German anti-racism group reports rising attacks against Muslims

BERLIN

Germany’s Muslim community is facing growing attacks since the start of the war against the Gaza Strip, a Berlin-based nongovernmental human rights organization said Wednesday.

“In recent weeks we have seen an increase in anti-Muslim racism. We currently have three documented anti-Muslim incidents per day. This applies to the two and a half weeks before October 31st,” the head of the Alliance Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hate (CLAIM), Rima Hanano, said in an interview with public broadcaster, BR.

“At the same time, I would like to point out that there is a large number of unreported cases because many people do not report anti-Muslim attacks or they are not well recorded,” she said.

Hanano expressed concern about a series of major anti-Muslim hate crimes in Germany in recent weeks.

“Mosques across the country receive threatening letters and hate mail, and there are attempts at arson. For example, children are bullied at school because of their adherence to Islam. Or they are expected to position themselves because of their Muslim affiliation,” she said. “People are verbally attacked on the street and equated with terror and insulted as 'terrorists'. These are cases that reach us,” said Hanano.

The human rights activist pointed out that “every second person in Germany” backs anti-Muslim resentments.

CLAIM has documented 53 cases of anti-Muslim threats, violence and discrimination in the last two-and-a-half weeks, including 10 attacks on mosques.

The center-left government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz had also expressed concern about mounting anti-Muslim racism.

Any attacks on Muslims in Germany, for religious or other reasons, are “absolutely unacceptable,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said last week at a news conference in Berlin.

“The nearly 5 million Muslims in Germany have every right to be protected,” he added.​​​​​​​