Elham Asaad Buaras
The European Commission has filled the post of anti-Muslim hatred coordinator, following an 18-month delay.
The European Parliament had called on the Commission to “swiftly appoint” the coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred in a November anti-racism resolution, as the post had been vacant since July 2021.
Marion Lalisse, a veteran EU civil servant, announced her appointment on February 1. She expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work on an “important topic that requires our collective efforts and commitment.”
Her appointment follows an international outcry over the Qur’an burning in Sweden, which drew condemnation from the Muslim world. Separately, Türkiye issued a travel warning due to “dangerous levels of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe.”
The French national will work with member states, European institutions, civil society, and academia to strengthen policy responses in the field of anti-Muslim hatred. In her role, the coordinator will be the main point of contact for organisations working in this field in the EU.
The Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, said, “I welcome Ms. Lalisse as the new coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred, whose work will ensure responses to hatred as well as structural and individual discrimination against Muslims.”
We must fight anti-Muslim hatred in all areas of life, including education, employment, and social policy. “We must also gather data about, monitor, and tackle all instances of anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination.”
Lalisse, a graduate of SOAS University of London, had previously worked as a diplomat in EU missions in Yemen, Ghana, Mauritania, and Morocco, as well as dealing with European aid to Turkish Cypriots, putting her in touch with “a wide range of civil society organisations in the EU and the Muslim world,” the EU Commission said.
Lalisse will work on anti-racism and anti-anti-Semitism issues with two other EU officials, Michaela Moua and Katherina von Schnurbein.
The Commission established the position of anti-Muslim hatred coordinator in 2015, alongside the position of anti-Semitism coordinator, to combat discrimination across member states and coordinate integration efforts with civil society organisations.
The 18-month delay in appointing an anti-Muslim hatred coordinator had attracted criticism, for instance, from a network of 41 NGOs. The lack of progress indicated EU institutions had a “hierarchy” of concerns, in which anti-Semitism was placed above anti-Muslim hatred, they said.
The EU is home to about 19 million Muslims, who make up 6 percent of its population, according to estimates by the European Network against Racism.
Surveys by the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency in Vienna indicate one in three Muslims have experienced discrimination in the past 12 months. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an intergovernmental body based in Saudi Arabia, said in a report last year that France had the highest number of Islamophobic incidents in Europe.
Photo: Marion Lalisse, the newly appointed EU coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination.
(Credit: EU Justice and Consumers)
