Reem Alabali-Radovan, Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism, presents the country’s first official government report on racism on January 11 in Berlin. (Credit: Abdulhamid Hoşbaş/Anadolu Agency).

Harun Abdullah

Germany’s first anti-racism commissioner demanded action on Islamophobia after years of neglect on the issue, as she unveiled the country’s inaugural report on racism. Released on January 11, the report entitled ‘Racism in Germany: Current Situation, Areas of Action, and Measures,’ found that racism is still a major issue in the country.

“Racism is not an abstract concept, but a painful reality for many people in our society,” said Reem Alabali-Radovan, the Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Racism, as she presented the report.

“It is a major threat to democracy, as it attacks people and their human dignity, which is guaranteed to them by the Basic Law,” she continued.

Alabali-Radovan, a member of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party and incumbent State Minister and Commissioner for Immigration, Refugees and Integration, stressed it was “important to name and discuss anti-Muslim racism in this status report.” Alabali-Radovan said the issue of anti-Muslim racism came up repeatedly during her meetings with Germany’s Muslim community.

Alabali-Radovan’s office collated representative studies carried out by other organizations, such as the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor (NaDiRa), which conducted 5,000 telephone interviews on the topic of racism. In NaDiRa’s study, “in contrast to most existing quantitative studies, not only surveyed members of the majority population but also groups potentially confronted with experiences of racism were interviewed about their perspectives.”

According to the report, Germans have the most negative attitude toward Muslims after the Sinti and Roma communities. Based on a survey, more than one-fifth of those questioned have negative opinions toward Muslims; a third say the Muslim population in Germany should be restricted; and 27 per cent say too many Muslims live in Germany.

The report also points to the violent hate crime attacks Muslims face in the country. Alabali-Radovan emphasised that racism is not limited to hate and violence; it also occurs in microaggressions and systemic discrimination in various areas, including the workplace.

“It should not be that a woman with a hijab and the same qualifications as a woman with a more ‘German-sounding’ name is four times less likely to be called in for a job interview,” she said. Germany does not yet have a standard legal definition of racism.

Alabali-Radovan stressed the importance of providing stronger assistance to individuals affected by racism and recognising everyday and systemic racism after “years of ignoring the issue.”

“Racism is not an abstract concept, but a painful reality for many people in our society,” she said. “It is a major threat to democracy, as it attacks people and their human dignity, which is guaranteed to them by the Basic Law,” she continued.

A whopping 90 percent of those surveyed agreed that racism is a problem in Germany, and 22 percent said they had personally experienced it. The report also notes the barriers many face in reporting racist incidents.

Data released last month showed that in the three months to September, there was a 74 percent increase in anti-Muslim crimes in Germany compared to the previous quarter. According to the German Federal Parliament data, this compared to 83 offences against Muslims in the first quarter and 69 in the second quarter.

The report’s release coincides with a renewed debate on integration in the aftermath of New Year’s Eve street violence in ethnically diverse districts of Berlin and other cities.

It had become a pretext, the commissioner said, to express prejudiced assumptions about the ethnicities of people who had allegedly used explosives to attack police and emergency services. “The debate about the situation on New Year’s Eve shows that even in 2023, we need to learn how to discuss societal issues without falling back on racist stereotypes,” she said.

Ferda Ataman, Germany’s independent Federal Anti-Discrimination Commissioner praised the report, calling its release “overdue and urgently needed. This is the first time the government has made it clear that combating racism must be a top priority,” she said. “The report shows: racism remains a problem in Germany.”