A Berlin-based rights group says the vast majority of complaints they receive are incidents of racism towards Black people, and anti-Muslim hate crimes and discrimination.

There has been a rise in anti-Muslim incidents at German schools because of the far-right’s narratives, and the recent developments in the Middle East, a Berlin-based rights group has reported.

The ADAS anti-discrimination center has received more and more complaints in recent months from students, as well as their parents over anti-Muslim acts, insults, and verbal harassment.

“More than half of the complaints we have received are about incidents of anti-Muslim racism. Considering that Muslims constitute 6 to 8 percent of the population in Germany, this is a rather high rate,” said ADAS’s director, Aliyeh Yegane Arani.

The Berlin-based ADAS is providing counseling and support to pupils, parents, teachers, and school staff who have experienced or witnessed discrimination.

The vast majority of complaints received by ADAS are incidents of racism towards Black people, and anti-Muslim hate crimes and discrimination, Anti-Muslim sentiment is impacting not only Muslim students but anyone perceived to be Muslim.

“About 20% of cases are explicitly about anti-Muslim racism. These incidents involve some teachers using Islamophobic expressions, or girls, women being discriminated against because of their headscarves, mobbing against Muslim students” Arani said.

She pointed out that there are also other forms of anti-Muslim racism that affect people who are perceived to be Muslim because of their name, appearance or origin, but who are not religious at all, perhaps not even Muslim. Arani said these account for around 40% of the complaints they have received.

According to the estimates of the ADAS, the actual figures on the anti-Muslim incidents at schools could be much higher, as many students and parents do not report these to authorities or anti-discrimination centers.

“There are many cases that go unreported. Only very few people apply and report such incidents, many of the cases at schools are not reported or addressed,” Arani said.

She pointed out that anti-Muslim hate propaganda of the far-right groups, racist narratives about immigrants were among the reasons for the sharp rise in Islamophobic cases in recent years. She also noted that there has been a rise in reported incidents after the Israel–Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

With a population of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. It is home to more than 5 million Muslims, according to official figures.

The country faced growing racism and xenophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right, and anti-Muslim groups, including the opposition party Alternative for Germany, or the AfD.

Last year, German authorities recorded at least 686 Islamophobic crimes, including verbal and physical assaults against Muslims on the streets, threatening letters sent to Islamic institutions, and arson attacks that targeted mosques.

Source: Anadolu Agency