By Hannan Hussain
It has been one month since the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) called on leaders to do more to "to build dialogue and counter anti-Muslim hatred," amid rising prejudice and anti-Muslim violence in European states.
Despite this call to action, Europe appears no closer to forming a united front against Islamophobia.
Many European states continue to report rising threats against Muslim communities in countries like Norway. Meanwhile, increasingly controversial policing practices threaten peaceful Muslim protests and organised gatherings in Germany.
Europe's empowered far-right is also adding to the challenge, as parties with distinct anti-Islam leanings vie for increased representation in June's European Union parliamentary elections. All this underlines the need to address rampant Islamophobia in Europe and ensure adequate protection of Muslim liberties from hate and discrimination.
In order to tackle threats against Muslim communities, some countries have tried (with futility) to deploy a show of force. Norway recently decided to arm its on-duty officers in response to rising threats against mosques, while France set up a "mobile security force" to manage its controversial headscarf ban in schools.
Such security responses cannot singlehandedly address a rising sense of exclusion among Muslims, nor guarantee an environment of tolerance. The strategy can also backfire, as racism is increasingly prevalent in EU policing, according to a new report from the EU Agency on Fundamental Rights.
European countries risk reinforcing community bias against Muslims unless their police training covers anti-Muslim hatred, which is a rarity.
Gaza effect
As Israel's war on Gaza fuels anti-Muslim sentiment across the continent, Europe needs to take a firmer stand against Islamophobia.
After all, there has been a marked increase in incidents against Muslims since the Israeli onslaught began, and Brussels has been careful not to criticize Israel's genocide in Gaza.
The EU's limited initiative to stop Israeli aggression has come at a considerable cost to Europe's Muslim population. Community members fear outsized restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly, and their right to protest in many countries.
For example, Muslim protesters in Germany have been subject to heavy-handed police tactics for months, while 66 percent of French Muslims report a systematic policy of discrimination.
These developments are fundamentally at odds with Europe’s commitment to shared values of freedom, and challenge its championship of civil liberties.
"The European Union condemns anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination, just like we condemn all forms of discrimination, hostility and violence based on religion or belief," read an EU statement on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia last month.
And yet, many European Muslims continue to face a growing sense of alienation at home, while the EU shows little consideration for Muslim sensitivities as Israel’s onslaught rages on.
Interestingly, within and beyond the EU, many efforts to combat Islamophobia are marred by controversy and fierce public debate. Take Germany, where the government insists that attacks against Muslims for religious or other reasons are "absolutely unacceptable."
This hasn't stopped Islamophobic crimes from more than doubling last year. Since then, Israel's ongoing war on Gaza had added to a surge in anti-Muslim racism in Germany.
Outside the EU, the United Kingdom is struggling to contain escalating criticism over its controversial new "extremism" definition.
The government has redefined extremism as the "promotion or advancement of an ideology based on violence, hatred or intolerance," giving it broad latitude to label individuals or groups as threats. Many view it as an attempt to target Muslim advocacy groups in the name of combating Islamophobia.
London is yet to dispel this impression on all sides of the political spectrum. Given these trends, Europe lacks unity in combating one of the most critical challenges facing its Muslim population.
Rise of the far-right
Complicating much of the debate are Europe's rising anti-Islam, far-right parties.
Many politicians in this camp are sensing an opportunity to capitalise on anti-Islam campaigning and steer EU further to the right. After all, Brussels is headed for hotly-anticipated parliamentary elections in June, and ECR – a grouping of hard-right European parties – is leading a powerful campaign to increase its right-wing weight in parliament.
Parties with a history of anti-Islam leanings such as Spain's Vox and Italy's "Brothers of Italy" are also using ECR’s umbrella to vie for greater influence in parliament, raising the spectre of more anti-Muslim hostilities in the future.
These parties are not alone either. Many anti-European populists are expected to top the polls in nine European member states, providing enough space for hard-right lawmakers to pull together a populist coalition with majority support.
As right-wing influence grows, it could become even more difficult for the EU to muster broad-based consensus on protecting Muslim liberties.
For Europe's Muslim community, these are ominous signs. First, a stronger far-right presence in parliament could increase hardline influence over future EU priorities, including efforts to combat Islamophobia.
Moreover, hard-right parties with anti-Islam leanings would want to appeal to their base, having spent years promoting friction between Islam and the West.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) group is a case in point: it ran on an anti-Muslim manifesto years ago and is now one of the country’s biggest parties.
As right-wing influence grows, it could become even more difficult for the EU to muster broad-based consensus on protecting Muslim liberties. This is an important consideration for shaping the bloc's long-term response to Islamophobia at a time when discrimination, hostility and anti-Muslim violence remain rampant across the continent.
Solutions
There are tangible steps Europe could take to tackle Islamophobia.
For example, EU leaders could consider releasing specific guidelines on police oversight and training requirements for all member states. They should also make it mandatory for all policing units to factor anti-Muslim hatred as part of their training.
Additionally, EU's centre-left and leftist parties should release manifestos that clearly distinguish freedom of speech from anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia.
This action would strike a telling contrast to the vitriol and hate speech exercised by popular far-right parties in the name of "Western values." From an election viewpoint, it could also allow centre-left parties to tap into the vote banks of millions of European Muslims as their parties vie to regain popularity in parliament.
The EU can also help change hearts and minds by implementing education campaigns about Muslims across schools, universities and academic forums. These actions could help dispel misperceptions, highlight connections between this group and the whole, and underline the need to foster coexistence.
These steps could serve as building blocks to help combat Islamophobia with the seriousness that it deserves.
The author, Hannan Hussain, is an international affairs specialist and author. He was a Fulbright Scholar of international security at the University of Maryland, and has consulted for the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington. Hussain's work has been published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, and the Express Tribune (partner of the International New York Times).
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT Afrika.
➤Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
