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Alarming increase of racism and discrimination against Muslims in Europe

by AI | 24.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The number of Muslims who say they encounter racism and discrimination in their daily lives has risen sharply. In Belgium, the housing market is in the spotlight.

Discrimination of Muslims occurs in all countries of the European Union. - Photo: Europa Press

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Brussels – One in two Muslims in the European Union experiences racism and discrimination in daily life, a significant increase since 2016. This is revealed in a new report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on Thursday. Belgium is one of the countries where Muslims suffer the most from discrimination in the housing market.

The research shows that nearly one in two Muslims (47 percent) experiences racial discrimination. When the last survey was published in 2016, it was still 39 percent. The highest percentages are reported in Austria (71 percent), Germany (68 percent), and Finland (63 percent). Muslims are most often discriminated against when looking for work (39 percent) and in the workplace (35 percent) (compared to 31 percent and 23 percent in 2016).

A third (35 percent) of the respondents could not buy or rent a house due to discrimination, an increase from 22 percent in 2016. Belgium (43 percent) is one of the countries where racial discrimination against Muslims in the housing market is highest, along with Germany (54 percent), Austria (50 percent), and Finland (43 percent).

“We are witnessing a worrying increase in racism and discrimination against Muslims in Europe,” says the director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, Finland’s Sirpa Rautio. “This is fueled by conflicts in the Middle East and exacerbated by the dehumanizing anti-Muslim rhetoric we see across the continent.”

24/10/2024

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