Police recorded nearly 650 anti-Muslim crimes from Jan to Nov 2020, according to official data
\nnews agency
\nCOLOGNE
\nGermany\u2019s Turkish-Muslim community is alarmed by the increase in Islamophobic hate crimes, senior figures told Anadolu Agency Monday.
\nKemal Ergun, president of the Turkish-Muslim association IGMG, said more and more mosques have become the targets of threats, vandalism or arson in recent months.
\n\u201cAt least 122 mosques were targeted in such attacks last year,\u201d he said, adding that dozens of mosques received multiple bomb threats by neo-Nazis or other extremist groups, sparking worry among the members of the community.
\n\u201cWe call on the police authorities to conduct more effective investigations and arrest the perpetrators of these attacks,\u201d he said.
\nErgun, who leads one of the largest Turkish-Muslim organizations in the country, said Muslims were experiencing more hostility and discrimination in their daily lives due to the rise of anti-Muslim prejudice.
\nHe said Muslim women in particular who wear headscarves have frequently been verbally harassed on the streets, and that incidents of physical assault have reportedly also been on the rise.
\nAccording to official figures, police recorded 632 Islamophobic crimes in Germany from January to November 2020.
\nThese included insults, threatening letters, disruption of religious practice, physical assaults and damage to property.
\nThe real figures are believed to be higher, as many victims do not file criminal complaints with the police, largely due to their distrust of law enforcement.
\nDurmus Yildirim, chairman of ATIB, one of the largest Turkish-Muslim cultural organizations in Germany, criticized right-wing populist politicians for inciting hatred and discrimination against immigrants and Muslims.
\n\u201cWe want an end to this racist and populist rhetoric, efforts should be made for peaceful coexistence,\u201d he told Anadolu Agency, calling for a stronger stance against anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish hatred.
\nYildirim said the country\u2019s 3-million-strong Turkish community would not give in to threats by far-right groups and parties.
\n\u201cWe are part of Europe, we\u2019re living together here. Our third, fourth generations were born and raised in Germany, it has also become our homeland,\u201d he said.
\nA country of over 80 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country\u2019s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.
\nThe country has witnessed growing racism and Islamophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of neo-Nazi groups and the far-right opposition AfD party, which has attempted to stoke fear of Muslims and immigrants to win more votes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Police recorded nearly 650 anti-Muslim crimes from Jan to Nov 2020, according to official data news agency COLOGNE Germany\u2019s Turkish-Muslim community is alarmed by the increase in Islamophobic hate crimes, senior figures told Anadolu Agency Monday. Kemal Ergun, president of the Turkish-Muslim association IGMG, said more and more mosques have become the targets of threats, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n