Parliament in Bratislava has approved a bill that
effectively prevents Islam from being registered as a state religion in the
near future.
Sponsored by the Slovak National Party (SNS), which is a
member in Prime Minister Robert Fico’s coalition, the legislation was passed
Wednesday. The law was approved by a two-thirds majority in parliament,
comprising both ruling and opposition parties.
The new law more than doubles the required number of a
religion’s followers for it to qualify for state subsidies and run its own
schools. At least 50,000 members, against the previous 20,000, has now been set
as a threshold for gaining official status as a religion.
Currently, 62 percent of Slovakia’s 5.4 million population
are declared Roman Catholics.
Slovakia’s far-right People’s Party-Our Slovakia wanted to
raise the bar to 250,000, but their proposal was turned down by a majority of
lawmakers.
“Islamization starts with a kebab and it’s already under way
in Bratislava, let’s realise what we can face in five to 10 years,” chairman of
the Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko said, as cited by Reuters. “We
must do everything we can so that no mosque is built in the future,” the
politician was quoted as adding.
According to the last census, Islam has some 2,000 followers
in Slovakia, a foreign news agency reported, adding that there are no
recognised mosques in the central European country. The Islamic Foundation in
Slovakia, which has not commented on the new legislation so far, puts the
number at around 5,000.
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