Austrian Academic Says France Has Harshest Treatment of Muslims in Europe
Hafez, who is originally from Egypt, said leaders of many European countries have in recent years adopted the policy of severe interaction with Muslims, Al Jazeera reported.
He said Austria used to be a country that treated Muslims well and among the few European countries that recognized Muslims as a religious society and regulated their religious freedoms with the so-called Islamgesetz (Islam Law) in 2012.
However, he said, since former chancellor Sebastian Kurz took office, the political leaders in the country started targeting Muslims and adopted the policy of appeasing far-right groups.
Hafez noted that they banned Hijab and closed down many mosques in Austria.
He also referred to a “security operation” in November 2020 in which police raided the homes of tens of Muslim figures as well as mosques and Islamic institutes, saying the goal was to repress and sideline Muslims.
He further said among European countries, France has the harshest approach in its interaction with Muslims,
In Germany, too, the conservatives who have been in power for 16 years have taken many measures against Muslims and Islamic civil society organization albeit not openly as in Austria.
Hafez, who has overseen the compilation of the annual report on Islamophobia in Europe since 2015, says that since moderate parties that are in power in Europe began adopting the policies of far-right, the situation has become worse for Muslims in the continent.
Hafez’s apartment was one among some 60 homes of Muslim activists and academics raided in November 2020 as part of what Austria’s interior minister called “Operation Luxor”.
The search warrant alleged that Hafez wanted to destroy Egypt and Israel and establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate with Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
In addition to “supporting terrorism”, police accused him of crimes including “hostility to the state” and “money laundering”.
Hafez’s bank account was frozen, leaving him unable to pay lawyers or repair the damage caused during the raid.
However, the “terrorism” charges against an Austrian academic were dropped in early 2023 after an Al Jazeera documentary revealed the case was based on false evidence and fabricated accusations.
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