Anti-Muslim attitudes widespread in Germany : report

BERLIN

Anti-Muslim attitudes and prejudice against asylum seekers remain widespread in Germany, a new study has revealed Thursday.

Some 54.1% of Germans have prejudice against asylum seekers, while 18.7% hold Islamophobic views, according to a study by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).

Anti-Muslim views were particularly strong among the supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Some 66% of AfD supporters agree with Islamophobic views, the research showed.

Among the supporters of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU), nearly 21 percent approved anti-Muslim views.

Prejudice and negative views against Muslims were stronger among the population living in the former communist East Germany.

The study also revealed that xenophobic and anti-Semitic tendencies also remained entrenched in German society.

Almost 19% of those surveyed approved xenophobic statements, while 5.1% agreed with anti-Semitic statements.

The research was based on a nationally representative survey carried out between September 2018 and February 2019.