Islam in the Czech Republic
The estimated number of Muslims (almost all of them Sunni) today in the Czech Republic is about at least 30.000 .[1] The number rose sharply during the 1990s and has remained stable since.
| Islam by country |
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[edit] History
First documented visit of a person with knowledge of Islam was made (964-965) by Íbrahím ibn Jaqúb, a Jewish merchant from then Muslim Spain. His memoirs were later published to become one of the first accounts about Central Europe in Islamic world. During both sieges of Vienna reconnaissance groups of Ottoman armies reached Moravia. Strong trade links between Austria-Hungary and Ottoman Empire emerged during 19th century.
[edit] Influence on culture
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Traditionally, influence of Islam on culture of Czech lands was and is small. Alois Musil and Bedřich Hrozný represented Czech Arabists.
[edit] Modern era
A law from 1912 recognized Islam as "state religion" and officially allowed its presence in the region. The first community (Moslimské náboženské obce pro Československo) was established in 1934. In 1949 previous registration was abolished. An attempt to set up new community in 1968 failed. In 1991 Center of Muslim communities (Ústředí muslimských náboženských obcí) was established. In 1998 a mosque was opened in Brno [1] and a year later in Prague [2]. Attempt to open mosques in a couple of other cities was stopped by local citizens. In 2004 Islam was officially registered: the community is thus eligible to obtain funds from the state.
Most of the Muslims are from Bosnia-Herzegovina (early 1990s) and former countries of Soviet Union (mostly from Caucasus region, from the late 1990s until the present). A significant and influential part are the middle-class people of Egyptian, Syrian and other Middle Eastern ancestries (typically those who studied in Czechoslovakia and decided to stay). A few hundred Muslims are Czech converts.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/2005/51548.htm
- ^ Panýrková, Petra: Konvertité k islámu v České republice, University of Pardubice, 2009.
- Miloš Mendel, Jiří Bečka, Islám a české země, Olomouc, Votobia, 1998. ISBN 80-7220-034-8
- Miloš Mendel, Bronislav Ostřanský, Tomáš Rataj, Islám v srdci Evropy, Praha, Academia, 2008. ISBN 978-80-200-1554-9
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
(all texts are in Czech language)
