Muslims in Europe feel vulnerable to rising hostility over Israel-Gaza crisis
Jian Omar, a Berlin lawmaker of Kurdish-Syrian background, feels unprotected by police after suffering hate-filled flyers mixed with glass and faeces, a broken window, and a hammer-wielding assailant since October 7, Reuters reports.
The three incidents at Omar’s constituency office form part of increased hostility to Muslims in Europe fanned at times by politicians, more than 30 community leaders and advocates consulted by Reuters said, adding that incidents were under-reported because of low trust in police.
“Imagine if a white German politician was attacked by a migrant or a refugee,” he said, suggesting security forces would do more in such cases.
Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said government language, such as calling pro-Palestinian protests “hate marches,” had made the fight against antisemitism and for the rights of Muslims or Palestinians a zero-sum game in many people’s minds.
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