chargement...
On the occasion of the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over «institutional discrimination, socioeconomic exclusion, biased immigration policies, as well as unjustified surveillance and profiling practices» targeting Muslims worldwide. He warned of «alarming phenomena» fueled by «anti-Muslim rhetoric and blatant hatred».
In a world home to two billion Muslims, Guterres urged governments to «take concrete steps to combat hate speech, protect religious freedom, and fight discrimination». He also stressed the responsibility of online platforms.
This call was echoed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, who warned of a «growing wave of Islamophobia», citing recent studies. According to him, these trends have been exacerbated by «ongoing conflicts in the Middle East», which have «led to a significant increase in Islamophobic content online».
The normalization of Islamophobia has led to deadly consequences
Volker Türk pointed to assaults in streets and schools, attacks on mosques, and the spread of hateful remarks on social media, «often specifically targeting women and girls who wear the hijab». He also highlighted discrimination in employment and access to housing in several countries.
He further warned of the role of certain states, which he said «divert anti-terrorism policies to control, monitor, and detain Muslims, while border and immigration authorities create stereotypical profiles of people from Muslim-majority countries». For him, Islamophobia has «deep roots, often linked to imperialism and historical religious tensions».
These observations are reflected in recent data from Europe. According to figures published last February by the French Ministry of the Interior, 326 anti-Muslim acts were recorded in 2025, representing «an 88% increase compared to 2024» and 13% of all anti-religious acts.
The same source indicates that Islamophobic acts are «predominantly» expressed through «physical, verbal, and online hate attacks, accounting for 64%». Authorities also recalled «two murders that marked the year: Aboubakar Cissé in Gard and Hichem Miraoui in Var».
In the same year, a survey by Ifop estimated that Islamophobia affects two-thirds of Muslims in France, many of whom reported having already experienced racist behavior.
A widespread trend across Europe
These figures align with the findings of the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE), whose latest annual report recorded 876 incidents, 85% of which occurred in France. Of these, 686 involved discrimination and 178 physical assaults. Women accounted for 80% of victims, while 41% of discrimination cases were linked to the wearing of the veil.
In Austria, 1,336 cases of anti-Muslim racism were recorded in 2025, according to the tenth report by Dokustelle Austria. The CCIE also cited data from Unia in Belgium, where 9 out of 10 religion-related complaints in 2024 involved Muslims. In Denmark, the latest available police data from 2022 reported 50 religiously motivated hate crimes targeting Muslims, representing 10% of the total.
In Spain, the Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia recorded more than 138,000 hate messages in 2025. According to the CCIE’s analysis, «91% target people of North African origin». The organization also examined the situation in Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, and Switzerland.
In this context, the CCIE warned of the «normalization» of Islamophobia, which it says is «spreading even into political, media, and institutional spheres». It called on European institutions to recognize Islamophobia as «an indicator of the weakening of the rule of law».
