New legislation effectively bars Islam from official status in Slovakia for foreseeable future

• Legislation from the Slovak National Party (SNS) passed through Parliament increasing the number of adherents required for state recognition from 20,000 to 50,000 in the Catholic-majority country.
• Official status allows for religious communities to run their own schools and receive subsidies from the state.
• There are only between 2,000 and 5,000 Muslims currently in the country, but anti-immigrant sentiment in the country has ratcheted fears of a massive overrun by immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.

Read more:
“Slovakia toughens church registration rules to bar Islam” (Reuters)

Related reads:
“PM Fico: Islam has no place in Slovakia” (The Slovak Spectator, May 2016)
“Slovakia’s leader said Islam has ‘no place’ in his country. Now he’s taking a leadership role in the E.U.” (The Washington Post, June 2016)