Publication details
Muslimové, islám, nacisté a anticivilizace. Výroky Miloše Zemana o islámu a muslimech v roce 2011 pohledem sociálních věd
| Title in English | Muslims, Islam, Nazis and Anti-Civilization. Miloš Zeman and his Comments on Islam and Muslims in 2011 in Social Science Perspective |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2016 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Pantheon |
| Citation | |
| Keywords | Czech Republic, Islam, media, Miloš Zeman, moral panics, Muslims, opinion leadership, religion, public sphere |
| Description | The paper deals with the topic of M. Zeman’s comments on Islam in 2011. It can be seen as an example of traditional religion (Islam) entering the public sphere of contemporary Czech society. Even though the number of Muslims living in the Czech Republic is small, the topic of Islam is widely discussed. The paper deals with the questions why and how M. Zeman comments on the topic of Islam, what is the content and the context of his comments and what theoretical tools of social sciences could be applied in the attempt to analyze it. The authors selected three most-read journals (Blesk, MF Dnes, Právo) and described and analyzed the content and the comments. Zeman uses Huntington’s concept of the clash of civilizations calling Islam “Anti-Civilization” and comparing Muslims to the Nazis. Islam is described as oppressive and aggressive religion which threatens European cultural and social values. M. Zeman connects Islam to terrorism. The journals’ commentaries often connect M. Zeman’s comments with his prospective presidential candidature. M. Zeman can be seen as opinion leader who – by the means of mass-media – mediates his opinion on the topic of Islam to his followers. He presents Islam as threat to "our" sociocultural values: it can be seen as an example of moral panics. M. Zeman’s comments are connected to the process of defining (and defending) Western/European/Czech cultural and social values. From this point of view, Zeman applies the undeniable political potential of presenting Islam and Muslims in general as a "threat". He exploits this topic as a means to gain political support for his prospective presidential candidature. |