The article is dedicated to the Muslims in Poland, with a special focus on their institutional representation. This religious minority encircles a diverse populace in terms of the path in Islam they adhere to, ethnicity, country of origin, but also the legal status they have in Poland. It includes Muslim Tatars, former students from Arab countries who have been living in this country for decades, as well as transient groups war refugees from Chechnya, Afghanistan or the Balkans, esp. Bosnia and Herzegovina. The author argues that institutionalized entities of religious character which associate Muslims in the country, organize their presence in religious terms and represent them, reflect major divisions within the Muslim populace in the country. A key factor is the duration of their settlement – it is concomitant to, if not more important than, tensions between the Sunnis and Shiites.

The perception of Europe and Europeans by refugees from Dahuk. A report from research conducted in a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan

This article presents the analysis from a research project carried out by the author in Dahuk, a refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan in July 2016. The research project concerned the perception of Europe and Europeans by Arabs and Yazidis, who stayed in the refugee camp. Based on unstructured observations and in-depth interviews, the following images of Europe and Europeans were prominent in refugees’ narratives: a belief in the possibility of quick enrichment in Europe, relaxed relationships between family and friends in Europe, relaxed relations between women and men in Europe and the liberal lifestyle of European women. Based on the gathered data, the author analyses chances of respondents’ integration in Europe. The author focuses on factors conducive to integration and factors that impede integration. This subject has gained particular importance during the recent migration crisis. The arrival of big number of refugees from the Middle East to Europe once again sparked public debates about the possibility for their integration in Europe.

MUSLIMS IN FRANCE IN TERMS OF RELIGIOUS AND ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUNDS

At the turn of the twentieth and twenty-first century, the problem of the Muslim minority in Europe became a significant problem in religious, social and political terms. In this publication, we present the characteristics of the presence of Muslims in France only in terms of religious and organizational backgrounds. By analyzing the first aspect, the importance of Islam as the second religion in terms of the number of believers in France is shown. The second aspect describes the characteristics of some important Muslim organizations in France.

Saffronization of India? Hindutwa ideology in the rule of Narendra Modi in 2014-2021

In the era of Narendra Modi’s rule in India, we are dealing with a significant increase in the importance of Hinduva. This applies not only to the rhetoric and practice of goverment’s actions, but also to the general change of the socio-political climate. It can be said about the transition of the said ideology to the Indian mainstream. In turn, the most important threads related to the interpretation of Hinduva are distrust towards the followers of Islam and the desire to subordinate them to the Hindu majority. From this conviction and electoral calculation follow further anti-Muslim actions, whether taken directly by Modi’s government, or approved by it, or at least not blocked. The situation of Indian Muslims has deteriorated significantly in so many fields since 2014 that the use of “saffronization of India” to illustrate this phenomenon seems appropriate. It means glorifying the role of the followers of the Hindu religion in India, while diminishing the importance of other religious groups, especially in the historical context.