YTB Report on racism and discrimination in Europe

YTB published a report about the experience of Turks in Europe about racism and discrimination.

Attacks against Turks and Muslims take place in the annual reports of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).

While Turks living abroad stated that they were subjected to racist and discriminatory treatment, some said that they were blocked in academia, while others said that attacks on mosques were classified as vandalist attacks rather than Islamophobic attacks.

Turks in Germany and France, which are the countries where the most discrimination and hate crimes against Turks and Muslims are committed abroad, told the AA correspondent.

Attacks against Turks and Muslims in all parts of the world, especially in Europe, take their place in the annual reports of the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB).

In the report, which includes 2020 data, Germany is one of the countries where hate crimes against Turks are reported the most, with 205 attacks. Germany is followed by France with 40 attack notifications, Austria with 37 notifications and Switzerland and Netherlands with 15 each.

In 2020, when a total of 389 attacks were reported, Turks were exposed to 225 hate speech and threats, while 45 mosque attacks, 25 arson attacks and 2 school attacks took place.

In the 205 attacks that took place in Germany, 4 people lost their lives and 10 were injured. In addition, mosques were evacuated before Friday prayers due to 12 fake bomb threats.

Prof. Dr. Hüdayi Korkusuz is known for his non-surgical treatments for some benign and malignant tumors in Germany. Korkusuz, whose projects were promoted as "the best German project" in Germany in 2012, explained that Turks and Muslims were blocked in the academy.

"Students had trouble when they didn't look the way they wanted"

Korkusuz, who was born, grove up and raised in Germany, said, "When I worked as a doctor in German universities, they did not allow our headscarved students to do doctoral thesis. When the students had beards and did not look the way they wanted, they had problems." he said.

Saying that they established Germany's largest civil health platform against discrimination, Korkusuz said, "We supported each other. For example, I gave more Muslim students the opportunity to have doctorate thesis. We made such efforts because we need more professor called Muhammed, doctor called İbrahim, doctor called Fatma, doctor called Hacer.” said.

Noting that the Turkish and Muslim society in Germany, who is fearless and mostly dealing with simple labor, should give more importance to education Prof. D. Korkusuz said: "Muslims need to make more efforts to read. Because if you want to do your worship freely in the Christian country, it will be your office and you will close the door and perform your time prayer. If you work in tape, you ask for permission. That's why our children need to read. Be it a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer, but as long as he is strong. A Muslim is strong, a Muslim does not beg."

Noting that he has many patients due to the non-surgical treatments he has done, Korkusuz also said that although some of these people are racist, racism is disabled when it comes to health. 

Cross drawn on Turkish associations

France is the second country in Europe where the most attacks against Turks took place. According to YTB reports, in 2020, racism in this country emerged not only in attacks on individuals, mosques and institutions, but also in the lack of equal treatment before the law.

While Christian and Jewish places of worship were decided to leave the Covid-19 restrictions early, the same situation was not applied to mosques and many Turks could not use their citizenship rights.

Bahar Ceviz, who works as a lawyer in France, where three attacks, one of which was an arson attempt against mosques, took place during this period, said that the far-right ideology had settled in the country and candidates competed on this issue during the election process.

Explaining the difficulties experienced by Turkish associations, Ceviz said, "5 associations, 3 of which are Turkish, in the Besançon region were subjected to vandalism. The Lorraine Cross was drawn on their exteriors.

"Although there is a shotgun in the prisoner's house, one of the original versions of (Adolf Hitler's) Mein Kampf, a poem about France with the words 'France, I will save you', there is nothing racist in the prosecutor's indictment," she said.

Ceviz said that these issues were not on the agenda, and that the Turkish society could not seek their rights due to the fear of being labeled and excluded.

Emphasizing that the complaints on these issues are not seen as the complaints of the people exposed to racism, but as the perception that the supporters of an ideology try to create, Ceviz said, "They remove them from the legal framework and place them in a political position because they support the Turks, support the Turkish politics, support the Turkish government." said.

Ceviz stated that the complaints of Muslims did not come to the agenda in the French media, and noted that it was necessary to inform the Turkish society more and to show that results were obtained for the complaints.