COMBATING EXTREMISM IN SLOVENIA

S E C R E T LJUBLJANA 000696

SIPDIS


FOR R, P, AND EUR/NCE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2015
TAGS: KDEM KPAO PREL EAID PHUM SI
SUBJECT: COMBATING EXTREMISM IN SLOVENIA

REF: A. SECSTATE 159129


B. LJUBLJANA 740

C. LJUBLJANA 603

Classified By: Ambassador Thomas B. Robertson for Reasons 1.4 (B, D)


1. (S) SUMMARY. Religious and political extremism are very
rare in Slovenia. With a homogeneous population of only two
million people, Slovenian society and politics function on
the basis of strong social networks that foster a culture of
compromise, consensus, and centrism. Nevertheless, the same
factors that work to make Slovenia a tightly-knit community
also create insularity and suspicion towards foreigners,
which at times borders on intolerance and xenophobia. The
latter is manifested most noticeably with regards to the 0.2
percent of the population (roughly 3,500 people) who are Roma
and, to a far lesser degree, the 2.4 percent of the
population who are Muslim (roughly 50,000 people). Sitting
on the crossroads of Western and Muslim civilization,
Slovenia's Muslim community is well integrated into Slovenian
society and has exhibited no overt manifestations of
religious extremism. Post's strategy for combating
intolerance--and deterring the rise of extremism--focuses on
tolerance education, fighting against discrimination and hate
speech, and promoting social dialogue and outreach to
minority groups. Slovenia's Ombudsman for Human Rights and
various Slovenian NGOs also take an active stand in promoting
tolerance, diversity, and respect for human rights. END
SUMMARY.

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INTOLERANCE WITHIN SLOVENIAN SOCIETY
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2. (SBU) Intolerance and prejudice exist in Slovenia and are
channeled primarily towards the Roma, homosexuals, Muslims,
and immigrants from other ex-Yugoslav republics. Slovenian
Roma regularly complain of discrimination in employment,
housing, health services, and education (see REF B).
Although the Roma living in the northeastern region of
Slovenia (Prekmurje) are relatively well integrated into
their local communities and experience low levels of
discrimination, Roma living in the southeast (Dolenjska)
often experience outright intolerance and overt
discrimination, leading on occasion to inter-ethnic
confrontations. Actual outbreaks of violence are quite rare,
however, with only one incident of violence reported in 2005.
Incidents of violence against homosexuals also occur, with
several attacks and beatings reported in June and July 2005.
Intolerance towards recent emigrants from other ex-Yugoslav
republics remains a problem, as does prejudice against Jews.
By and large, however, these negative attitudes and behaviors
are more aptly characterized as intolerance and prejudice
rather than xenophobic extremism.


3. (C) The Slovenian National Party (SNS) is the sole
political party outside the centrist mainstream that
consistently employs nationalistic rhetoric. The SNS
espouses a platform of "nationalist populism" that combines
nationalism, intolerance towards minorities, and populist
demagoguery. The SNS campaigned in the October 2004
parliamentary elections against equal rights for Roma and
homosexuals by arguing that these constituted "special
rights." SNS member and Deputy President of the National
Assembly Saso Pece has famously pronounced that he would
never want "to have coffee with a black man or a homosexual."
The SNS has also taken a tough stance on Slovenia's
relations with neighboring Croatia, Austria and Italy. SNS
leader Zmago Jelincic regularly accuses Slovenia's neighbors
of being "out to get" the Slovenian nation. Nevertheless,
the SNS is largely a fringe party, which garnered only 6.3
percent of the vote in the 2004 elections.


4. (C) The Muslim community in Slovenia, numbering
approximately 50,000 people, is composed largely of recent
immigrants from Bosnia and Albania. Muslims in Slovenia are
relatively well integrated and generally espouse a moderate
Islamic faith. There is little interpersonal friction
between Muslims and non-Muslims. The primary irritant for
Muslims living in Slovenia has been their inability to build
a mosque (see REF C). Although there are no restrictions on
the Muslim community's freedom of worship, plans to construct
a mosque initially ran into political opposition when a
referendum was called (a common practice in Slovenia) to
reject zoning changes approved by the Ljubljana Municipality
to allow for the construction of the mosque. Supporters of
the referendum used demagogic rhetoric to argue that
construction of the mosque would lead to increased Islamic
fundamentalism within Slovenia. However, in July 2004, the
Constitutional Court rejected the legality of the referendum
and ruled that it could not take place, thus allowing the
Muslim Community to proceed with its plans to begin
construction of the mosque. Embassy contacts in the Muslim

Community have repeatedly thanked the Embassy for raising
this issue in its Country Report on Human Rights, and have
told us that most obstacles to the construction the mosque
are behind them, though the actual sale of the parcel of land
where the mosque is to be located is now being held up by a
denationalization claim.


5. (S) Post is not aware of any extremist tendencies within
the Muslim Community. During a September 2004 conversation
with PolMil off, Slovenian Mufti Osman Dogic opined that most
Muslims living in Slovenia viewed themselves equally as
Muslims and as Slovenian citizens/residents. Dogic, who
speaks flawless English, joked that his family was perfectly
multicultural since his three children were Bosnian,
Slovenian, and Australian (NOTE: Dogic has lived in each of
these countries). Though Dogic is currently engaged in a
bitter doctrinal dispute (and lawsuit) with Maribor Imam
Ibrahim Malanovic to determine who is the rightful leader
(Mufti) of the Slovenian Islamic Community, both individuals
portray themselves as moderate leaders and friends of the
Embassy.


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EMBASSY PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY
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6. (SBU) Post vigilantly monitors the press for instances of
xenophobia, hate speech, and political extremism. Embassy
officers have regular contact with representatives of
Slovenia's minority communities, including the Roma, Jewish,
Muslim, and gay/lesbian communities. Post also maintains
regular contact with NGOs that work in the field of human
rights and regularly exchanges information with Slovenia's
independent Ombudsman for Human Rights.


7. (SBU) The Embassy has funded a variety of social and
cultural events as well as NGOs that work in the field of
human rights protection and anti-discrimination. The
following represent a sampling of some of the most recent
projects we have funded or organized in this area (per REF A):

--In September 2005, the Embassy funded a workshop on civil
rights for Roma women and children living in the Dolenjska
region. Impact: long term. This program is ongoing and is
judged to be very effective.

--In September 2005, the Embassy funded a cultural event and
information campaign titled "Stop the Violence 2005," which
raised awareness of prejudice and discrimination against the
Roma in the southeastern city of Novo Mesto (Dolenjska). The
event was attended by numerous Roma and non-Roma citizens
interested in fostering dialogue and better communication
between the two communities. Impact: short term. The event
was characterized by the Human Rights Ombudsman as a
"terrific success."

--In August 2005, the Embassy sponsored a Holocaust education
project for children. Impact: short term. The event was
judged to be moderately successful. Jewish community
contacts told us it was a welcome event, but opined that the
Slovenian government needed to employ a more systematic
approach to Holocaust education.

--In June 2005, the Embassy financed a conference on social
inclusion of vulnerable minorities, which looked at social
integration and ways to fight against xenophobia by improving
employment policies and practices. Impact: long term. The
conference was judged to be successful.

--In June 2005, the Ambassador and PolMil off visited three
rural Roma communities, a Roma community center, a
kindergarten, and an elementary school that served as a local
model for integrating Roma and non-Roma students. Impact:
short term. This trip succesfully demonstrated the Embassy's
concern for the well-being and rights of the Slovenian Roma
and focused on the positive steps towards integration that
have been made in the northeastern part of the country.

--In May 2005, the Embassy funded a project organized by the
International Organization for Migration titled "Empowering
Migrants: Integration through Information and Training of
Public Officials and NGOs." The aim of the workshop was to
provide migrants and NGOs dealing with migrant communities
with training on integration of foreigners, the rights of
foreign citizens residing in Slovenia, psychological aspects
of integration into the host society, communication skills,
transparency in administration, and principles of good
governance. Impact: long term. The project is ongoing and
is judged to be very successful.

--In November 2004, the Ambassador hosted an Iftaar dinner
for members of the Muslim community. Impact: short term.

The dinner was very successful and helped cement our
excellent relations with the Muslim community.

--In June 2004, the Embassy funded a project on Roma
education and training, designed to promote ethnic tolerance,
integration, and greater social equality. The pilot project
placed a Roma teaching assistant in elementary school
classrooms, where s/he translated and helped Roma children
learn the Slovene language, culture and history, while also
serving as a liaison between Roma families and the school.
Other activities included workshops for Roma mothers and
pre-school children, and training for school teachers in
anti-bias education, Roma culture, and history. Impact: long
term. This project was very successful and serves as a
long-term model for multiethnic education in the Slovenian
school system.


8. (SBU) Upcoming projects also include an Embassy-sponsored
conference on "Islam and the West" that will focus on the
Balkans as a crossroads of Western civilization and Islam.
We plan to invite progressive Islamic scholars to address the
issues of cooperation and coexistence between Islam and the
West.


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GOS PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE TOLERANCE
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9. (SBU) Slovenia's independent Ombudsman for Human Rights
has been very active promoting tolerance and combating
discrimination. In late 2004, the Ombudsman launched a
campaign against hate speech that included a traveling
exhibition documenting hate speech in the media, on the
internet, in the public pronouncements of politicians, and in
graffiti. The campaign has received wide media coverage and
has been very successful at exposing some of the worst
offenders and bringing this issue to the attention of the
public. The Ombudsman has also regularly spoken out about
the rights of the Roma community and the existing
discrimination they face. Both the Ombudsman and Ljubljana
Mayor Danica Simsic have been supportive of the Muslim
Community's efforts to build a mosque and Mayor Simsic has
also organized a number of events promoting tolerance for
foreigners, homosexuals, and other minority groups living in
Ljubljana.

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COMMENT
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10. (S) Slovenia sits at the crossroads of Western
civilization and Islam, but is remarkably free of any
significant expressions of political or religious extremism.
Nevertheless, intolerance is a problem that we are vigorously
working to ameliorate through financing of NGOs, workshops,
conferences, Embassy outreach, and other projects that
promote tolerance, diversity, and an open society.
Fortunately, Slovenia has many excellent NGOs that work in
this area and an active Ombudsman and media who are quick to
draw attention to instances of discrimination and prejudice.
Our strategy is to support human rights NGOs to the extent
possible, since they form the best bulwark against the
"uncivil society" represented by extremists and terrorists.
NGOs and other civil society associations are the best
integrated with minority communities, the most energetic, and
often the most effective at identifying solutions. Post will
continue working with our NGO contacts and reaching out to
the minority communities living in Slovenia to promote our
goals of democracy and human rights.
ROBERTSON


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2005LJUBLJ00696 - Classification: SECRET



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