Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized the German government for its failure to adequately protect Muslims in the face of increasing hate crimes and discrimination, according to official government data.
The report from the German government reveals that cases of “Islamophobic” crimes in the first nine months of last year escalated to 686, up from 610 for the entire year of 2022.
The Alhurra channel in Washington noted that the German government has not yet provided data for the period since the onset of the conflict in Gaza on October 7 last year. Since then, HRW has observed a spike in anti-Muslim incidents.
HRW emphasized that violence against Muslims is not a new phenomenon in Germany, pointing out that in 2017, one in every ten individuals reported experiencing an anti-Muslim incident. Rima Hanano, head of the Alliance Against Islamophobia and Muslim Hatred “CLAIM” — a German network of NGOs — stated, “2023 has seen a frightening new rise in anti-Muslim incidents.”
In November alone, CLAIM documented an average of three anti-Muslim incidents per day. In one reported case, a man perceived to be Muslim was assaulted and hospitalized after being labeled a “terrorist” when exiting a public bus.
HRW criticised the German government for not yet developing a nationwide infrastructure for monitoring and data collection based on clear indicators that would provide authorities with the necessary knowledge and tools to address the issue.
While civil society organizations are collecting data on such incidents, the government’s lack of robust mechanisms for data collection and monitoring remains a significant concern.
