Muslims in Europe are experiencing more racism and discrimination than ever before, a survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has found. Anti-Semitic incidents have also risen since October last year, it said.
The survey, published on Thursday, shows that 47 percent of Muslims in 13 European countries, including France, reported facing discrimination over the past five years.
Several EU nations have seen a rise in both anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic acts since 7 October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel and Israel launched a retaliatory offensive on Gaza on Gaza, the agency said.
"We are aware of reports from several EU countries, highlighting a spike in anti-Muslim hatred – as well as anti-Semitism – after the Hamas attacks," FRA spokeswoman Nicole Romain told French news agency AFP.
But even before these events, the FRA report shows that "it was getting more difficult to be a Muslim in the EU".
Nearly half of Muslims in the EU face racism and discrimination in their daily lives, "a sharp rise" from 39 percent found in the agency's 2016 survey.
Cultural garment or religious symbol? Debate over France's ban on abayas in school
Fuelled by conflicts
"We are witnessing a worrying surge in racism and discrimination against Muslims in Europe," FRA director Sirpa Rautio said.
"This is fuelled by conflicts in the Middle East and made worse by the dehumanising anti-Muslim rhetoric we see across the continent," Rautio added.
More than 9,600 Muslims in 13 EU countries were surveyed between October 2021 and October 2022.
Austria reported the highest rate of Muslim discrimination at 71 percent, followed by Germany at 68 percent and Finland at 63 percent. France was closer to the EU average, at 39 percent.
"Muslim women, men and children are targeted not just because of their religion, but also because of their skin colour and ethnic or immigrant background," FRA noted.
Young Muslims born in the EU and women wearing religious clothing are particularly affected, it added.
The survey highlighted a surge in anti-Muslim racism in the job market, which has had a "knock-on effect on other areas of life, such as housing, education or healthcare."
Two in five Muslims, or 41 percent, are overqualified for their jobs compared to 22 percent of the general population, FRA said.
Rights groups complain to UN over French police racial profiling
Economic pressure
A third of Muslim households struggle to make ends meet, compared to 19 percent of households overall. Muslims are also twice as likely to live in overcrowded housing, the survey found.
Many respondents also spoke of being subjected to random police checks based on racial profiling. About 27 percent of Muslims reported being stopped by the police in the past five years, with 42 percent of those believing the check was due to their ethnicity or immigrant background.
About 26 million Muslims live in the EU, making up about 5 percent of the total EU population, FRA said, citing the most up-to-date estimates available for 2016 from the Pew Research Centre.
Most live in France and Germany.
The number of Muslims in Europe has increased in recent years due to conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, FRA said.
In a July report, the agency warned that Europe’s Jewish community was also facing a "rising tide of anti-Semitism," with the Middle East conflict "eroding" progress in the fight against it.
To address these issues, the FRA is urging EU countries to collect more data on anti-Muslim discrimination and to enforce existing anti-discrimination laws.
(with AFP)
