The so-called "refugee crisis" has made clear that Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments are rather common and even lead to political demands that are incompatible with the democratic requirement of religious freedom and EU anti-discrimination rules. With the increasing migration of Muslims against the background of globalization and conflicts in the Middle East, the increasing religious plurality and at the same time the threat perceived by parts of the Christian or non-religious majority population, the peaceful coexistence of people of different cultures and religions is in danger. This is particularly evident in the rise of right-wing populist movements and parties in Western and European democracies over the past few years, who have openly expressed their Islamophobic attitudes within their political programs and speeches. Also, population surveys reveal that the majority of populations in European countries are at least sceptical of Islam or even Islamophobic. Against this background the Special Issue discusses the following three questions: 1) What forms and manifestations of Islamophobia exist in Eastern European countries at the level of attitudes, behaviors, media and political contexts? 2) How has Islamophobia developed historically in Eastern Europe? 3) Which theories at the micro-, meso- and macro-social level explain Islamophobia in Eastern Europe?

Contributions
Yendell, Alexander: Understanding and Explaining Islamophobia in Eastern Europe
<www.connections.clio-online.net/article/id/artikel-4658>

forthcoming contributions:

Kalmar, Ivan: Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and Populism: Not Only in Eastern Europe
Hafez, Farid: Reading Islamophobia Through the Lens of James Baldwin
Pickel, Gert and Öztürk, Cemal: Nationalism and Perceptions of Threat – Ethnocentrism or Just a Lack of Contact? Islamophobia in Eastern Europe from a Comparative Perspective
Herbert, David: A Different Dynamic? Explaining Prejudice Against Muslims in the Russian Federation: Islamophobia or Internalized Racial Hierarchy?
Walter, Aaron: Islamophobia in Eastern Europe: Slovakia and the Politics of Hate
Rosůlek, Přemysl: Islamophobia on Facebook: The Current “Migration Crisis” and the Songs of the Czech Singers Critical of Islam, Muslims and Refugees
Pędziwiatr, Konrad: Sacralizing Nation and State and “Stopping Islamicization”