www.naseslovensko.net/cinnost/film-stratena-europa-zobrazujuci-de-
sive-nasledky-imigracie-si-prisli-napriek-zakazom-pozriet-prve-stovky-ludi/, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
9. Soňa Otajovičová, “Inštitút ľudských práv podáva trestné oznámenie na Kotlebovu kampaň”, StartitUp, 11 Feb-
ruary 2019, https://www.startitup.sk/institut-ludskych-prav-podava-trestne-oznamenie-na-kotlebovu-kampan/,
(Access date: 6 February 2020).
10. Rebeka Kosečeková, “Bilbord Kotlebovcov je neetický, rozhodla Rada pre reklamu”, Trend, 30 January 2019,
https://medialne.etrend.sk/marketing/bilbord-kotlebovcov-je-neeticky-rozhodla-rada-pre-reklamu.html, (Access
date: 6 February 2020); “Kotleba narazil. S jeho bilbordami má problém Rada pre reklamu”, Hospodárske noviny, 31
January 2019, https://strategie.hnonline.sk/marketing/1883166-kotleba-narazil-s-jeho-billboardmi-ma-problem-
Figure 2: K-LSNS
rada-pre-reklamu, poster
(Access date: 6for their Islamophobic
February 2020). campaign “Lost Europe”. “Immigrants occupy Europe” (Spring
2019).
11.
12
Stratená Európa, http://www.stratenaeuropa.sk/ (Access date: 6 February 2020).
During the campaign, Stefan Harabin spread fake news that 11,000 migrants had arrived in
712 setav.org
Slovakia. 13 He stated, “Migration policy (EU) is clear: replace our Christian families with
Muslim families”. 14ISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
Figure 1: K-LSNS poster for their Islamophobic campaign “Lost Europe”. Part of the campaign was a film
showing how "Muslims gradually control Europe" (Spring 2019). 11
Figure 2: K-LSNS poster for their Islamophobic campaign “Lost Europe”. “Immigrants occupy Europe” (Spring 2019).12
Figure 2: K-LSNSDuringposter for
thetheir Islamophobic
campaign, Stefan campaign “Lost Europe”.
Harabin spread fake news“Immigrants
that 11,000occupy
migrants Europe” (Spring
2019). 12
had arrived in Slovakia.13 He stated, “Migration policy (EU) is clear: replace our
Christian families with Muslim families”.14
During the campaign, Stefan Harabin spread fake news that 11,000 migrants had arrived in
The second group of candidates consisted of those who opposed migration,
Slovakia. 13 without
He stated, “Migration
explicitly associatingpolicyit with(EU)
Muslims is clear: replace our
and Islamisation. ThisChristian
included the families with
candidates
Muslim families”. 14 Maroš Šefčovič (Smer-SD) and the candidate Milan Krajniak (We Are
Family).15 The last group consisted of candidates who didn’t have a negative attitude
towards Muslims. This included the election winner and current President of the
Slovak Republic Zuzana Čaputová.
11
Stratená Európa, http://www.stratenaeuropa.sk/ (Access date: 6 February 2020).
12 At the endstrašia
Tibor Habo, “Kotlebovci of May 2019, elections
islamom na novomtowebe,
the European
propagujú Parliament were held
ho aj bilbordy”, in Slo-
Aktuality.sk, 9 January
vakia. Several political parties that ran in the election did not conceal their negative
2019, https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/654792/kotlebovci-strasia-islamom-na-novom-webe/, (Access date: 26
January 2020).attitude towards refugees and Muslims. These parties were the K-LSNS,16the SNS,
13
“President Candidate
and We Are Štefan Harabin
Family. SomeInsists: Migrants parties
of the marginal Are thewe Biggest Problem!”,
can mention Nový Čas,
are Christian De-11 March 2019,
https://www.cas.sk/clanok/813698/kandidat-na-prezidenta-stefan-harabin-trva-na-svojom-najvaecsim-
problemom-su-migranti-video/, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
14
Peter Kováč, “Harabin Screams and Sings at Meetings. He Also Mentions Soros”, SME, 15 February 2019,
https://domov.sme.sk/c/22050614/harabin-na-mitingoch-krici-i-spieva-spomina-aj-sorosa.html, (Access date: 6
12. Tibor Habo, “Kotlebovci strašia islamom na novom webe, propagujú ho aj bilbordy”, Aktuality.sk, 9 January
2019, https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/654792/kotlebovci-strasia-islamom-na-novom-webe/, (Access date: 26 Jan-
February 2020).
uary 2020).
13. “President Candidate Štefan Harabin Insists: Migrants Are the Biggest Problem!”, Nový Čas, 11 March 2019,
https://www.cas.sk/clanok/813698/kandidat-na-prezidenta-stefan-harabin-trva-na-svojom-najvaecsim-proble-
mom-su-migranti-video/, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
14. Peter Kováč, “Harabin Screams and Sings at Meetings. He Also Mentions Soros”, SME, 15 February 2019,
https://domov.sme.sk/c/22050614/harabin-na-mitingoch-krici-i-spieva-spomina-aj-sorosa.html, (Access date: 6
February 2020).
15. Krajniak stated, “I think that Slovakia should be very careful about asylum seekers, especially from Muslim coun-
tries. Mass migration from Muslim countries is a security risk”. “Veľká anketa Pravdy: Kľúčové názory kandidátov na
prezidenta”, Pravda, 13 March 2019, https://spravy.pravda.sk/prezidentske-volby-2019/clanok/505137-velka-anke-
ta-pravdy-klucove-nazory-kandidatov/, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
16. “K-LSNS election newspaper”, http://www.naseslovensko.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/noviny-lsns-2019-
05.pdf, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 713EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
mocracy – Life and Prosperity (KDZP)17 and the National Coalition (NK).18 These
parties shared a negative view of the European policy of openness to immigrants,
spread fear of migrants (Muslims) and of the so-called threat of Islamisation to Slo-
vakia.19 The campaign again revealed negative statements by former Prime Minister
Fico against Slovak Muslims.20
Figure 3: Excerpt from the newspaper K-LSNS. The underlined sentence writes, “I want our towns and villages to
continue to sound beautiful church bells, not the cries of mosques.” (April 2019)21
Figure 3: Excerpt from the newspaper K-LSNS. The underlined sentence writes, “I want our towns and villages to
continue toInsound
2019, several
beautiful timesbells,
church (March
not theand
criesNovember)
of mosques.” the parliament
(April 2019) 21 debated the so-called
Istanbul Convention. The whole debate was held on the slogan “Let’s stop evil from
In 2019, several times (March and November) the parliament debated the so-called Istanbul
Istanbul”. Critics of the convention linked the fear of liberalism with the fear of Islam.22
Convention. The whole debate was held on the slogan “Let's stop evil from Istanbul”. Critics
of the convention
17. Viliam linked
Oberhauser wrote,the fear
“The of liberalism
churches withinto
are transformed themuseums
fear ofand often 22
Islam. intoMP Mazurek
undignified stalls.stated,
That
is the reality. However, the migration of the Muslim population to Western European countries is rapidly accelerat-
“This
ing is
thisa process”.
direct attack
Postoj, 4on the2019,
April essence of the whole European civilisation, on the essence of our
https://blog.postoj.sk/42203/gender-ideologiu-na-zapade-zastavia-moslimo-
via-a-na-vychode-krestania, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
culture, nations, faith, simply everything”. 23 The debate was most abused by MPs of the parties
18. “In order to protect the cultural identity and Christian roots of European nations, the National Coalition (NK)
K-LSNS andoppose
will always SNS,theand someofindependent
promotion MPs
political Islam and who
Sharia endorse
law in the protection
Europe, which we perceive asofantraditional
immediate
threat to our European civilization.” “Programové tézy”, Národnej koalície, https://narodnakoalicia.sk/program-
24
values. At the end of 2019, the debate on abortion was reopened
ove-tezy-narodnej-koalicie-pre-volby-do-europskeho-parlamentu-2019/, (Access in the7 February
date: National2020).
Council. The
K-LSNS MPsboasted
19. K-LSNS combined the banthat
in its campaign onLukáš
abortion
Kopáč, with the need
the organiser of thetobiggest
protect Christian
protest against theEurope and
Islamisation
of Slovakia in 2015, was also on its candidate list. “Lukáš Kopáč - Organizer of the Biggest Anti-Migration Protest,
25
protect Slovakia
Will Be against
Candidate Islamisation.
to European Parliamentary Election”, Naše Slovensko, 25 January 2019, http://www.naseslov-
ensko.net/imigracna-kriza/v-eurovolbach-bude-za-ls-nase-slovensko-kandidovat-aj-lukas-kopac-organizator-najvac-
sieho-protiimigracneho-protestu/, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
21 20. Daniela
Naše Hajčáková,
Slovensko, “Za “Fica
záujmykritizovali za moslimov,
Slovenska, Sulík frakciu zopustil
proti nezmyslom pre eurooptimizmus”,
Bruselu,” Naše Slovensko, SME, 22 May
May 2019,
2019, https://domov.sme.sk/c/22126965/eurovolby-volby-brusel-frakcie.html, (Access date:
http://www.naseslovensko.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/noviny-lsns-2019-05.pdf, 7 February
(Access date: 2020).
12 March
2020).
21. Naše Slovensko, “Za záujmy Slovenska, proti nezmyslom z Bruselu,” Naše Slovensko, May 2019, http://www.
22
Zastavme násilie, “Instanbulský dohovor: mýty a fakty. Reakcia na kampaň
naseslovensko.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/noviny-lsns-2019-05.pdf, (AccessZastavme zlo z 2020).
date: 12 March Istanbulu”, blog
Dennik N, 30 November 2017, https://dennikn.sk/blog/956850/istanbulsky-dohovor-myty-a-fakty-reakcia-na-
22. Zastavme násilie, “Instanbulský dohovor: mýty a fakty. Reakcia na kampaň Zastavme zlo z Istanbulu”, blog Den-
kampan-zastavme-zlo-z-istanbulu-ktorej-organizatori-siria-nespravne-skreslene-a-zavadzajuce-informacii-o-
nik N, 30 November (Access
istanbulskom-dohovore/, 2017, https://dennikn.sk/blog/956850/istanbulsky-dohovor-myty-a-fakty-reakcia-na-kam-
date: 7 February 2020); Slovenský dohovor za rodinu, “Zastavme zlo z
pan-zastavme-zlo-z-istanbulu-ktorej-organizatori-siria-nespravne-skreslene-a-zavadzajuce-informacii-o-istanbuls-
Istanbulu”, 11 November 2017, https://slovenskydohovorzarodinu.sk/zastavme-zlo-z-istambulu/, (Access date: 7
kom-dohovore/,
February (Accessrozum
2020); “Zdravý date: 7zvíťazil
Februarynad2020); Slovenský
ideológiou. dohovor
Pozrite za rodinu,
si, ktorí “Zastavme
poslanci zlo z Istanbulu”,
na Slovensku 11 z
odmietli zlo
November
Istanbulu”, 2017, https://slovenskydohovorzarodinu.sk/zastavme-zlo-z-istambulu/,
Hlavné (Access date: 7 February 2020);
správy, 29 March 2019, https://www.hlavnespravy.sk/zdravy-rozum-zvitazil-ideologiou-
“Zdravý rozum zvíťazil nad ideológiou. Pozrite si, ktorí poslanci (Access
pozrite-ktori-poslanci-slovensku-odmietli-zlo-istanbulu/1712731, na Slovensku
date: odmietli zlo 2020).
7 February z Istanbulu”, Hlavné
23
Milan29 March
správy, Mazurek, “Vystúpenia v rámci 43. schôdze NR SR”, 29 March
2019, https://www.hlavnespravy.sk/zdravy-rozum-zvitazil-ideologiou-pozrite-ktori-poslanci-slov- 2019,
https://www.nrsr.sk/web/Default.aspx?sid=schodze/rozprava/vyhladavanie&CisObdobia=7&CPT=&CisSchodze
ensku-odmietli-zlo-istanbulu/1712731, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
=43&PoslanecID=975&DatumOd=1900-1-1%200:0:0&DatumDo=2100-1-1%200:0:0&TypVystupenia=,
(Access date: 7 February 2020).
24
“Parlament opäť odmietol Istanbulský dohovor”, SME, 28 November 2019,
https://domov.sme.sk/c/22270910/parlament-opatovne-odmietol-istanbulsky-dohovor.html,
714 (Accesssetav.org
date: 6
February 2020).
25
“Rozprava k návrhu novely zákony o umelom prerušení tehotenstva”, NR SR, 3 December 2019,
https://www.nrsr.sk/web/default.aspx?SectionId=104, (Access date: 6 February 2020).ISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
MP Mazurek stated, “This is a direct attack on the essence of the whole European civil-
isation, on the essence of our culture, nations, faith, simply everything”.23 The debate
was most abused by MPs of the parties K-LSNS and SNS, and some independent MPs
who endorse the protection of traditional values.24 At the end of 2019, the debate on
abortion was reopened in the National Council. The K-LSNS MPs combined the ban
on abortion with the need to protect Christian Europe and protect Slovakia against
Islamisation.25
In early November 2019, the campaign was launched for the parliamentary
elections to be held in February 2020. Since the beginning of the campaign, Mus-
lims have been attacked by the political parties the Homeland, K-LSNS, Christian
Democracy – Life and Prosperity (KDZP), and Smer-SD.26 The Homeland prom-
ised to “preserve normal Slovakia”. The abnormality, which, according to the party,
threatens the sovereignty of the Slovak Republic, took several forms and one of them
is Islam and migrants.27 During its election meetings, the K-LSNS extended the
message that the European Union wants to cancel Christmas.28 KDZP candidates
running for K-LSNS promised voters that they have solutions to avert the Islamisa-
tion of Europe and Slovakia.29 Finally, former Prime Minister Robert Fico returned
to make statements on Muslims, reiterating his previous words that “Islam has no
place in Slovakia”.30
23. Milan Mazurek, “Vystúpenia v rámci 43. schôdze NR SR”, 29 March 2019, https://www.nrsr.sk/web/Default.
aspx?sid=schodze/rozprava/vyhladavanie&CisObdobia=7&CPT=&CisSchodze=43&PoslanecID=975&Datu-
mOd=1900-1-1%200:0:0&DatumDo=2100-1-1%200:0:0&TypVystupenia=, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
24. “Parlament opäť odmietol Istanbulský dohovor”, SME, 28 November 2019, https://domov.sme.sk/c/22270910/
parlament-opatovne-odmietol-istanbulsky-dohovor.html, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
25. “Rozprava k návrhu novely zákony o umelom prerušení tehotenstva”, NR SR, 3 December 2019, https://www.
nrsr.sk/web/default.aspx?SectionId=104, (Access date: 6 February 2020).
26. Jozef Lenč, “Predvolebná kampaň 2020: V znamení šírenia strachu z islámu a muslimov”, IslamOnline, 31
December 2019, http://www.islamonline.sk/2019/12/predvolebna-kampan-2020-v-znameni-sirenia-strachu-z-isla-
mu-a-muslimov/, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
27. “Spojme sa za normálne Slovensko!”, Strana Vlasť, https://stranavlast.sk/hlasovanie-buducnost-slovenska/?fb-
clid=IwAR3jBGgXBOfVd3fPOk6tdqzLD7GOecDmzYkQ5PnActHdv55HMgwnpFuLlgQ, (Access date: 7 Feb-
ruary 2020).
28. “Kotleba: Nikdy nedovolíme, aby zo Slovenska urobili multikultúrny chliev, aký je na západe”, Magazin 1,
17 December 2019, https://magazin1.sk/kotleba-nikdy-nedovolime-aby-zo-slovenska-urobili-multikulturny-ch-
liev-aky-je-na-zapade-video/?fbclid=IwAR2DaR_6qxR5T28io-ek3l1R465pewn6xdBakGdYVViAXWwxD-
c3708URRV8, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
29. “Islamizácia Európy sa dá odvrátiť konkrétnymi rozhodnutiami”, KDZP, 28 April 2019, http://www.kdzp.sk/
islamizacia-europy-sa-da-odvratit-konkretnymi-rozhodnutiami/, (Access date: 15 February 2020).
30. Jozef Lenč, “Fico už hovorí to, čo kotlebovci”, SME, 3 February 2020, https://komentare.sme.sk/c/22316689/
fico-uz-hovori-to-co-kotlebovci.html, (Access date: 15 February 2020); “Fico v rozhovore: Nechceme meniť tradí-
cie, islam tu nemá miesto”, Pravda, 26 May 2016, https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/394210-fico-v-rozhovo-
re-nechceme-menit-tradicie-islam-tu-nema-miesto/, (Access date: 15 February 2020).
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 715extended the message that the European Union wants to cancel Christmas. 28 KDZP candidates
running for K-LSNS promised voters that they have solutions to avert the Islamisation of
EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
29
Europe and Slovakia. Finally, former Prime Minister Robert Fico returned to make statements
on Muslims, reiterating his previous words that “Islam has no place in Slovakia”.30
Media
In the Slovak media, rooted stereotypes about Islam and Muslims are repeatedly present. T
year 2019 was not an exception: Slovak media repeatedly used tabloid-like information abo
Muslims and Islam in news and commentaries. Some outlets approached the topic of Muslim
by employing conspiracy theories and fake news.
Another negative phenomenon in the context of most Slovak media which contributes to t
Figure 4: K-LSNS pre-election poster with the text: “We wish you a beautiful traditional Christmas until the European
spread
Union of Islamophobia
forbids is the selection of tabloid-style and often irrelevant content to increa
them.” (December 2019) 31
Figure 4: K-LSNS pre-election poster with the text: "We wish you a beautiful traditional Christmas until the
readability.
Media Most ofUnion
European the forbids
information about2019)
them." (December Islam
31 concerns terrorism, political violence, civ
wars, theSlovak
In the threatmedia,
of migration, or unverified
rooted stereotypes reports
about Islam of religiously
and Muslims motivated
are repeatedly pres- attacks in Musli
ent. The year 2019 was not an exception: Slovak media repeatedly used tabloid-like
countries.
information about Muslims and Islam in news and commentaries. Some outlets
approached the topic of Muslims, by employing conspiracy theories and fake news.
26
Jozef Lenč, “Predvolebná kampaň 2020: V znamení šírenia strachu z islámu a muslimov”, IslamOnline, 31
December 2019, http://www.islamonline.sk/2019/12/predvolebna-kampan-2020-v-znameni-sirenia-strachu-z-
islamu-a-muslimov/, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
27
“Spojme sa za normálne Slovensko!”, Strana Vlasť, https://stranavlast.sk/hlasovanie-buducnost-
slovenska/?fbclid=IwAR3jBGgXBOfVd3fPOk6tdqzLD7GOecDmzYkQ5PnActHdv55HMgwnpFuLlgQ,
(Access date: 7 February 2020).
28
“Kotleba: Nikdy nedovolíme, aby zo Slovenska urobili multikultúrny chliev, aký je na západe”, Magazin 1, 17
December 2019, https://magazin1.sk/kotleba-nikdy-nedovolime-aby-zo-slovenska-urobili-multikulturny-chliev-
aky-je-na-zapade-video/?fbclid=IwAR2DaR_6qxR5T28io-
ek3l1R465pewn6xdBakGdYVViAXWwxDc3708URRV8, (Access date: 7 February 2020).
29
“Islamizácia Európy sa dá odvrátiť konkrétnymi rozhodnutiami”, KDZP, 28 April 2019,
http://www.kdzp.sk/islamizacia-europy-sa-da-odvratit-konkretnymi-rozhodnutiami/, (Access date: 15 February
2020).
30
Jozef Lenč, “Fico už hovorí to, čo kotlebovci”, SME, 3 February 2020,
https://komentare.sme.sk/c/22316689/fico-uz-hovori-to-co-kotlebovci.html, (Access date: 15 February 2020);
“Fico v rozhovore: Nechceme meniť tradície, islam tu nemá miesto”, Pravda, 26 May 2016,
https://spravy.pravda.sk/domace/clanok/394210-fico-v-rozhovore-nechceme-menit-tradicie-islam-tu-nema-
miesto/, (Access date: 15 February 2020).
31
Ján Benčík, “Kotlebovské Vianoce,” blog Denník N, 28 December 2019,
https://dennikn.sk/blog/1698885/kotlebovske-vianoce/, (Access date: 22 March 2020).
Figure 5: News on Islam in the tabloid daily Plus 1 Deň: “MASSACRE at Religious Celebrations”; “Spanish Police Broke
up a Gang That Funded al-Qaeda Militias”; “Don’t Go to This Country Anymore!” (April – September 2019).32
Figure 5: News on Islam in the tabloid daily Plus 1 Deň: “MASSACRE at Religious Celebrations”; “Spani
Police Broke up a Gang That Funded al-Qaeda Militias”; “Don't Go to This Country Anymore!” (April
September 2019).
31. Ján Benčík, 32
“Kotlebovské Vianoce,” blog Denník N, 28 December 2019, https://dennikn.sk/blog/1698885/
kotlebovske-vianoce/, (Access date: 22 March 2020).
The32.conspiracy media are the most active in spreading Islamophobia. Most prominent amon
“Plus 1 Deň”, Pluska.sk, https://www1.pluska.sk/vyhladavanie/islam, (Access date: 15 March 2020).
them are the quasi-news pages of the Hlavné správy, 33 Slobodný výber, 34and Parlament
716 setav.orgISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
Another negative phenomenon in the context of most Slovak media which con-
tributes to the spread of Islamophobia is the selection of tabloid-style and often irrel-
evant content to increase readability. Most of the information about Islam concerns
terrorism, political violence, civil wars, the threat of migration, or unverified reports
of religiously motivated attacks in Muslim countries.
The conspiracy media are the most active in spreading Islamophobia. Most
prominent among them are the quasi-news pages of the Hlavné správy,33 Slobod-
ný výber,34and Parlamentné listy.35 Other media outlets that spread Islamophobia in
Slovakia are the journal and Internet portal of Tibor E. Rostáš Zem a Vek,36 and the
weekly magazine Extra Plus.37 Media that provide accurate information about Islam
and Muslims include the daily papers Pravda, SME, Denník N, Aktuality.sk,38 and
RTVS.39 These media also convey the views of representatives of the Islamic Foun-
dation in Slovakia. On the border between Islamophobia and journalism – often
offering accurate information about Muslims - is a news site Postoj (Konzervatívny
dennik).40
Justice System
In 2019, there were no recorded manifestations of Islamophobia present in the Slo-
vak justice system. No member of the judicial branch dealt with the issue of Islam-
ophobia in 2019, nor was directly involved in proceedings that could be described as
discriminatory in the context of the Slovak Muslim community.
Internet
The regular disseminators of Islamophobia on the Internet are conspiracy sites, the pages
of extreme right-wing political parties and movements, and certain Internet platforms
of Christian associations. Konzervatívny web is a platform that mainly presents reports
33. “Islam veľké bezpečnostné riziko pre kresťanskú spoločnoať”, Hlavné správy, 16 August 2019, https://www.
hlavnespravy.sk/islam-velke-bezpecnostne-riziko-krestansku-spolocnost/1854562, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
34. “Stop rasizmu!” Slobodný výber, 14 April 2019, https://slobodnyvyber.sk/stop-rasizmu/, (Access date: 18 Feb-
ruary 2020).
35. Vlastimil Vondruška, “Čím viac bude moslimov, tým väčšia bude ich moc”, Parlamentné listy, 24 Novem-
ber 2019, https://www.parlamentnelisty.sk/arena/rozhovory/Cim-viac-bude-moslimov-tym-vacsia-bude-ich-moc-
Vlastimil-Vondruska-o-buducnosti-Europy-319557, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
36. Ratko Sudecký, “Islam v službách nacizmu”, Zem a Vek, 2 August 2019, https://zemavek.sk/islam-v-sluz-
bach-nacizmu/, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
37. Gabriela Pastvová, “Kresťan toleruje, moslim podrobuje”, Extra Plus, 1 July 2019, https://www.extraplus.sk/
clanok/krestan-toleruje-moslim-podrobuje, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
38. Júlia Jamrichová, “Rozhovor s moslimom o náboženstve”, Aktuality.sk, 26 November 2019, https://noizz.aktu-
ality.sk/zaujimavosti/rozhovor-s-moslimom-o-nabozenstve/ntyxxje, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
39. The Radio and Television of Slovakia (RTVS) is a public service medium with nationwide coverage.
40. Ludwig Hagemann, “Islam ako neoriginálna heréza kresťanstva”, Denník Postoj, 3 January 2019, https://svet-
krestanstva.postoj.sk/39271/islam-ako-neoriginalna-krestanska-hereza, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
islamophobiaeurope.com • @islamophobiaEIR 717EUROPEAN ISLAMOPHOBIA REPORT 2019
that warn against the Islamisation of Europe.41 They portray Islam as a religion that
44 45
comments that have hateful
is incompatible content directed
with Christianity at migrants,
and democracy. 42 Muslims,
Islamophobia and Islam. 46 One of the
is also disseminated
by websitesoffunded
major spreaders by the K-LSNS;
Islamophobia is thenamely
CentrePrehlad správ,
for the Proti of
Study prúdu, 43
and Magazin
Political Islam. 47 Most of the
1. These websites publish articles and comments that have hateful content directed
aforementioned websites
at migrants, 44 are45shared
Muslims, by 46politicians
and Islam. One of thefrom
majorthe extreme
spreaders right (K-LSNS,
of Islamophobia is Homeland,
etc.). the Centre for the Study of Political Islam.47 Most of the aforementioned websites are
shared by politicians from the extreme right (K-LSNS, Homeland, etc.).
Figure 5: An article from a quasi-news site Denný výber that spreads conspiracy theories and Islamophobia: “A Slovak
Terrorist Planned a Bomb Attack on His Neighbours! Jihadist Is Said to Be Gay, Who Longs for His Wife.”48
Figure 5: An article from a quasi-news site Denný výber that spreads conspiracy theories and Islamophobia: “A
Slovak Terrorist Planned
41. “Obrátená a Bomb
kolonizácia AttackKonzervatívny
Francúzska”, on His Neighbours! Jihadist
web, 13 December Is https://www.konzervativny-
2019, Said to Be Gay, Who Longs for His
Wife.” 48 web.sk/c/22282712/obratena-kolonizacia-francuzska.html, (Access date: 18 February 2020); “Ďalšie obmedzo-
vanie slobody prejavu vo Francúzsku”, Konzervatívny web, 2 December 2019, https://www.konzervativnyweb.
sk/c/22273150/dalsie-obmedzovanie-slobody-prejavu-vo-francuzsku.html, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
Central Figures
42. “Európske in the
snenie verzus masováIslamophobia Network
migrácia”, Konzervatívny web, 16 October 2019, https://www.konzervativny-
web.sk/c/22237029/europske-snenie-versus-masova-migracia.html, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
The list 43.
ofSelection
the main figures in the Islamophobia network in 2019 is very wide and diverse. A
of the Islamophobic Articles from website: Proti prudu, https://www.protiprudu.org/?s=moslimo, (Ac-
cess date: 18 February 2020).
special category is the Internet platform Centre for Research of Political Islam (CSPI), 49 which
44. “Dvaja mladí migrant terorizujú celú školu v Nemecku”, Magazin 1, 26 September 2019, https://magazin1.sk/
propagates the ideas and work of American Islamophobe Bill Warner. (Access
dvaja-mali-migranti-terorizuju-celu-skolu-v-nemecku-obchytkavaju-dievcata-a-nadavaju-im-do-ku/, The CSPI
date: has its own
18 February 2020).
45. “Moslimovia z Paríža sa smejú a tešia z vyhorenej katedrály Notre Dame”, Magazin 1, 15 April 2019, https://mag-
azin1.sk/moslimovia-z-pariza-sa-smeju-a-tesia-z-vyhorenej-katedraly-notre-dame/, (Access date: 18 February 2020).
46. “Vo Veľkej Británii je stale viac moslimov, zatiaľ čo kresťania enormne vymierajú”, Magazin 1, 18 July 2019,
https://magazin1.sk/vo-velkej-britanii-je-stale-viac-moslimov-zatial-co-krestania-enormne-vymieraju/, (Access date:
44
“Dvaja mladí migrant terorizujú celú školu v Nemecku”, Magazin 1, 26 September 2019,
18 February 2020).
https://magazin1.sk/dvaja-mali-migranti-terorizuju-celu-skolu-v-nemecku-obchytkavaju-dievcata-a-nadavaju-
im-do-ku/,47.(Access
For more information, see: Centrum pre výskum politického islamu, https://www.cspii.org/sk/, (Access date:
date: 18 February 2020).
18 February 2020).
45
“Moslimovia z Paríža sa smejú a tešia z vyhorenej katedrály Notre Dame”, Magazin 1, 15 April 2019,
48. Magda Danková, “Slovenský terorista plánoval u susedov bombový útok! Džihádista je vraj gay túžiaci po
https://magazin1.sk/moslimovia-z-pariza-sa-smeju-a-tesia-z-vyhorenej-katedraly-notre-dame/, (Access date: 18
manželke”, Hlavný denník, 24 October 2019, https://www.hlavnydennik.sk/2019/10/24/slovensky-terorista-pla-
February noval-u-susedov-bombovy-utok-dzihadista-je-vraj-gay-tuziaci-po-manzelke/,
2020). (Access date: 25 February 2020).
46
“Vo Veľkej Británii je stale viac moslimov, zatiaľ čo kresťania enormne vymierajú”, Magazin 1, 18 July 2019,
https://magazin1.sk/vo-velkej-britanii-je-stale-viac-moslimov-zatial-co-krestania-enormne-vymieraju/, (Access
date: 18 February 2020).
718 setav.org
47
For more information, see: Centrum pre výskum politického islamu, https://www.cspii.org/sk/, (Access date: 18
February 2020).
48
Magda Danková, “Slovenský terorista plánoval u susedov bombový útok! Džihádista je vraj gay túžiaci poISLAMOPHOBIA IN SLOVAKIA
Central Figures in the Islamophobia Network
The list of the main figures in the Islamophobia network in 2019 is very wide and
diverse. A special category is the Internet platform Centre for Research of Politi-
cal Islam (CSPI),49 which propagates the ideas and work of American Islamophobe
Bill Warner. The CSPI has its own blog,50 publishes translations of Waren’s works,
and lobbies politicians to tighten laws against Muslims.51 The CSPI is a registered
non-profit organization in the Czech Republic and is the branch of the international
organization CSPII.52
MPs for the Smer-SD, SNS, K- ĽSNS, and We Are Family have repeatedly
expressed negative opinions on Muslims. In particular, the last two political parties
have been active in the dissemination of Islamophobia in the parliamentary debates.
Observed Civil Society and Political Initiatives to
Counter Islamophobia
From the civil society environment, the Islamic Foundation in Slovakia is the most
active in the fight against Islamophobia.53 The Forum of World Religions (Mário
Nicolini), the Open Society Foundation (Ján Orlovský),54 and the Human Rights
League (Zuzana Števulová)55 are also active. From the media sector, worth men-
tioning are the photographer and journalist Andrej Bán, journalists from Dennik N,
SME, Pravda, and the editorial office of IslamOnline.sk.
Conclusion and Policy Recommendations
The biggest problem of Islamophobia in Slovakia is that it has moved from social
networks to parliament. It has become part of the politics and political commu-
nication of most political parties. It continues to influence elections and is part
of election campaigns. The unpleasant finding of this report is that Islamophobic
49. For more information, see: Centrum pre výskum politického islamu, https://www.cspii.org/sk, (Access date: 22
March 2020).
50. For more information, see: Blog Centrum pre výskum politického islamu, https://dennikn.sk/autor/cspi-sr/,
(Access date: 22 March 2020).
51. “Slovenskí poslanci dostali jeho knihu. Cituje ho aj Sulík. Kto je a čo hlása Bill Waren?”, IslamOnline, 21
November 2016, http://www.islamonline.sk/2016/11/slovenski-poslanci-dostali-jeho-knihu-cituje-ho-aj-sulik-kto-
je-a-co-hlasa-bill-warner/, (Access date: 22 March 2020).
52. For more information, see: Center for the Study of Political Islam International, https://www.cspii.org/about/,
(Access date: 9 April 2020).
53. “Tretí ročník slávnostnej ramadánskej večere v Bratislave prilákal aj nové tváre”, IslamOnline, 5 June 2019,
http://www.islamonline.sk/2019/06/treti-rocnik-slavnostnej-ramadanskej-vecere-v-bratislave-prilakal-aj-nove-tva-
re/, (Access date: 25 February 2020).
54. “Program Stronger Roots Nadácie otvorenej spoločnosti”, Nadácia otvorenej Spoločnosti, 2 December
2019, https://osf.sk/nezaradene/program-stronger-roots-podpori-35-neziskovych-organizacii/, (Access date: 25
February 2020).
55. Liga za ľudské práva, https://www.hrl.sk/sk, (Access date: 25 February 2020).
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