Local faith-based organizations in Poland and the Netherlands as political interest groups: A comparative perspective

This qualitative study examines how Muslim and Christian organizations in Poland and the Netherlands that are active in refugee aid and integration work self-perceive their political role in the respective local context. The overall objective is to gain more insights into how faith-based organizations (FBOs) experience their role in local refugee aid and whether they ascribe a political side to it. To this end, we conducted thirty-one (NL n= 14 plus PL n=17) semi-structured qualitative interviews with functionaries of Christian and Muslim organizations and performed qualitative content analysis using MAXQDA software. We analyzed the data against the background of historically given distinct state-church relationships in both European countries. Our analysis revealed well-marked differences in the self-perception of FBOs concerning their positioning towards and engagement in the political realm, suggesting path-dependent alignment with denominational and contextual factors in the Netherlands and Poland. The current paper contributes to a better understanding of FBOs' political orientation and interaction as one of the key agencies in local refugee aid.