Level of Islamophobia in Croatia Caused by the Terrorist Attacks in Paris and the Emergence of the 2015 Migrant Crisis

Islamofobija je komparativni koncept u nastajanju u društvenim znanostima. Ne postoji široko prihvaćena, upotrebljiva definicija islamofobije koja dopušta sustavnu komparativnu i uzročnu analizu. Islamofobiju se može definirati kao strah ili predrasude prema islamu, muslimanima i svemu vezanom uz to. Islamofobija nije nova pojava, ali znamo da se mnoge muslimanske zajednice u Europi danas suočavaju sa sve neprijateljskim okruženjem koje karakteriziraju nepovjerenje, ukorijenjene predrasude, neznanje i, u nekim slučajevima, fizičko i verbalno uznemiravanje. Bilo da se radi o svakodnevnim oblicima rasizma i diskriminacije ili nasilnijim oblicima, islamofobija je kršenje ljudskih prava i prijetnja društvenoj koheziji. Na takvu situaciju nisu imuni ljudi koji osjećaju posljedice nakon islamofobičnih napada i zlostavljanja. No, što je jednako važno, raste zabrinutost zbog općeg porasta diskriminacije i ksenofobije, aktivne i pasivne. U radu se fokus stavlja na definiranje islama, islamofobije, povijesni razvoj islamofobije kao i stanje islamofobije u Hrvatskoj. Također, provodi se anketa među građanima Republike Hrvatske iz koje se nastoji dobiti uvid u razmišljanja građana o pripadnicima islamske vjeroispovijesti te o tome osjećaju li se isti zabrinuto ili ne nakon terorističkih napada u Parizu i vala migracija 2015. godine.Islamophobia is an emerging comparative concept in the social sciences. There is no widely accepted, usable definition of Islamophobia that allows systematic comparative and causal analysis. Islamophobia can be defined as fear or prejudice against Islam, Muslims and everything related to it. Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon, but we know that many Muslim communities in Europe today face an increasingly hostile environment characterized by mistrust, entrenched prejudice, ignorance and, in some cases, physical and verbal harassment. Whether it is everyday forms of racism and discrimination or more violent forms, Islamophobia is a violation of human rights and a threat to social cohesion. People who feel the consequences of Islamophobic attacks and abuse are not immune to such a situation. But, just as importantly, there is growing concern about a general increase in discrimination and xenophobia, both active and passive. The paper focuses on defining Islam, Islamophobia, the historical development of Islamophobia as well as the state of Islamophobia in Croatia. Also, a survey is being conducted among the citizens of the Republic of Croatia, from which an attempt is made to gain insight into the thoughts of citizens about members of the Islamic religion and whether they feel worried or not after the terrorist attacks in Paris and the wave of migration in 2015