Górska E. & Juzaszek A. (2023), Islam in the Polish court (Islam w polskim sądzie), Warsaw School of Economics.

Country

Poland

Title

Górska E. & Juzaszek A. (2023), Islam in the Polish court (Islam w polskim sądzie), Warsaw School of Economics.

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Year

2023

Publication type

Research evidence/report

Geographical coverage

National

Area/location of interest

Not applicable - national level

Type of Institution

Academic/research institution

Institution

Warsaw School of Economics

Thematic focus

Public perceptions and attitudes

Groups

Muslims

Key findings

Despite the small number of Muslims in Poland, Islam is discussed in Polish courts most often in connection with hate crimes, and as a result, Muslims themselves often end up in Polish courts as victims. The scale of such crime cannot currently be assessed, but the numerical data obtained from case file research indicate that Muslims are one of the three groups most frequently attacked. Crime primarily takes the form of verbal or written hate speech – the latter is expressed especially on the Internet – and usually does not concern specific individuals, but the entire group. Crimes are often associated with the use of alcohol and other stimulants.

Methodology (Qualitative/Quantitative and exact type used, questionnaires etc)

The authors used empirical research: a critical analysis of the discourse of judgment justifications and court files, supplemented by the analysis of other existing data, especially media reports.

Sample details and representativeness

A total of 259 court cases were analysed. From the courts of Kraków – 78 cases, from the courts of Katowice – 48 cases and from the courts of Warsaw – 133 cases (the differences in quantity between the cities were expected due to the difference in the number of inhabitants). Of these, there were 156 cases from the district courts, and 103 cases from the regional courts.

DISCLAIMERThe information presented here is collected under contract by the FRA's research network FRANET. The information and views contained do not necessarily reflect the views or the official position of the FRA.