Dozens of mosques attacked in Germany in 2022: Report
Last year, at least 35 mosques were attacked in Germany, with the bulk of these attacks motivated by the country's rising Islamophobia and right-wing extremism.
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Police observe the area outside a mosque in Berlin on February 21, 2020, two days after a shooting in Hanau, near Frankfurt. (Reuters)
At least 35 mosques were attacked in Germany last year, with the bulk of these attacks motivated by Islamophobia and right-wing extremism in the country, according to new research published by the Turkish-Muslim nonprofit DITIB.
The anti-discrimination office of the DITIB recently published a 32-page report documenting hate crimes, threats, and attacks against mosques and Islamic groups in Germany in 2022.
Anti-Muslim violence was closely related to social and political developments in the country, as well as public debates about immigrants, Muslims, and Islam, according to DITIB experts. “Polarizing and unobjective debates, an increase in stigmatizing (especially demonization of Muslims), are leading to an increase in attacks targeting mosques,” the experts wrote in their report.
Read next: 83 Islamophobic crimes during first quarter of 2022: German government
In 2022, at least 35 mosques were attacked, with 19 of them motivated by Islamophobia and eight others by right-wing extremists. In seven cases, anti-Turkish sentiment was the main motivation of the suspects, according to the report.
#Europe has witnessed a wave of #Islamophobic activity. #Germany indicated that 83 #Islamophobia crimes were recorded in the first quarter of this year.#France has recorded a 38% increase in anti-#Muslim attacks in 2021.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) June 12, 2022
More details here 👇 pic.twitter.com/bpyworyFsf
It is worth noting that, racism and Islamophobia have increased in Germany in recent years, spurred by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties that have exploited the refugee crisis and attempted to inspire fear in immigrants.
Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe, after France, with a population of over 84 million people. According to government data, it is home to nearly five million Muslims.
