Slovakia Bans Islam as State Religion
Local Editor
Slovakia adopted a law, which effectively prevents Islam from becoming an official state religion in the country amid surging anti-Muslim sentiments across Europe.
The legislation, which had been proposed by far-right Slovak National Party [SNS], held that a religion needs to have at least 50,000 members, up from 20,000, so it could be registered as official.
It earned support from two-thirds of the parliament, which blocked another proposal that any religion had to have 250,000 followers so it can be considered an official faith.
The party's Chairman Andrej Danko said, "We must do everything we can so that no mosque is built in the future."
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico has said "Islam has no place" in the country.
In Germany, Muslims, who had set up an information stand at a Chrismas market in the town of Rudesheim on the Rhine, were ordered to leave.
Locals had alerted the police, citing "security concerns" after members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which has some 40,000 supporters in the country, started to put up the booth.
Others had also complained that the move was not in keeping with the Christmas mood.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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