The Islamic Foundation of Slovakia and Bratislava’s municipal funeral services organization Marianum have signed a memorandum on coordinating Muslim burials in specially designated sections of one of the capital’s cemeteries.
The cemetery in question is Slávičie údolie, located in Bratislava’s Karlova Ves district. Muslim burials have been taking place there for several decades, but they will now be carried out in officially designated sections and according to an agreed procedure.
Representatives of the Islamic Foundation described the agreement as an important step for Bratislava’s Muslim community. The organization has not disclosed details of the agreement, but recommends contacting it directly when arrangements need to be made for a burial according to Muslim traditions.
The Islamic Foundation noted that the main challenges facing Slovakia’s Muslim community until now have included the lack of an agreed procedure for organizing Muslim burials and the absence of a dedicated Islamic center in Bratislava.
This is partly due to the relatively small size of the Muslim community in Slovakia. According to the 2021 census, 3,862 people, or around 0.07% of the country’s population, identified Islam as their religion. Representatives of the Muslim community, however, estimate its actual size at around 6,000 people, noting that some believers may not have declared their religion in the census.
The absence of mosques is largely linked to historical circumstances, as Slovakia was not historically part of predominantly Muslim regions and has traditionally had a Christian cultural background. Since 2001, Bratislava’s Muslim community has been seeking permission to build a mosque in the capital’s Kramáre district. However, the project has made virtually no progress, partly due to opposition from previous city authorities and local residents.
The history of Muslim presence in Bratislava dates back well before modern-day migration. Muslim families, mainly merchants from the Balkans, were already living in the city in the 18th century. Islam was officially recognized as a religious denomination in Austria-Hungary: in the Austrian part of the monarchy in 1912 and in the Hungarian part in 1916.
