Legislative Actions of the Republic of Poland Government and Religious Attitudes of Muslims in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to determine the religious attitudes of Muslims living in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic and their reaction to restrictions on free access to religious practices introduced by the Government of Poland. The article is interdisciplinary, and the methodology combines elements of religious studies, political science of religion, and reference to communication and media studies (the importance of the role of the media in supporting government activities and the analysis of online access to Islamic religiosity during a pandemic). The study was conducted in February 2021, but the time frame of the analyzed issues ranges from 4 March 2020 to 28 February 2021, i.e., the year of the epidemic in Poland and the introduction by the Government of restrictions on religious gatherings and the response of the Muslim community to these restrictions. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the author’s in-depth interview scenario; it covers representatives of the clergy, religious teachers, and the boards of major Muslim religious unions and associations, as well as Islamic cultural foundations and the attitudes of believers. The study showed that the media and Internet publicity accompanying the introduction of government restrictions and restrictions had a greater impact on society than the civil rights guaranteed in the Polish Constitution. The article also formulates a political science reflection, which shows a significant effect of the Government’s actions on the religious community. Despite the constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom, religious communities in Poland have decided to suspend the exercise of these rights voluntarily.

“Online You Will Never Get the Same Experience, Never”: Minority Perspectives on (Digital) Religious Practice and Embodiment during the COVID-19 Outbreak

“…As being together as a religious community builds identity and strengthens social ties, the impossibility to attend places of worship and religious practices represents a far bigger challenge for religious minorities than for majorities (Kostecki and Piwko 2021). Moreover it cannot be forgotten that migrant communities suffer even more from the negative health, economic and social consequences of the pandemic , and being able to find solace in religion during the pandemic is therefore even more important.…”

Islam and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Between Religious Practice and Health Protection

“…Numerous sanitary restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the virus made it impossible to gather for community prayer in churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of prayer. Restrictions on gathering people to meet religious needs have been in place in many places around the world (Boguszewski et al, 2020;Begović, 2020;Al-Astewani, 2021;Osei-Tutu et al, 2021;Kostecki & Piwko, 2021;Kühle & Larsen, 2021). For this reason, almost all religious activities have been transferred to television and the Internet (Molteni et al, 2020).…”