Religious organizations have complained about unfair treatment by the government around questions of building permits and property restitution.
Other religious groups that together constitute less than 2 percent of the population include Roman Catholics, various Protestant denominations, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
[1] For much of the second half of the 20th century, North Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia, which established a nominally secular state (although at times it displayed favoritism toward the Serbian Orthodox Church), and did not engage in anti-religious campaigns to the extent of other countries in the Eastern Bloc.
[10][11] The conflict was largely closed by the Ohrid Agreement, which provided for additional recognition and rights for ethnic Albanians in Macedonia and voluntary disarmament by rebel groups,[12] although sporadic incidences of violence have occurred in the years since then.
[17] In September 2017, the Committee on Protection from Discrimination, a government advisory body appointed by parliament, and the ombudsman determined Muslim elementary school students from Ohrid were discriminated against for their religious beliefs and attire after being told they could not attend class wearing headscarves.
After intervention by the ombudsman, the school lifted its headscarf ban and allowed the students to attend classes.
The law allows other religious organizations to obtain the same legal rights and status as these five groups by applying for government recognition and registration through the courts.
According to judicial authorities, the law treats these three categories equally, bestowing the same legal rights, benefits, and obligations on all of them.
These criteria are: a physical administrative presence within the country, an explanation of its beliefs and practices that distinguish it from other religious organizations, and a unique name and official insignia.
An applicant organization must also identify a supervisory body in charge of managing its finances and submit a breakdown of its financial assets and funding sources and minutes from its founding meeting.
If the Constitutional Court denies the petition, the organization may appeal the case to the European Convention on Human Rights.
[1] According to representatives of minority religious groups and Ministry of Education officials, imams and priests appointed to teach the non-devotional courses often fail to approach the subjects with the requisite neutrality, instead emphasizing the perspectives of their respective faiths.
The ICM also reported that the government has continuously blocked reconstruction of the mosque in Prilep, which burned down during armed conflict in 2001.
[1] The ICM has stated the government favored the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric by granting it unique privileges, such as providing it with public properties free of charge, funding for the construction of new Orthodox churches, and exclusive invitations for its representatives to attend government functions.
The MOC-OA denied allegations of favoritism, but said such a perception might exist, since it was the largest religious community in the country.
[19] The Bektashi continued to report to the police harassment by ICM-affiliated occupants of the Arabati Baba Teke (shrine) compound in Tetovo.
In March 2017, the ICM claimed full ownership of the compound, and announced plans for its renovation in partnership with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency.
In January 2017, and November unknown perpetrators stole the bells of the Orthodox churches in Kochani and Saraj, respectively.
In July 2017, unknown perpetrators spray painted and broke tombstones at the Orthodox cemetery in the Skopje village of Ljuboten.
In one instance, individuals stated on social media that a prominent American Jewish businessman had collaborated with the Nazis in the extermination of Jews during World War II.
In another, a January 2017 edition of the weekly Republika described the same businessman as a “Nazi Jew” in a piece titled “The Divine Lucifer.” In March 2017, the Jewish community reported that flyers with antisemitic content, including swastikas and the phrase “Jews Out,” were thrown in the yard of its association's headquarters.