Elham Asaad Buaras
There were 950 attacks reported on Muslims and mosques in Germany in 2017, according to new Government figures.
The incidents included the vandalising of mosques, online abuse and physical attacks on Muslim women wearing the hijab.
While in Spain 546 anti-Muslim incidents were recorded last year, including against women and children and several mosques, according to a civil society group.
Muslim leaders in Germany have argued the Government figures likely do not accurately reflect the real number of attacks on Muslims in Germany.
Aiman A Mazyek, Chair of the Central Council of Muslims said, “There is a big blind spot because the authorities police and prosecutors are not yet sensitised, and therefore many cases do not appear in the statistics.”
He also cited a “psychological barrier” that prevents victims from reporting cases of abuse, saying: “I’ve noticed a strong sense of insecurity among Muslims. Many try not to stand out in the streets or in public life…This trend has become considerably worse in recent years.”
Details of the incidents in Spain were documented in the report released on March 2 by the Citizens’ Platform Against Islamophobia (PCI).
According to ‘Islamophobia in Spain 2017’, a rising trend of prejudice against Islam was noted among various political views in Spain. Street, media and internet campaigns by far-right groups.
Out of the 546 anti-Muslim incidents, 386 were media and internet-based while 48 percent comprised verbal attacks against Islam and Muslims.
Twenty-one percent of the incidents were against women, 8 percent targeted men, 4 percent were directed against children and 7 percent targeted mosques. There were also attacks against Muslim communities’ businesses and associations.
Of all the anti-Muslim incidents documented by PCI in 2017, 51 percent occurred in the north-eastern Catalonia region, followed by Andalusia with 22 percent and Valencia with 20 percent.