Muslim girls sporting the scarf in Austria face extra anti-Muslim hate and discrimination than males, in line with an area activist combating Islamophobia.
“The majority of the victims are women who wear the hijab … Because of the hijab, because of the visibility of the hijab, a lot of women face more anti-Muslim racism,” Munira Mohamud, an activist on the Austrian nongovernmental group, Dokustelle, advised Anadolu Agency (AA).
According to the group, which paperwork anti-Muslim hate crimes and racism, over 1,000 Islamophobic incidents had been reported final 12 months within the nation, with girls being the vast majority of victims as in comparison with males.
The particulars of the group’s findings of 2022 are to be launched in May, whereas the 2021 statistics confirmed that ladies, with 69.2%, had been additionally subjected to Islamophobia greater than males.
Mohamud wears a headband and mentioned she additionally encountered Islamophobia in Vienna final 12 months.
“A man came up to me and told me to take off the hijab,” she mentioned.
“‘What is this on your head? Take it off,’ the man said, before using a derogatory word in German,” she added.
Mohamud mentioned on public transport she has not confronted any direct assaults however usually feels some stares from commuters. “So, people are constantly looking at you like something is wrong with you or like you are doing something wrong.”
According to Austria’s Federal Statistical Office, there are at present 645,600 Muslims in Austria.
Influencing each other
According to Mohamud, anti-Muslim sentiments are growing in all places, whereas international locations in Europe are influencing one another. “It’s not only an Austrian problem but it’s a European problem as a whole.”
She underlined that politicians in Austria have spoken of contemplating France’s method towards Muslims, seeing it as an “inspiration” on the best way to cope with the minority group within the nation.
In Austria, the largest participant of Islamophobia is the federal government, and as a substitute of tackling native points akin to corruption, it tries to divert consideration by speaking about points associated to Muslims and even blaming them, she mentioned, including that any such narrative not solely exists in Austria however Europe as properly.
Condemning Islamophobia
The official mentioned she thinks that one of many causes behind the rise in Islamophobia is the truth that there is no such thing as a condemnation from the federal government and that it’s simply the civil rights society that’s condemning it.
Moreover, she mentioned there are sometimes no penalties for individuals who have interaction in hate crimes and this results in a surge in such crimes. To cope with this, she mentioned the federal government ought to acknowledge Islamophobia and introduce legal guidelines that defend the group.
“I feel like that is the first and important step on combating Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism in Austria because a lot of people don’t recognize Islamophobia, and the government also doesn’t recognize Islamophobia. … We can push the government to make new laws that protect the Muslim community in Austria.”
According to Mohamud, final 12 months was a continuation of 2021 by way of Islamophobic assaults. She recalled incidents of hate graffiti sprayed on a mosque, whereas one other was vandalized and attacked.
She mentioned the presence of the “Islam Map,” a digital map launched by a state-funded group exhibiting places of all Muslim establishments and mosques in Austria, has led to a rise in assaults on Muslims.
Although the map was met with quite a lot of criticism from Mohamud’s group and different our bodies, the federal government did not take it down.
Mohamud additionally recalled another incidents the place a boy was not allowed to wish in his college, and lecturers or workers intimidated kids about sporting hijab or working towards the faith.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
