Ejub Kostić, I. (2020), ‘Islamophobia in Serbia National Report 2019’ in: Bayrakli, E., Hafez, F. (eds.), European Islamophobia Report 2019, Ankara, SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research, pp. 679-702.
Country
Serbia
Title
Year
Type of publication
Geographical coverage
Regional
Area/location of interest
Type of Institution
Survey research organisation
Institution
Main Thematic Focus
Public perceptions & attitudes
Target Population
Muslims
Key findings
During 2019, the social situation in Serbia was marked by strong political instability. The main causes for this political crisis were a rise in authoritarianism by the ruling political party, increased pressure over an independent judiciary, a lack of media freedoms, widespread presence of hate speech throughout media outlets and in the general public, and the repression of opposition parties which. This development has enabled Serbian President and his right-wing populist Serbian Progressive Party to continue their “parallel” policies – one tailored for the international community, where Serbia is nominally pursuing EU membership with full respect of EU values, and the other tailored for domestic consumption, where the government fully supports Russian influence and embraces expansionist nationalism that directly affects the position of Muslims and other minority religious and ethnic groups. This domestic policy has led to increased activity and influence by other Eurosceptic, (far-)right and outright fascist political parties and movements that openly promote the hatred of Muslims and violent anti-migrant narratives.