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Experts: in Latvia growing number of Muslims – Politics – News –

in Latvia growing popularity of Islam. More and more people are becoming Muslims. And although the incipient process is almost imperceptible, eventually Latvia, like many countries in Europe, could become a haven for many Muslim communities. What attracts people from traditionally non-Muslim peoples, in this religion?

Back in January this year the media reported that police security in the country expects to strengthen the Muslim diaspora. Then the Anti-Terrorism Center announced predicted that in the long term in Latvia, as in other EU countries will increase significantly the number of Muslims. Moreover, the data cited that after Latvia joins the Schengen zone has increased the number of arrivals to the republic from other EU countries of people professing Islam.

According to the Register of Companies, is currently in Latvia recorded 12 Muslim communities. This Riga organization “Iman”, “The Koran”, “Islam, Muslim communities,” Amen “,” Mardzani “,” Salaam “,” Ryan “,” Alshabab Almuslim “, as well as communities Jekabpils, Riga region, Vidzeme and Zemgale suburb Riga. In addition, three of them were registered in the past two years.

Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology, University of Latvia Valdis Teraudkalns also recognizes the growing number of Muslims in Latvia. According to him, Islam has its own niche in society, and there is nothing surprising, but at the same time to determine the exact number of followers of this religion is incredibly difficult, because among Muslims there are some people belonging to Islam because of cultural tradition, but not professing it actively.

“The number of Muslims, of course, increases. This invisible process. There are Latvians, who transferred to Islam, and Russian. But we, as in many other countries, there is Islamophobia. And many fear the unknown – recognized expert theologian, in conversation with a correspondent of the Riga newspaper “Telegraph”. – Negative image of Islam created largely due to lack of information about him. No religion in itself is not aggressive. In every religion has the potential both to aggression and to jointly create a public good. Often people are misconceptions, and they can cause including acts of terrorism. But if we start to analyze them, you realize that this is partly the result of the missionary policy of the United States to other countries to impose their understanding of democracy. We see it in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places where Islamic terrorism is declared to resist the aggressor nation “.

Valdis Teraudkalns believes that those who accept Islam, did so in largely because it is “simple” a religion that does not make a comparatively large number of conditions, and rituals which are painted, and regular prayer. It attracts by its simplicity and undeniable.

citizen of Sudan and leader of the Muslim community “Iman” Imam Mamoun Said another reason for the attractiveness of the Islamic religion for Latvians to consider its negative image.

“We in the press written many bad things about Islam. People read it, think about this. But as they say, negative publicity – is also advertising, – said the representative of Muslim community. – Negative image of Islam comes from ignorance. Many do not know about Islam, but they write about it. And some of you know, but they write in order to discredit him “.

According to the report of the Ministry of Justice in 2008, members of Muslim organizations listed as 369 people. However, the actual number of Muslims in Latvia is much more. According to the Director of the Institute of Human Rights Ilze Brands-Kehre, it reaches approximately five thousand, but the imam Mamoon Saeed voiced figure of 10 000 Muslims living in Latvia. Moreover, in his opinion, the majority Muslims of Latvian representatives are not traditionally Islamic peoples, but mostly Russian and Latvian. However, under the “Russian” Mamoon Saeed probably also understands and immigrants from the former Soviet Union. In this case, his words do not disagree with what was said Ilze Brands-Kehre, which stated that the majority of Latvia’s Muslims still make up the representatives of the peoples of the disintegrated Soviet Union, for whom Islam – the religion of the traditional.

But in the eyes of the Director of the Institute of Human Rights, the greatest difficulties and discrimination in Latvia face still does not come from the Union, and Muslims who come from Asia, Africa and Western Europe. This is largely due to the fact that society does not possess sufficient information about Islam, as well as the fact that the issue of extremism and terrorism in the past 10 years, is often associated with Muslims. However, according to an expert in the field of human rights, there are problems common to the entire Muslim community in Latvia. Chief among them – the lack of mosques.

“There is no reason to worry that eventually the whole country will become a Muslim and will practice Islam. This will not happen, – has concluded Ilze Brands-Kehre. – But in general we need to prepare for what is already there in other countries. Today it is Europe Muslim, Christian, and generally without religion. This phenomenon, of course, sooner or later will be observed by us. And this is a normal modern life, that there are different religions that people understand something about each other and can live together. But, unfortunately, I think that we are on this are not yet ready “.