ISTANBUL

The European Commission's coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred told Anadolu that Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip have contributed to the rise of Islamophobia in Europe in recent years and warned against normalization of anti-Muslim hatred in Europe.

“Anti-Muslim hatred and other forms of racism and discrimination are unfortunately being normalized in discourse which may give a sense of impunity to hateful actors,” Marion Lalisse said in an email.

“The polarized environment that we face, especially since 7 October, has had concrete consequences on the levels of hatred affecting several groups in society, including Muslims and Jews and people perceived as such,” she said.

Lalisse noted that stereotypes affecting Muslims evolved after Oct. 7.

“As in the aftermath of previous major terrorist attacks committed by Muslim actors, we can observe increases of anti-Muslim hatred, due in part to the conflation of Islam and Muslims with terrorism or extremism in the mind of some. It should be recalled that anti-Muslim hatred affects individuals, regardless of their actual faith or absence thereof. It is important to work on rebuilding and strengthening bridges between communities and citizens,” said Lalisse.

Lalisse said since taking office Feb. 1, 2023, she has been advocating for a recognition of anti-Muslim hatred, more evidence-based policy and a great raising of awareness.

“I have worked with the Fundamental Rights Agency for the preparation and release of the report, ‘Being Muslim in the EU.’ The Commission has funded a significant report on ‘The legal framework to combat anti-Muslim hate in the European Union’ of the European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination, published in early 2025. I am also making sure that the future strategy against racism contributes to combatting anti-Muslim hatred.”

She has also been leading a dialogue with EU member states.

“Jointly with the Council of Europe, I have organised the 1st ever coordination meeting in Strasbourg on 14-15 March 2024, to mark the International Day Against Islamophobia. Jointly with my peers, we have issued a joint statement on 29/11/2023, following 7th October,” she said. “Together with the Dutch Ministry of Interior, I have organised a joint meeting with Ministries of Interior and police in the Hague. Jointly with Equinet, the network of Equality bodies, in 2024, I also gathered Equality bodies from all over Europe to discuss anti-Muslim hatred.”

Lalisse is pushing for safer digital spaces. “I have been working on making the internet a safer place for Muslims. I have been working with Member States and other actors to make sure that the Digital Services Act is implemented in a way that tackles anti-Muslim hatred and intersecting forms of hatred.”

She cited data from the EU Fundamental Rights Agency to highlight the extent of the problem.

“The report of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency, ‘Being Muslim in the EU’, that was released in October 2024, shows that almost half of Muslim respondents, 47%, experienced racial discrimination in the five years before the survey and over a third, 35%, in the year before the survey. This is a sharp rise compared to 2016 --5 years: 39% and 12 months: 25%,” she said.

“Tell MAMA UK, a civil society organisation, records the highest number of online and street based cases of Anti-Muslim hate in 2024 compared to any year since its founding in 2011,” she indicated.

As the International Day Against Islamophobia again falls during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Lalisse extended greetings to the Muslim community. “I would like to send them greetings on the occasion of Ramadan. I want to reiterate to Muslims that they are an integral part of Europe and that they contribute to making Europe diverse and vibrant.”

She encouraged individuals to report incidents of harassment and discrimination. “As was shown by recent reports, very few Muslims go to report incidents of harassment or discrimination. I would like to tell Muslims that their voice and their reports matter. In the same way, reporting hate speech online is crucial. Otherwise, anti-Muslim hatred stays under the radar and remains undocumented,” she added.