German Muslim Council Chief Criticizes Indifference to Growing Islamophobia in Europe
“Although Islamophobic sentiments have been spreading a lot among extremist circles, there just isn’t enough awareness of the extent of these sentiments with the general public,” Mazyek told Turkish news agency Anadolu.
He also explained that after the murder of Marwa Sharbini in 2009 for wearing a headscarf, a strong anti-Muslim movement formed in Europe under the name of Pegida, which stands for “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamicization of the Occident”.
“Because of the rampant islamophobia in the region where Marwa was killed, Muslims just choose to not live there anymore,” Mazyek elaborated.
This comes after reports of increased islamophobia in Europe, as Burhan Kesici, the Head of the Berlin-based Islam Council shared the same sentiments earlier this month.
Mazyek specifically called on politicians to take action against the discrimination he described, citing the absence of a formal condemnation after a Muslim family of four were murdered in Canada. “Physical attacks also always happen against Muslims in Europe but most victims are threatened to not report the incidents,” he added.
He called on Muslims of Europe to fight such discrimination and report any incidents they encounter, stressing that curbing the spread of these events is key to maintaining a healthy democracy.
