Brussels, 21/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - There is more discrimination against Muslims than others when it comes to employment, education or access to goods and services, and Muslim women and girls in particular are victims of prejudice. This is the conclusion reached by a report from the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) on 20 March, published the day before the International Day Against Racial Discrimination.
“Manifestations of Islamophobia include discrimination and violence towards Muslims, criminal damage to Islamic buildings, and protests against the building of mosques even in countries such as Poland, where some Muslim communities have been established and integrated for centuries”, ENAR states.
Muslim women are doubly discriminated against, by religion and by gender. In France, ENAR points out, 85% of Islamophobic acts target women.
Another worrying aspect is that anti-Muslim and anti-immigration discourses are promoted and exacerbated by both extremist and mainstream political parties, fuelling discrimination and preventing ethnic and religious communities from participating fully in the European society and economy.
According to the ENAR report, which is based on 26 national reports sent by ENAR member associations, around one third of Muslims taking part in an inquiry into this subject said they had been victim to discrimination. In Bulgaria, 35-40% of the Muslim population is unemployed (compared to the general 12% rate). In France, ENAR deplores, some people have been unable to receive healthcare as doctors request that they wear “neutral” clothing, the report states.
The study, however, also looks at discrimination against the other ethnic communities, beginning with the Roma community, which is treated differently when it comes to education and employment, not only by the police but also by the judiciary. In the Czech Republic, the report goes on to say, Roma children make up around one third of the population of specialised schools. Discrimination also exists in certain media, mainly Slovak or Spanish, where there is a tendency to systematically refer to the Roma origins of persons accused of crimes. (SP/transl.jl)