Anti-Muslim hate crimes explode in Germany amid ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza

By Mesut Zeyrek

COLOGNE, Germany (AA) – Anti-Muslim hate crimes and attacks against mosques have significantly increased in Germany since the escalation of Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a report by the country’s largest Muslim organization.

Eyup Kalyon, secretary general of the Turkish-Muslim group DITIB, has said propaganda by far-right politicians, and biased media coverage of the recent developments, have fueled anti-Muslim sentiment in the country.

“According to a report of our anti-discrimination office, there have been 81 attacks against mosques since the beginning of this year. Nearly half of them were recorded after Oct. 7,” he told Anadolu, adding that more and more mosques are receiving racist threats.

Kalyon said that in northwestern Germany, unknown perpetrators sent racist messages, burned pages of the Islam’s holy book Quran, threw pig’s meat and feces towards the mosques, and drew Nazi symbols on the walls of several mosques.

He called on the government and authorities to take effective measures to ensure their security.

“We expect from the state to ensure the security of our mosques, as they are expected to do for other places of worship, churches and synagogues. For us to practice our religion freely, the security of our mosques must be ensured,” he stressed.

Kalyon also said that they are receiving reports of growing racist incidents and verbal attacks against Muslim woman in hijab on the streets.

With a population of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 5.3 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.