Islamic Extremism in the Czech Republic
Abstract
The Czech Republic, like other post-communist countries in Central Europe, has not faced Islamic extremism to the same extent as its Western European counterparts. For a country otherwise at the center of Europe and the European idea, why in this respect is the Czech Republic virtually unique in the European Union? Is the absence of Islamic extremism the result of deliberate Czech policies or other factors? Czech officials have long been studying radical Islam, its gradual but steady ascent in Europe and the manifest threat and risks it poses. As a member of NATO and the EU since 1999 and 2004 respectively, the threat to the Czech Republic is genuine. Moreover, although the absence of physical borders in the EU's Shengen zone theoretically enables extremist Islamic groups to move freely throughout the EU, this phenomenon has to date been surprisingly absent in the Czech Republic. This Strategic Research Project (SRP) identifies potential bases of Islamic extremism in the Czech Republic, examines specific plausible threats and risks, and explores whether or not the Czech Republic is in fact virtually unique in Europe in hosting few, if any, Islamic extremists.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA522019
Entities
People
- Vladimir Barca
Organizations
- United States Army War College