Germany sees alarming surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes

Germany’s Muslim community is facing growing racism and discrimination, a leading rights group warned on Monday.

“We are seeing an alarming increase in anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination,” Guzin Ceylan from the Alliance Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate (CLAIM) told a press conference in Berlin.

“In 2023, we have documented at least 1,926 anti-Muslim incidents, this corresponds to more than five incidents every day,” she said, adding that racist attacks increased by almost 114% compared with the previous year.

Reported incidents included hundreds of verbal insults and threats targeting Muslims, 178 physical assaults, four attempted murders, five arson attacks, and 93 cases of vandalism and property damage.

Ceylan said anti-Muslim hate crimes in Germany have significantly increased since the escalation of the Israel-Palestine conflict in October 2023.

She said they documented at least 679 anti-Muslim incidents between October and December, but noted that the real figures could be much higher, as many victims do not file criminal complaints with the authorities.

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“We assume that many cases have not been reported, as many of those victims lost confidence in institutions due to the ongoing political debates and media discourse,” she said, referring to the biased media coverage of the recent developments, and negative generalizations against Muslims.

A country of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. It is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, according to official figures.