A recent survey by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) highlights the experiences of Muslims in 13 EU countries. The results show that racism, discrimination and harassment remain an everyday reality for many Muslims living in Europe. Young Muslims born in the EU and women who wear religious clothing are particularly affected.
ISLAMIC TIMES – Muslims across Europe are struggling with a “worrying rise” in racism, fuelled in part by “dehumanising anti-Muslim rhetoric,” according to the EU’s leading agency on fundamental rights, which has published a survey in which nearly half of Muslim respondents said they had recently experienced discrimination.
The survey of 9,600 Muslims in 13 member states, published by the FRA on 24 October, found that racism and exclusion permeated most aspects of their lives. Respondents reported bullying of their children at school, inequalities in accessing the labour market and prejudice when renting or buying a flat.
Muslims across the EU are increasingly exposed to racism and are worried about their safety. This is a reality for many who consider the EU to be their home, as well as for those who have lived in European countries for generations. In the long term, this can only lead to a weakening of the sense of protection and belonging.
This latest report sheds light on the experiences of Muslims in the EU, collected in a survey of almost 10,000 people conducted between 2021 and 2022. It shows that racial discrimination against them is on the rise. Women, men and children are the targets of harassment and violence based on their religion, skin colour or ethnic origin.
Racial discrimination and harassment are taking place on our streets, in our schools and in our workplaces. What is particularly worrying is the frequency with which they occur. One of the most alarming aspects is how often they occur – they have now almost become normal.
“Over the last year alone, there have been signs of a growing division in society, often resulting in intolerance against Muslims. The threat to Muslim and Jewish communities is evident not only in our survey results, but also in the rise in anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred since the war in the Middle East began last year,” the FRA writes. Fears and misconceptions fuel discrimination and hostility.
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Muslims are the second largest religious group in the EU. They comprise a distinct mix of ethnicities, religious affiliations, philosophical views, political beliefs, languages and cultural traditions.
The most recent estimates available from the Pew Research Center are from 2016 and show that there are approximately 26 million Muslims living in the EU. They make up about 5% of the total population, although the figures vary considerably in the individual EU member states.
The report not only breaks down the experiences of the people surveyed according to different areas of life – work, education, police, etc. – but also attempts to categorise discrimination according to its cause – origin, ethnicity, gender, etc. The EU Fundamental Rights Agency also formulated recommendations for the EU and its member states based on their report.
The following points were mentioned, among others: Paying more attention to the exclusion of Muslims – Extending the EU Action Plan against Racism beyond 2025 and taking up measures to specifically combat anti-Muslim racism – Collecting data on all grounds for discrimination to support better policymaking and developing benchmarks, targets and indicators for monitoring – Properly enforcing anti-discrimination laws and stricter sanctions for discrimination and hate crimes.