German government report highlights anti-Muslim racism

By Oliver Towfigh Nia

BERLIN (AA) - A German government report on Wednesday highlighted the problem of anti-Muslim racism in the country.

Presenting the report on the state of racism in Germany at a press briefing in Berlin, Reem Alabali-Radovan, the state minister for migration, refugees and integration, stressed it was “important to name and discuss anti-Muslim racism in this status report.”

She added the issue of anti-Muslim racism had repeatedly come up during her talks with representatives of the German Muslim community.

According to the report, Muslims are after the Sinti and Roma among those minorities to whom Germans have the most negative attitude.

Based on a survey, slightly more than one-fifth of those questioned have negative opinions toward Muslims.

A third of the interviewees share the view that the number of Muslim people in Germany should be limited, and 27% believe there are too many Muslims in Germany.

The report also pointed to the fact that Muslims have been subjected to hate crimes and daily attacks.

In 2021, 732 Islamophobic crimes were recorded, as well as 54 attacks on Muslim institutions and representatives, according to the report.

A country of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. It is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, according to official figures.

The country has witnessed growing racism and Islamophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties, which have exploited the refugee crisis and attempted to stoke fear of immigrants.