Conflicts in West Asia fueling troubles for Muslims in Europe: Survey

Muslims living across Europe are increasingly facing racism as the West Asian conflict continues to flare.

A survey by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published a survey on Thursday that showed that Muslims in Europe are experiencing discrimination because of their religion at a “worrying surge.”

The survey, which is based on interviews with 9,600 Muslims in 13 member states, found that racism had penetrated deep into all aspects of their lives.

Findings of the survey

According to the FRA, 47 per cent of Muslims surveyed in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden reported facing racism in the five years leading up to 2022, an increase from 39 per cent in 2016.

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Sirpa Rautio, FRA’s director, said, “We are witnessing a worrying surge in racism and discrimination against Muslims in Europe. This is fuelled by conflicts in the Middle East and made worse by the dehumanising anti-Muslim rhetoric we see across the continent.”

The survey also sheds light on specific aspects where Muslims were facing racism. It said 39 per cent of Muslims reported discrimination in the job market. Meanwhile, 41 per cent of the Muslims have been forced to settle for jobs for which they are overqualified.

Discrimination has also led Muslims to have a hard time finding accommodations with 35 per cent of the respondents saying that they have been discouraged from renting or owning homes in Europe.

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Jews face discrimination too

The Israel-Gaza war has spewed troubles for Jews too who have been associated with Israel’s aggression in Palestine.

Britain saw almost 2,000 antisemitic incidents in the first half of 2024, a record figure for the first six months of any year, a Jewish advisory body said last month.

The Community Security Trust (CST), which advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters, said more than half of the incidents recorded were related to Israel, Gaza, Hamas or the current conflict in the region.

“The disgraceful surge in British antisemitism is further evidenced by these latest figures,” said CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner. “It happens across society, including in schools, campuses, places of work, public transport and on the streets.”

Between January and July, there were 1,978 incidents of antisemitism, the CST said, more than double the number reported during the same period last year. It said there was also a significant increase in online incidents and school-related anti-Jewish hate.

With inputs from agencies