Islam in Slovakia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Today more then 5.000 Muslims in Slovakia are less than 0.1% of the country´s population. Although in the 17th century more than one third of today´s Slovakian territory was occupied by Ottoman Turks after Turkish settlements were established for example in Novohrad region today especially in Slovakia all Muslims are generally seen as strange and suspicious objects from an islamophobe point of view.

[edit] Slovakia and the Islam in history

Still 400 years after Turkish conquest of Hungary and even after the final collapse of Ottoman Empire a negative imagine of Muslims has been published

First Muslims came to what is now Slovakia in the Mediaval ages. At least three times Muslims Pechenegs and Cumans within the Hungarian forces helped Hungarian kings to defend the territory of Northern Hungary (now Slovakia) against Bohemian-Czech invasions (1260 Ottokar Premysl, 1300-05 Venceslaus and 1427-34 the Hussites).

But after the Hungarian defeat of Mohacs in the second half of 16th century Turkish troops occupied Štúrovo (Párkány) and other Southern parts of today´s Slovakia and encouraged the protestant Christian groups while Habsburg Austrian troops occupied and recatholized the Northern and Western parts. In the second half of 17th century Muslim Turks also seized Nyitra (Nitra), Érsekújvár (Nové Zámky) and Léva (Levice) and almost all territory south of the line Nyitra-Kassa (Nitra-Košice) and east of the river Vág (Váh). But parallely to the Turkish lost Battle of Vienna the Ottoman vassal Imre Thököly failed to conquer Bratislava (Pozsony), between 1687 and 1699 Turkish Ottoman rule in Hungary was finally broken.

Thereafter all Muslims were expelled but until today the so called "dark times" of the "Turkish Yoke" has been instrumentalized by Slovakian nationalist and Catholic fundamentalists, especially since September 11th of 2001.

[edit] Muslims in Slovakia today

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

Only four small mosques in the whole country exist, Muslims and protestant Christians officially do not have same rights as the dominating Catholic church has. Although Muslim Organizations fight for positive integration since years there is a dispute about the building of an Islamic centre in Bratislava: the capital's mayor refused such attemps of the Slovakian Islamic Waqfs Foundation. Mohamad Safwan Hasan, the leader of the foundation, is married with a converted wife.

The Slovak engagement to support the USA in its war against terrorism and insurgents in Iraq is perceived by Imam Mohamad Safwan Hasan of the Islamic Waqfs Foundation as neutral, but offensive to some, "It's hard to judge, because I don't know the opinions of all. I don't think they were thrilled by this attitude."

[edit] See also

• Islam in the Czech Republic
• Islam in Hungary

[edit] External links

• Slovak Muslims fight for image
• Muslims in Slovakia work for positive integration
• Protestants and Muslims without legal status