Liechtenstein

The principality of Liechtenstein, a small, landlocked country in central Europe located between Switzerland and Austria, was founded in 1342. By 1434, the territory of the principality had reached its current boundaries. The Holy Roman Emperor [Page 712]Charles VI granted the counties of Vanduz and Schellenberg, which constitute the present-day Liechtenstein, the status of a principality in 1719. Under the constitution adopted in 1921, the people of the principality were granted sovereign political rights.

The majority of the population of Liechtenstein is of ethnic Germanic origin, while resident aliens, such as Turks, Iranians, and others, constitute one third of the country's population. The official language of the principality is German; however, approximately 87.5% of the Liechtenstein nationals speak Alemannish, which is a south German dialect.

According to official statistics in 2000, the religious spectrum of the principality is composed as follows: Roman Catholic 78.4%, Protestant 8.3%, Muslim 4.8%, Christian Orthodox 1.1%, Jewish 0.1%, and other religions 0.4%. No formal religious affiliation was declared by 2.8% of the population; also for 4.1% of the population, indication of religious affiliation was not available.

In 2007, a representative survey was conducted, which demonstrated that a vast majority (two thirds) of the Liechtenstein population considered themselves very religious. Although the answers varied by different religious groups, more Muslims tended to consider themselves very religious (30%) than Catholics (15%). Also, according to the survey results, one in three respondents believed in God and in the existence of heaven.

Freedom of religion is endorsed by the Constitution of Liechtenstein and is generally respected by the government. Even though according to the constitution, the Roman Catholic Church is the national church of Lichtenstein and is fully protected by the state, the government undertakes necessary measures to protect the right to freedom of religion. The government funds the operations of religious institutions according to their membership size determined in a census count. Smaller religious groups can also apply for grants.

Since 1997, the government of Liechtenstein has started a process of disentangling religion and the state. In 2007, Prime Minister Otmar Hasler introduced a proposal on separation of church and state, which requires amendments to the constitution and the Religious Act, as well as revision of funding models for religious communities. According to the 2007 survey, a majority of the population of Lichtenstein supported the idea of respecting other religions and opposed the privileged position of the Roman Catholic Church by calling on the government to treat all religions equally. The survey respondents were very open toward Islam and the Muslim population of Liechtenstein. More than half the Christian respondents (53% Catholics and 54% other Christians) supported the idea of constructing a mosque.