7 March 2005

:: NEWS ::

IHF releases report

Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims in the EU
Are Muslims "An Enemy Within"?

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Vienna, 7 March, 2005. The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) today released a new report, Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims in the EU - Developments since September 11. The report covers developments in eleven EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

"In the aftermath of September 11, Muslim minorities in the EU have experienced growing distrust and hostility. As the fight against terrorism has been stepped up and the perceived threat of religious extremism has become a major focus of public debate, pre-existing patterns of prejudice and discrimination have been reinforced and Muslims have increasingly felt that they are stigmatized because of their beliefs," said Aaron Rhodes, Executive Director of the IHF.

He continued, "We are concerned that these developments threaten to undermine positive efforts at integration and further increase the vulnerability of Muslims to human rights violations and marginalization. We are also concerned that they may reinforce pre-existing feelings of resentment and frustration among Muslims and erode their confidence in the authorities and the rule of law. This may again increase the risk of growing support for organizations that advocate violent methods to protest injustices suffered by Muslims, including terrorism."

The report describes problems such as widespread negative attitudes toward Muslims; unbalanced and stereotypical media reports portraying Muslims as "alien" to EU societies and as "an enemy within"; verbal and physical attacks on Muslims and Muslim institutions and property; discrimination against Muslims in employment and other areas; aggressive political rhetoric used by right-populist parties to target Muslims; and security and immigration measures contributing to public perceptions of Muslims as a "fifth column."

It also addresses controversies related to the use of the headscarf in schools and other public places; private Muslim schools; the opening of mosques; the role of imams; and the practice of ritual slaughter.

The report documents that that right-populist parties such as the Italian Northern League, the Belgian Vlaams Blok and the Austrian Freedom Party have used strikingly similar rhetoric depicting Muslim immigration as a threat to the security and values of the EU countries. It reveals that the debate surrounding the adoption in 2004 of the French law prohibiting religious attire in public schools helped encourage intolerance and discrimination against Muslim women who wear the headscarf, with subsequent reports of Muslim women being prevented from marrying, voting and taking university exams dressed in the headscarf. It also describes how British media have created the impression that the country's criminal
justice system is successfully prosecuting "Muslim terrorists," while in reality only three out of hundreds of Muslims arrested under terrorist legislation are known to have been convicted of terrorist crimes and a vast majority of those arrested have been released without charge.

The report further illustrates that more than 80% of Germans surveyed in 2004 associated the word "Islam" with "terrorism" and "oppression of women," and it discusses studies undertaken in Sweden and other countries which have shown that up to every fifth job is closed for people with Arabic-sounding names because of discriminatory hiring practices. It provides examples of opposition to mosques in different countries, including Greece, where the Greek Orthodox Church has campaigned against the construction of a mosque in downtown Athens as well as in the vicinity of the capital's international airport.

It documents that Muslim schools are widely believed to undermine integration efforts in the Netherlands and elsewhere although such claims are poorly supported by facts, and it shows how animal welfare concerns have been used to advocate restrictions on religious freedoms in discussions surrounding the practice of Islamic and Jewish ritual slaughter in countries such as Denmark.

The IHF report, Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims in the EU - Developments since September 11 can be found at the IHF website: http://www.ihf-hr.org. The report was presented at a press conference in Vienna, in the presence of Ambassador Omur Orhun, Personal Representative of the Chairman in Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims. The report will also be discussed at an event organized by the NGO FORUM in The Hague on 4 April 2005, where participants will include representatives of the Dutch parliament, the Dutch government, foreign embassies, Muslim and human rights organizations and academic institutions.

For further information: Aaron Rhodes, IHF Executive Director, +43-(0)676-635 66 12; Henriette Schroder, IHF Press Officer, +43-1-408 88 22 or + 43-(0)676-725 48 29

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