The European Parliament’s Treatment of Religion in Times of Populism

Religious diversity is one of the main targets of populist forces, and EU institutions report that Islamophobia and, more broadly, unfair treatment on the ground of religion or belief are both increasing. The contribution analyses the impact of populism on the EU parliament by focusing on the case of religion and religion-related topics. Considering that no specific policy directly addresses religion, impact will be analysed by focusing on how the EU parliament discursively engages with religion, in order to understand whether populism is an issue with respect to religious freedom and diversity, and how the EU parliament discourse articulates the relationships between religion and gender issues. Objects of specific analysis are the EU parliament plenaries.