"Incidents of anti-Muslim hatred in Europe are underreported"
Marion Lalisse, the European Union's (EU) Representative for Combating Anti-Muslim Hatred and Discrimination, said that anti-Muslim hatred is on the rise in Europe and that cases should be recorded and awareness should be raised in order to fight effectively.
Marion Lalisse, the European Union's (EU) Representative for Combating Anti-Muslim Hatred and Discrimination, said that anti-Muslim hatred is on the rise in Europe and that cases should be recorded and awareness should be raised in order to fight effectively.
On the one-year anniversary of his appointment, Lalisse made evaluations to AA correspondent about the rising anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe.
Lalisse, who took over the seat that had been vacant for 18 months in February 2023, described the biggest challenge he faced as follows:
"We face the problem of under-reporting and under-recording of anti-Muslim hate incidents in Europe. We need to build the trust of our Muslim citizens in law enforcement. Being able to work with the data, to fully understand the extent of anti-Muslim hatred, is a challenge for my colleagues and me."
Stating that another challenge is to establish a network among EU member states, Lalisse said that such an organisation is necessary in order to collect data on cases and share good practices in combating them.
After one year in office, Lalisse emphasised that progress had been made in reaching out to the Muslim community as a whole, addressing the discrimination they face and increasing exchanges between EU countries.
The place of anti-Muslim hatred in EU law
Referring to the EU's 2008 Framework Decision on discrimination and xenophobia, Lalisse stated that the decision empowers member states to prosecute cases of such victimisation.
Pointing out that the events that started on 7 October 2023 in Israel-Palestine have increased anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim hatred in Europe, Lalisse said that the EU attaches equal importance to the two threats.
"For us, there is no hierarchy between types of racism and discrimination. Both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred have so far been addressed together in the EU Commission's 2020-2025 action plan against racism." she said.
Lalisse pointed out that as a result of the EU Commission's work on the reflections of the events that started on 7 October 2023 in Israel-Palestine in Europe, the declaration adopted on 6 December 2023 opened up a wide-ranging struggle.
Lalisse said he was "proud" of the declaration and added: "The purpose of this declaration is to prevent polarisation between communities and to protect all citizens, regardless of their beliefs and other differences. We should learn from the past."
Remedies for victims of anti-Muslim hatred
"If a person is subjected to physical or verbal anti-Muslim hatred, they can file a lawsuit against it in these member states," Lalisse said, adding that the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights is the first authority to be contacted in this regard.
Lalisse stressed that on the website of this organisation, each country shares the organisations that can be contacted for assistance and the paths to be followed.
Stating that another way could be "equality bodies" in member states, Lalisse said: "Equality bodies in each member state are obliged to support citizens who face discrimination or hate crime."
Attacks on the Holy Quran
Referring to the attacks on the Holy Quran in some EU countries last year, Lalisse said:
"These are unacceptable. They are against EU values. These are personal actions. They are not supported by any member state and are condemned by me and the European Commission. There was disinformation that member states were encouraging these actions. But from our point of view it is very clear that these are provocations, offensive and disrespectful acts against our Muslim citizens and beyond that against Muslims around the world."
Threatening letters sent to mosques
Regarding the threatening letters sent to mosques in Germany, Lalisse said, "I am aware of the threatening letters sent to mosques. Slogans written on mosques and buildings are the same. These are absolutely unacceptable."
Stating that the EU is preparing a guide for mosques or Muslim organisations that are subjected to such attacks, Lalisse said: "We are aware of radicalisation in our society. We are working on this. Police and law enforcement agencies have broken down some gangs."
"We must raise awareness to prevent Muslims from being targeted as a group by other citizens. Hate is a great risk for our society and democracy. The solution we propose is to raise awareness."
EU Court of Justice ruling on headscarf
Commenting on the ruling of the Court of Justice of the EU in November 2023 that public administrations can impose a headscarf ban, Lalisse said: "If this rule is applied generally and indiscriminately to all administrative staff, it can be justified within the framework of the neutrality policy. In other words, this ban concerns all religious symbols."
Mr Lalisse said that he was also in contact with municipalities and was in discussions with them about which practices in the workplace constituted discrimination and which were legitimate measures.
