Attitudes and Activities of Czech Society, Churches and Religious Communities in Contemporary European Refugee Crisis
Attitudes and Activities of Czech Society, Churches and Religious Communities in Contemporary European Refugee Crisis

Summary/Abstract: This paper deals with the relatively small number of refugees in the Czech Republic in comparison with other European Union countries, and it points to the exaggerated fears of the immigrants from the Middle East and Northern Africa. Then, it analyzes the attitudes of the Czech society towards the refugee crisis and the presence of the migrants in the Czech Republic, and it compares them with the attitudes of churches and religious communities. It focuses its attention not only on refugee-phobia, but also on the fear of Islam. It informs about the ways churches coped with refugee-phobia and islamophobia and about the activities which churches do for the refugees and for their integration in society. The paper also presents the current activities of interfaith dialogue in the Czech Republic and it reveals how sufficient awareness contributes to reducing the negative perception of Islam among Christian believers. It introduces also the three theological ways the Czech churches deal with the phenomenon of migration and with Islam. In the end, it tries to formulate some principles for the further work of the churches in this area.

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