‘Secular Orthodox Christianity’ versus ‘Religious Islam’ in Postcommunist Bulgaria

Abstract

This article discusses some problems of Christian-Muslim dialogue in postcommunist Bulgaria. It reveals the difficulty most people have in distinguishing the religious from the national and the secular from the atheist. It points to a tendency to regard the revival of minority religions, especially Islam, chiefly in terms of a threat to national unity. It also sheds light on the discrepancy between the high degree of tolerance of Orthodox rituals shared by the majority of Bulgarian citizens and the prevailing concerns about religious teachings of any kind as endangering scientific knowledge.