Slovakia refuses to accept Muslim refugees 'over absence of mosques'

Interior ministry spokesperson denies move is discriminatory and says it is aimed at ensuring community cohesion

Slovakia has agreed to accept Christian refugees from Syria but has refused to take in Muslims, citing an absence of mosques as the reason.

"We could take 800 Muslims but we don't have any mosques in Slovakia so how can Muslims be integrated if they are not going to like it here? Muslims would not be accepted because they would not feel at home. We want to really help Europe with this migration wave but... we are only a transit country and the people don't want to stay in Slovakia,” interior ministry spokesperson Ivan Metik said.

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However, Metik denied the move was discriminatory and said it was aimed at ensuring community cohesion.

Slovakia is due to receive 200 people from camps in Turkey, Italy and Greece under the EU plan to resettle 40,000 new arrivals.

As the number of migrants reached a record high of 107,500 at European Union’s (EU) borders in July, EU members agreed to take in 32, 000 asylum seekers, most of whom are Syrians, Afghans, and sub-Saharan Africans. However, the scheme was made voluntary after some nations, including Slovakia, refused to accept set quotas.

EU Commission spokesperson Annika Breithard refused to comment on the Slovak statement but stressed that “EU states were banned from any form of discrimination”.

Meanwhile Babar Baloch, Central Europe spokesperson for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said, "Resettlement is greatly needed for many refugees who are at extreme risk among the world's most vulnerable groups. We encourage governments to take an inclusive approach while considering refugees for resettlement and should not base their selection on discrimination."

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More than 240,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean already this year, arriving on the shores of Greece and Italy before travelling on to other destinations. Germany, the biggest recipient of asylum seekers in the EU, has agreed to receive as many as 800,000 applicants this year.

Both the EU and the UN have called on other countries to share the burden.

This article originally appeared on BBC