Historical past was made again in March, when the United Nations unanimously declared the fifteenth to be an annual Worldwide Day to Fight Islamophobia.
The decision was accepted by each single member of the UN — though not with out dialogue.
It was no shock that India, the place consultants warn of an impending ‘genocide’ of Muslims, uttered criticism, nevertheless it shouldn’t cross unnoticed that two European audio system joined within the refrain: each the illustration of France and the consultant of the European Union (as an observer) expressed criticism of the decision.
Though the French didn’t oppose the decision in the long run, it exhibits that there are main forces inside Europe, and particularly international locations like France, which can be investing much less within the struggle towards Islamophobia, and extra — as once more the instance of France reveals — into normalising Islamophobia.
And it appears that evidently different worrying developments such because the rise of the far-right in European nation states are pushing this development.
Though the far-right FPÖ in Austria and the League in Italy had solely a short-lived time in authorities, a revitalisation of the far-right has already led to the far-right Sweden Democrats turning into the second-largest social gathering in final week’s nationwide elections that makes it ready for becoming a member of authorities the primary time ever.
And in Italy once more, far-right chief Georgia Meloni prepares along with her social gathering Brothers of Italy for turning into prime minister in subsequent week’s elections as a part of a coalition with different far-right events together with the League.
With these developments in thoughts, we now have launched our seventh annual European Islamophobia Report.
The state of Islamophobia in Europe continues to be problematic with many insurance policies which we now have criticised in earlier studies being additional carried out —not least, the dissolution of Islamophobia watchdog organisations in France.
Then again, there may be rising consciousness and likewise proof supplied by European establishments that Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism will not be solely a urgent societal concern, but in addition structurally engrained in a number of establishments of the European Union and its member states.
The European Fee towards Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) confirmed with its common coverage suggestion No. 5 on stopping and combating anti-Muslim racism and discrimination in December 2021 that Islamophobia contains structural types of racism.
And the EU’s Company for Elementary Rights (FRA) Directive (EU) 2017/541 on Combating Terrorism — Impression on Elementary Rights and Freedoms confirmed that counter-terrorism methods particularly have an effect on the human rights of Muslims within the European Union.
EU Muslim coordinator lacking
Nonetheless, the European Fee has not taken any initiative to restaff the place of a coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred, which has been void for the reason that finish of July 2021 and who was seen as missing a transparent mandate and enough sources in any case.
Alongside the outcomes of the analysis mission Sorts of Democracy (V-DEM) performed by the College of Gothenburg that usually detects a decline of liberal democracy, a number of international locations that championed with anti-Muslim laws, together with Austria, had been downgraded from a liberal democracy to an electoral democracy.
For 2021’s report, we selected Sebastian Kurz for the duvet, serving as an emblem of bigger worrying developments in Europe. Kurz, who was hailed as a one-time political wunderkind by home Austrian and worldwide media, got here to energy by making Islam and Muslims his primary goal in election campaigns.
Greater than that, he was the chief of a conservative authorities that carried out one anti-Muslim coverage after the opposite, from hijab bans to the closure of mosques.
Lastly, the overwhelming allegations of corruption, particularly regarding the relationship between his authorities and the information media, compelled him to step down.
His political profession will be learn as a textbook instance of hegemonising Islamophobia and, on the similar time, of how empty populism which is basically constructed on anti-Muslim racism can finish.
Kurz amassed immense energy by scapegoating and securitising Muslims — which in the long run turned out solely to be a display to cover alleged corruption and rising authoritarianism.
Former justice minister Clemens Jabloner expressed this succinctly: Kurz’s regime was “a primary step within the path of a brand new system of presidency.”
Earlier nationwide studies on Austria in our European Islamophobia Report clearly present how the heavy funding in anti-Muslim insurance policies by Kurz’s authorities had been a marker of his more and more manipulative and authoritarian insurance policies.
Finally, the latter had been terminated not least by the impartial justice system that rescinded most of his anti-Muslim legal guidelines and measures from the hijab ban to the illegal closure of mosques.
However nonetheless, a number of politicians in Austria attempt to promote these insurance policies as a hit and make them the brand new commonplace not just for them however the remainder of the European political physique.
And a number of other interventions by the French state reveal, these authorities counteract the inclusion of Muslims in addition to the celebration of variety.
#BrusselsSoWhite has been one try to lift consciousness for structural racism in European establishments. And what European establishments must do is take Islamophobia critically and take measures to fight it accordingly.
