Religious Organisations as Political Actors in the Context of Migration: Islam and Orthodoxy in Austria

Abstract

This paper investigates how immigration and concerns over integration are changing established modes of cooperation between church and state in Austria. Focusing on the relationship between officially recognised Muslim and Eastern Orthodox organisations and the state, we examine how the mounting politicisation of immigrant integration has led the state to collaborate with minority religious organisations as representatives of immigrants and is increasing the opportunities for such religious groups to be visible and express voice in the public sphere. Based on interviews, policy documents and literature, we analyse how the modes of cooperation between religious organisations and the state are moving from a narrow and institutionalised collaboration on policy issues exclusively related to religion to a broader but more fluid and uncertain form of symbolic cooperation. We argue that, within this modified setting, recognised minority religious organisations are gradually assuming the function of political entrepreneurs who speak for the entire immigrant community. This, in turn, creates tensions within and between religious groups, and risks overstating religion as a factor in the integration of immigrants. Our comparison between Muslim and Eastern Orthodox religious organisations shows that, notwithstanding the greater salience of Islam, they both benefit from the new role of religion in integration issues.

Keywords:

• Immigrant Integration
• Religious Governance
• Austria
• Church–State Relations
• Religious Actors

Acknowledgements

A first draft of this paper was presented at the workshop entitled ‘Religion in Europe, Religion and Europe’ of the 2008 ECPR Joint Session of Workshops, which took place from 11–16 April 2008 in Rennes. We thank the participants for their valuable comments on that previous draft. We also would like to thank the JEMS editors and two anonymous reviewers for their very helpful feedback.

Notes

1. The Austrian census did not compile data on the demographic development of Orthodox Christians in Austria before 2001.

2. These are: the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Church (Lutheran and Presbyterian), the Islamic Community, the Eastern Orthodox Church (Russian, Greek, Serbian, Romanian and Bulgarian), the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Jewish Community, the Old Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), the New Apostolic Church, the Methodist Church of Austria, the Buddhist Community and Jehovah's Witnesses.

3. These five are: the Catholic Church, the Protestant Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Islamic Community and the Jewish Community.

4. There are no reliable data on the number of people belonging to different confessions of Islam, but scholars estimate that between 70 and 90 per cent of Muslims living in Austria are Sunni, between 3 and 15 per cent are Shia, and about 10 per cent are Alevis (Beig 2006).

5. Decree ZI 20.251/3-III/3/2004.

6. The so-called ‘integration study’ was highly controversial, since the Minister of the Interior (Liese Prokop) argued on the basis of this report that about half of all Muslims in Austria were ‘unwilling to integrate’ because they were ‘traditional and conservative’ in their attitudes and in their adherence to Islam, and therefore did not share the values of the host society (Rohe 2006).

7. See article entitled ‘SPÖ, ÖVP und BZÖ buhlen um Ausländerstimmen!’ http://www.fpoe-graz.at/ (last visited 19 March 2008). Subsequently, Ms Winkler was convicted for her vilifying statements by the Higher Regional Court of Graz (see http://steiermark.orf.at/stories/369117).

8. See: http://www.werner-faymann.at/.

9. In Austria these organisations exist especially among the Muslim community. They have for the most part been founded by Turkish immigrants and have a strong focus on cultural issues. They often challenge the representativeness of the officially recognised religious organisations and stand in open competition to them.