EU official says inciting hatred against Muslims incompatible with bloc’s values

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) — Inciting hatred against Muslims goes against EU values, and defending Muslims' rights protects individual freedoms, a recently appointed EU official said on Wednesday.

Marion Lalisse, who was assigned last month as the European Commission’s coordinator on combatting anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination, issued a video statement on Twitter introducing her priorities.

“Acts of violence and incitement to hatred against Muslims are not compatible with the funding values of the EU,” she pointed out, noting that “the Muslim community represents the biggest religious minority in Europe.”

Lalisse explained that the fight against violence and hatred against Muslims subscribes to the “broader work on combatting hatred and discrimination” and the core of the values that the EU has been built on.

“It is about protecting the rights of individuals and not of a religion in particular,” she asserted.

Lalisse said she was “aware of the multiple discrimination and harassment that Muslim women could face.”

She stressed that it is important to collect information on discrimination and harassment on the EU level to understand the extent of the phenomenon and to present a political response.

“Combating anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination should be done on every single day of the year,” she stressed, promising to work “tirelessly” with EU institutions, nongovernmental organizations, governments, and other international organizations and researchers.

“We want to build together the Europe of tomorrow which is built on equality,” Lalisse underlined.