One in three Muslims faces discrimination, EU survey reveals
By E Buaras
Europe’s Muslim community face considerable discrimination, especially in employment, and mistrust in authorities means many fail to report racist incidents, that is according survey by the Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).
The survey, which was released on May 28 and involved Muslims in 14 EU states, found that one in three Muslims had faced discrimination, and 11% said they had experienced a racially motivated crime.
FRA found the highest level of prejudice against Muslims occurred in the workplace.
The report was part of the first-ever EU-wide survey on the experiences of immigrants and ethnic minorities, which reported that more than half of those groups believe discrimination is widespread where they live in Europe. Gypsies and Africans reported the most abuse.
The survey suggests similarly high levels of discrimination against Muslims.
In line with other minority groups, 79% of Muslims responding to the survey said they do not report discriminatory incidents and cases of racist crime to any authority.
Young Muslims in particular have little faith in the police as a public institution. The survey found people without citizenship and new arrivals in a country were even less likely to report discrimination.
It said 59% of Muslim respondents believe “nothing would happen or change by reporting” and 38% said “it happens all the time” and therefore they do not make an effort to report incidents.
The survey also reveals excessive harassment by the police with 1 in 4 Muslims said they were stopped by the police in the previous 12 months, and 40% of these said “that this was specifically because of their immigrant or minority status” and of those stopped by the police said they were stopped on average 3 times in a year.
This finding also contradicts belief about the negative impact of wearing traditional/religious clothing, such as headscarves does not influence discrimination and does not appear to increase the likelihood of being discriminated against.
Islamophobic remarks at niqabi woman
A Hackney father of two told The Muslim News his wife was subjected to an Islamophobic slur and indecent behaviour by two South American immigrants.
Ahmed (not his real name) said he was driving between Leytonstone and Walthamstow in East London with his wife and two young children on June 13, when a man shouted “ninja” at his wife who was wearing a niqâb (face covering veil).
Ahmed, 34, said he parked his car to confront the man. “He couldn’t speak English properly and I realised he was Brazilian because he was wearing a Brazil football shirt and spoke with a heavy Portuguese accent. He told me 'I’m allowed to say whatever I want’.”
Ahmed told the man “we will let the police decide. As I was calling the police, the man went inside a Bureau de Change shop and another fat Brazilian man got out of the shop.”
The large man then made lewd sexual remarks and then proceeded to take out his genitals and attempted to wipe it on a very alarmed Ahmed. The man then went inside the shop, and on his request as a few teenagers stood next to Ahmed and waited for the police to arrive. “When he saw the teenagers he lowered his shutters. The police arrived 40 minutes later. They went inside the shop but couldn’t find the man who shouted at my wife and the shopkeeper denied he had indecently exposed himself. At the end it was my word against his.”
Ahmed, a teacher by profession, said he was relieved he had parked his car a distance from the shop meaning his 5 year old daughter and disabled 3 year old son had not witnessed the man’s indecent behaviour.
“My wife usually gets a few Islamophobic comments when she’s driving early in the morning or late at night when she driving to and from work but when I confront people they usually walk away. What made this incident strange was their behaviour and the fact the racists are foreign.”