MNIEJSZOŚĆ MUZUŁMAŃSKA W BUŁGARII
MUSLIM MINORITY IN BULGARIA

Summary/Abstract: The paper is about the main problems of the policy of Bulgaria toward the Muslim minority since the beginning of 20th century till the present days. First of all, there is the analysis of the biggest assimilation action of the Muslims: in 1912, in 1942 and in the 1980s, during which Bulgaria tried to reduce the number of Muslims in the state (or even cleared out) by changing names from Arabic and Turkish to Bulgarian, forced Christianization and displacement. However they were not the only activities against that minority, which was discriminated since the creation of Bulgarian state in 1878. The roots of that policy are connected with the image of Islam and the “Turkish yoke” in Bulgarian national consciousness and culture, which defines representatives of the Muslims as “Islamized Bulgarians” and “traitors”. After the fall of communism and the democratic transformation in Bulgaria, the situation of the Muslim minority has significantly changed, which is connected with activity of the party, which represented their interests in the political scene, Movement for Rights and Freedoms and an affiliation of that Balkan state to European Union.

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