Muslims face employment bias despite overqualification

By Selen Valente

BRUSSELS (AA) - The EU Coordinator for the Fight Against Anti-Muslim Hate, Marion Lalisse, stated that Muslims in EU countries are more likely to be "overqualified" in terms of employment and education compared to the rest of the population, yet they face discrimination despite their qualifications.

Lalisse spoke to Anadolu about the rising anti-Muslim sentiment in Europe and the measures taken to combat this issue.

Referring to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report titled ‘Being Muslim in the EU – Experiences of Muslims’, Lalisse noted that racism and discrimination against Muslims had sharply increased since 2016, according to the report.

She emphasized that the data was based on a survey conducted between Oct. 2021 and Oct. 2022, pointing out that this trend began before October 7, 2023.

"It is extremely concerning," Lalisse said, adding that in 2016, 39% of Muslim participants in the survey reported experiencing discrimination and racism, while in the latest report, this figure had risen to 47%.

"So almost one out of two. It's also very concerning for other findings, as you said, women wearing a headscarf would be more discriminated at work. So it's 45% of the women with a headscarf compared to 31% without, and even more when they are young, as you rightly said, 58% of young women wearing a headscarf," she said.

Lalisse also noted that the trend is affecting Muslim children as well.

"72% of the children of the household surveyed were at risk of poverty, and the general population is 19%. So it's very concerning, as well as findings on health where Muslims have unmet medical needs," she said.

- Muslim society not trusting EU institutions

Lalisse pointed out that the rate of Muslims reporting incidents is low, indicating a lack of trust in EU institutions.

"There is no trust in (Muslim) society (in the relevant institutions in the EU) ... It is because they have, as the report shows, themselves, or a friend, somebody in their friends or colleagues, who have had a bad experience. So this means we should train police. We should train officers. We should train equality bodies," she said.

Emphasizing that Muslims in Europe have a higher rate of being overqualified in employment and education than the general population, she stressed: "If you ask me about education and job opportunities, we can say that, yes, Muslims are generally more overqualified than the rest of the population, so even when they do efforts to study, they face higher careers to find a career."

"A woman who had the headscarf is potentially self-censoring herself because she knows she will have closed doors, for instance, to become a doctor," she added.

- 'I've been giving a voice for Muslims'

Preparing to complete her second year in office, Lalisse said: "I've been giving a voice for Muslims in the European institutions in the EU in member states, to showcase the discrimination and racism they are facing, to prevent denial of this racism, and to make sure that we recognize the structural nature of this anti-Muslim hatred so deeply ingrained in society."

Lalisse also stated that she is working to hold member states accountable, mentioning recent effective bilateral and multilateral meetings held in Strasbourg and The Hague.

"We discussed the under-reporting (of incidents that happen to Muslims) and how to build trust with the Muslim community. It's very striking that very few Muslim people know at which door to knock in case of racism or discrimination. I've done country visits, obviously to the Netherlands recently, but also to Germany and to France. And I also interact with my colleagues online to follow also the good progress or sometimes difficulties and challenges they face in this field," she said.

Regarding the reasons for underreporting, Lalisse commented, "It's rather part of a lack of coordination. So we want to have a united position, and that will require some further work, but generally speaking, colleagues from ministries of justice, they are all acknowledging that there are different types of racism, including those related to Afrophobia, anti-Gypsies, and anti-Muslim hatred. So it's a matter of making sure that all staff, all civil servants, are well trained and aware about this phenomenon."

Lalisse expressed optimism about the new five-year term of the European Commission, which began on December 1, and highlighted that the appointment of Hadja Lahbib, of Algerian descent, as the Commissioner for Equality, is a "sign of hope."

- Full part of Europe

Lalisse also remarked on the Turkish and Muslim communities in Europe, saying, "And I think it's important now to recognize that these people are fully part of Europe, and they are a key contribution, economically, socially, artistically, of our life."