EU Report Reveals Sharp Rise in Discrimination and Racism Against Muslims Since 2016

Doha – A new report from the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) paints a troubling picture of rising anti-Muslim racism and discrimination across EU member states.

The report, titled “Being Muslim in the EU – Experiences of Muslims,” is based on survey responses from almost 10,000 Muslim immigrants and descendants of immigrants in 13 EU countries.

According to the report, half of Muslim respondents (50%) felt discriminated against on one or more grounds in the five years preceding the survey, with “ethnic or immigrant background” and “religion or religious belief” being the most common grounds cited.

The 12-month prevalence of discrimination increased sharply from 25% in 2016 to 35% in 2022.

These rates are substantially higher than the general EU population, of which 21% reported experiencing discrimination in a 2023 Eurobarometer survey.

Discrimination remains pervasive in key areas of life for Muslims in the EU. The highest 5-year rates occurred in the employment sector, both when looking for work (39%) and at work (35%), as well as in housing (35%).

Muslim women who wear traditional or religious clothing like headscarves face higher rates of discrimination when job seeking compared to those who do not (45% vs. 31%), the report notes.

The FRA report also reveals that over one-quarter (27%) of Muslim respondents experienced racist harassment in the five years before the survey, and more than one in five (22%) in the 12 months prior.

Muslim women who wear religious clothing in public are more likely targets than those who do not (27% vs. 16%). Despite the prevalence of racist harassment, only 12% of incidents were reported to any authority.

“The survey findings show that experiences of racial discrimination undermine trust in all public institutions, with the biggest negative effect being on trust in the police and the legal system,” the report states.

On average, Muslim respondents who felt racially discriminated against had trust levels in police 1.3 points lower than those who did not experience discrimination.

Perceived police ethnic profiling also eroded trust. While the overall proportion of Muslim respondents stopped by police remained stable since 2016, those perceiving stops as discriminatory ethnic profiling rose from 32% to 42% over five years.

Muslim men were more likely than women to characterize police stops this way (46% vs. 27%).

Finally, the report sheds light on the socioeconomic challenges facing Muslim communities. The employment rate for Muslim respondents is substantially lower than the general population (63% vs. 75%), with an even larger gap for women (53% vs. 73% for men).

Rates of living in overcrowded housing, experiencing housing deprivation and struggling with poverty are all two to four times higher for Muslim respondents compared to the general EU population.

In light of its findings, FRA puts forward several opinions for EU policymakers and member states to address anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination.

These include improving enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, adopting national action plans against racism, tackling discriminatory policing, and implementing socioeconomic inclusion measures for Muslims.

The report emphasizes that much remains to be done to ensure the fundamental rights of Muslims in the EU are fully respected in practice.

The FRA plans to publish further analyses from its EU Survey on Immigrants and Descendants of Immigrants in the coming months.

While this report does not cover the period after the Israeli genocide in Gaza beginning on October 7, 2023, it is noteworthy that this conflict and the ensuing humanitarian crisis coincided with a surge in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe.

Reports suggest that far-right parties are exploiting the situation to spread anti-Muslim narratives. This has led to increased crackdowns on pro-Palestinian supporters. Muslims are often wrongly perceived as being linked to violence, despite official efforts to tackle hate.

However, researchers predict that Muslims could become the majority in Sweden, France, and Greece within a century. The conversion rate in Europe has surged by 400% since the Gaza conflict began, with France’s Muslim population already at 10-15%.