page_title: Islamophobia in Poland
section_title: Mosques
hierarchical_section_title: Islamophobia in Poland / Mosques
caption_attribution_description: This photo from Podlaskie Voievodeship was taken during Polish Wikiexpedition 2009 set up by Wikimedia Polska Association. English&#160;| français&#160;| македонски&#160;| polski&#160;| +/− The making of this document was supported by Wikimedia Polska. Deutsch&#160;| English&#160;| Français&#160;| Magyar&#160;| Македонски&#160;| Nederlands&#160;| Polski&#160;| +/− Meczet w Kruszynianach. Camera location53°&#160;10′&#160;40″&#160;N, 23°&#160;48′&#160;46″&#160;E&#160;View this and other nearby images on: OpenStreetMap - Google Earth
context_page_description: As of 2018 Poland exhibits one of the highest rates of Islamophobia in Europe. Since the Muslim community in Poland is small the situation has been described as "Islamophobia without Muslims".
context_section_description: In 2010 the Muslim League of Poland planned the first purpose-built mosque in Warsaw in the Ochota district. A group called Europe of the Future (Polish: Europa Przyszłości) organized protests against construction, framing their opposition in terms of "European values" of freedom of expression, secularism, democratic ideals, and women's rights. Prior to the protest, the group distributed posters resembling prior Swiss posters with a niqab clad woman and minarets resembling missiles.
  In 2012, the Ahmadiyya community attempted to build a mosque in the Włochy district of Warsaw. Europa Przyszłości, who were the main opponents of the Ochota mosque, declared they would not protest as they viewed the Ahmadiyya community as peaceful. However, local councilors opposed the mosque construction, and most of the neighborhood signed a petition organized by  Law and Justice councilors. The local council rejected the plan in 2013. While much of the opposition to the mosque employed spatial planning concerns, a subtext of resentment towards Muslims was evident in the debate as well as in the council's rejection letter which noted that "the construction of a culturally foreign object is a reason for concern regarding the loss of value of the estates in Włochy".
  The Ochota mosque, the first in Warsaw, was finally opened before the Ramadan of 2015, a turning point in Polish Islamic history. However, the mosque had been faced with hostilities since construction, including an incident it was shot at and the tossing of a pig's head into the building after it opened. Furthermore, a wave of attacks against Polish mosques accompanied construction, including notably the drawing of a pig's head on the Kruszyniany Mosque of the Tatar community who had previously lived in Poland for hundreds of years without hostilities directed at them.
caption: Historic wooden Kruszyniany Mosque, used by Lipka Tatar community, and targeted by an Islamophobic attack in 2014[2]
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