The Islamic Community and Islamic problematics in domestic politics of Iceland (2000-2015) exemplified by the construction project of the Grand Mosque of Reykjavik

Abstract

The paper considers the problems faced by the Muslim population of Iceland in their attempts to exercise their basic rights, such as the practice of religious worship. Despite the fact that the Muslim community of Iceland is rather small, its presence is a serious irritating factor for the internal political field of Iceland, which is clearly demonstrated by the long history of the attempt to build the Grand Mosque of Reykjavik - the need for construction of which became apparent at the end of the 20th century, but the project has not been implemented to this day, due to constant opposition from the public and even local authorities. Today, the Muslim community is so negatively perceived by the Icelandic society that some politicians have made it an instrument of political struggle, and social surveys of the Muslim population show that they are often discriminated, especially in attempts to find a successful job. In Iceland, the Muslim population is now more criticized than in any other European country - this criticism is based mainly on prejudice and only intensified because of terrorist acts committed by Islamists factions in the world. The study contains disappointing conclusions that the Icelandic society in many ways tries to isolate itself from Muslims and fears that their presence may affect the cultural, economic, political life and transformation of the space in the country, which leads to a lot of discussions and polemics about the role of Muslims in the Nordic countries.