Religious groups may easily register with the government in order to receive some privileges, largely consisting of various forms of monetary compensation.
Slovenia's laws prohibit circumcision for nonmedical reasons and animal slaughtering practices that are necessary for meat to be considered kosher or halal.
Religious laws were slowly liberalized starting in the late 18th century, although a formal separation of church and state was not implemented until the establishment of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1946.
[7] Beginning in the late 18th century, Austria-Hungary adopted reforms that granted some religious freedom, first to Orthodox and Protestant Christians, and later to Jews as well.
The 19th century saw a slow liberalization of religious laws, with Christian minority denominations inching towards equal footing with the Catholic Church, although Catholicism remained the state religion.
Atheists, however, were considered second class citizens, and the Catholic Church played a significant role in circumscribing intellectual life in Slovenia.
[3] During World War II, Slovenia was occupied by various Axis powers and almost the entirety of its Jewish population was killed or fled.
[8] For much of the second half of the 20th century, Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia, which established a secular state,[3] and did not engage in anti-religious campaigns to the extent of other countries in the Eastern Bloc.
[2][10] The penal code's definition of hate crimes includes publicly provoking religious hatred and diminishing the significance of the Holocaust.
[2] The law requires that animals be stunned prior to slaughter, which effectively bans halal or kosher butchers from operating in Slovenia.
[11] Some members of the Muslim and Jewish communities have chosen to undergo the procedure in the neighboring country of Austria, and have not faced any legal restrictions on doing so.
[2] The Muslim minority in Slovenia experiences prejudice and some discrimination from broader Slovenian society, although they are still largely tolerated and are viewed as sharing a South Slavic heritage and identity with the Christian majority.