19 December 2006
Muslims across Europe are facing a rise in "Islamophobia" ranging from violent attacks to discrimination in the job and housing markets, a report by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia concludes. However, the study also emphasizes that Muslims need to do more to counter negative perceptions driven by terrorism and upheavals such as the backlash to cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. The survey details the many divides between the EU mainstream and the estimated 13 million Muslims - now at least 3.5 per cent of the EU - and seeks to offer a street-level view of the complexities blocking efforts to bridge the differences. "The disadvantaged position of Muslim minorities, evidence of a rise in Islamophobia and concern over processes of alienation and radicalization have triggered an intense debate in the European Union," said Beate Winkler, director of the Vienna-based EU agency.
The report reinforces the growing urgency of tackling religious tensions and suspicions in Europe. It cites hundreds of reported cases of violence or threats against Muslims in the EU since 2004, including vandalism against mosques and Islamic centers, abuse against women wearing Islamic head scarves and attacks, such as a Somali family in Denmark assaulted by a gang carrying baseball bats emblazoned with swastikas and racist slogans. The report, however, noted that "data on religiously aggravated incidents is collected on a limited scale." It notes that only Britain publishes a hate-crime list that specifically identifies acts against Muslims.
