What it means to be Muslim in the EU –

Half of Muslims living in the EU say they face daily discrimination, according to a report released today, a situation that had worsened even before the “peak of hatred” sparked by Hamas attacks on Israeli soil.

“More and more difficult to be a Muslim in the EU”

The data gathered shows that it is “increasingly difficult to be a Muslim in the EU,” Nicole Romain, spokeswoman for the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), told AFP.

Of the 9,600 people surveyed between October 2021 and October 2022 in 13 EU countries, almost one in two Muslims said they faced racism in their daily lives, compared to 39% in 2016, when the previous study was carried out .

As of October 7, 2023, studies show “a peak in anti-Muslim hatred,” fueled by conflict in the Middle East, Romain adds.

In July, the Vienna-based EU body released a study on the “rising tide of anti-Semitism”.

Austria (71%) and Germany (68%) are the two countries where they complain most about being victims of racism. France is at 39%, while Spain and Sweden have the best results.

Particularly in the job market and when looking for housing, the research points to a “vertical rise” in discrimination, with women who wear clothing based on their religion being more exposed than those who don’t, as well as from men.

According to this study, “Muslims are targeted not only because of their religion, but also because of their skin color and their ethnic or immigrant background.”

“Nearly half believe their last arrest was due to racial profiling” and was illegal, while they are “three times more likely than the general population to drop out of school early.”

FRA’s recommendations to the EU

In the face of these “alarming” conclusions, FRA recommends that the EU focus on tackling racism against Muslims, which is “exacerbated”, according to the organization’s president, Shirpa Rautio, “by a rhetoric of dehumanization that we observe throughout the continent”.

Muslims represent the second largest religious group in the EU and 26 million live on its territory, according to the most recent estimates of the Pew Research Center, dating from 2016, i.e. they make up 5% of the total population. Most live in France and Germany.

This number has “increased significantly in recent years due to people fleeing conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria,” the report underlines.

The first report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights was accompanied by the creation by the European Commission of the post of coordinator of the fight against hatred against Muslims.