In a joint article in the Guardian newspaper entitled "A Social Pandemic Poisoning Europe: Muslim Hatred", two researchers from Poland and Germany said that if anti-Muslim prejudice is not targeted, steps to combat racism in Europe in the wake of the "black lives are important" protests "It will be meaningless.
Patricia Sansal, a professor of political science and head of research at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, and Jasmine El Munawar, a professor of sociology and head of the Religion Monitor project at the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Germany, commented that the European Union is despite That it rarely acts quickly;
However, less than 4 months after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the US police, and after the "Black Lives Matter" protests spread to all parts of Europe, he began appointing the first ever anti-racism coordinator.
The two writers considered this a great idea.
But it would be meaningless if hatred against Muslims was not part of the union’s mission.
They indicated that anti-Muslim prejudice exists in every corner of Europe, and that the matter is not limited to disparaging Europeans, who follow Islam and discriminate against them collectively.
Indeed, incidents of violence against Muslims are increasing.
The article referred to a survey conducted by the Religion Monitoring Project in 2019 that confirmed once again the existence of a common mistrust towards Muslims across Europe. In Germany and Switzerland 50% of respondents view Islam as a threat, and in Britain 2 out of 5 participate. This perception, and in Spain and France, about 60% believe that Islam is not compatible with "the West", and in Austria one in 3 does not want to have Muslim neighbors.
Prejudice against Muslims everywhere, not only geographically.
But also across the political spectrum, as every person in the right, center and left parties seems to hold a grudge, albeit for different reasons.
These results were confirmed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in its latest report on the rise and meaning of hate crimes against Muslims, as well as by the European Police Coordination Organization "Europol", which indicated the escalation of extreme right-wing terrorism in 2019.
Racism against Muslims
The article warned of how quickly racism against Muslims has turned into violence, as the European Council warned in its latest report that “Europe is facing a horrific reality: hate crimes against Semites, Muslims and other racist hate crimes are increasing at an alarming rate,” as the Security Organization supported And this cooperation in Europe results in its own report on hate crimes against Muslims.
A huge demonstration in the British capital London against racism, fascism and Islamophobia (Al Jazeera)
And about racism in Germany, the article indicated that it occurs particularly frequently under the guise of prejudice against Muslims, and about 52% of those surveyed in early 2019 said that they viewed Islam as a threat.
This perception remained stable at a high level for about 10 years.
In Poland, with only a small number of Muslims, Arabs (who are usually known as Muslims) have been the most hated race for more than a decade, and in the 2020 poll, 55% of Polish respondents said they hate them, and this prejudice against Muslims in both countries is the birthplace of A breeding ground for racial violence.
The two researchers pointed out that prejudice against Muslims exists everywhere, not only geographically.
But also across the political spectrum, as every person in the right, center and left parties seems to hold a grudge, albeit for different reasons.
The researchers added that the establishment of the European Union Coordinator for Combating Racism could revitalize the comprehensive European approach on racism against Muslims.
But it should merge the current office to coordinate Europe’s efforts to combat anti-Muslim hatred - which was established in 2015 and has not achieved much - with a strengthened budget and a strong and clear mandate.
The two researchers concluded their article that an active and loyal coordinator should not only coordinate between the institutions of the European Union.
Rather, it should monitor and record hatred against Muslims in all member states, because only 15 out of 27 countries have anti-racism strategies.