Slovakia Bans Muslim Migrants from Entering the Country
The country is due to receive 200 people from camps in Turkey, Italy and Greece under the EU plan to resettle 40,000 new arrivals.
Slovakia's interior ministry has said it will turn away Muslims because they will struggle to fit in if they have nowhere to worship, British Daily Express reported.
Spokesperson Ivan Metik said: "We could take 800 Muslims but we don't have any mosques in Slovakia so how can Muslims be integrated if they are not going to like it here?"
On the other hand, EU officials hit back at the Slovakian plans and one source revealed that they could be open to legal challenges.
A European Commission spokesman said: “We act here in the spirit of the treaty, which prevents any form of discrimination."
EU Commission spokeswoman Annika Breithard said she could not comment directly on the Slovak statement, but stressed that EU states were banned from any form of discrimination.
Meanwhile Babar Baloch, Central Europe spokesman for the UNHCR, said: "Resettlement is greatly needed for many refugees who are at extreme risk among the world's most vulnerable groups. "We encourage governments to take an inclusive approach while considering refugees for resettlement and should not base their selection on discrimination."
Source: Islamic News
