Inside Bulgaria’s Proposed Ban on 'Radical Islam'

There aren't many students at Sofia University who wear a hijab, so 20-year-old Aishe Emin's stands out. Since she moved to the Bulgarian capital two years ago, her veil has attracted unwelcome attention. But in recent months, she’s received more hostile comments and stares. Her husband, Mustafa, who also attends the university, has a beard and prays regularly; some of his fellow students, he says, consider him “radical” for doing so.

The Emins are part of Bulgaria’s native Pomak Muslim community. This group has faced persecution before, when, but right-wing parties in many EU countries have fueled the fear and hatred Muslims encounter on a regular basis. The Patriotic Front, a right-wing Bulgarian party that’s in the ruling coalition, has introduced a series of laws that critics say would make discrimination against Muslims part of the country’s legal code. Parliament has already approved one of them, that even partially cover their faces.