Discrimination against Muslims in Europe remains an increasing problem
Many Muslims in Europe are still confronted with discrimination, physical violence and harassment, despite the fact that most of them feel a strong connection to their country of residence. This is the conclusion of the FRA in a new report. The FRA is the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. The report is based on material including responses from 25,000 residents of Europe with a migration background.
Forty-nine percent of the Muslims surveyed in Belgium are aware of whom to contact with complaints about discrimination. This puts Belgium in fourth place on the list of European countries surveyed. Only in Denmark, the United Kingdom and Cyprus is there a greater degree of awareness about the organisation that can help.
‘We are pleased that more and more people are finding their way to Unia. That demonstrates that we provide a necessary service. However, we need to work to continue to make ourselves better known each day. Too many victims do not report discrimination because they are not familiar with Unia,’ says Els Keytsman, director of Unia.
Discrimination
According to the FRA, in Europe, nearly one in three Muslims report experiencing discrimination when looking for a job. This jeopardises their chances of truly becoming a part of society. Moreover, no fewer than one in four Muslims reports having experienced multiple instances of harassment.
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