Our list of 11 most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims is neither here nor there – the whole world pretty much hates Muslims and Muslims have learned to deal with it.
Let’s get the definition out of the way; what is Islamophobia? There are many definitions of the term, and while Merriam Webster defines it as “irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against Islam or people who practice Islam”, Oxford English Dictionary says that Islamophobia is a “dislike of or prejudice against Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force”. In general, all of the definitions have something in common, and that is; fear of Islam or fear of Muslims. In this manner, Islamophobia can definitely be marked as one way of racism, and if you want to know more about Europe in that regard, make sure to read our list of 11 Most Racist Countries in Europe.
The history of Islamophobia in Europe is a long one, and that cannot be neglected, but the issue was mostly provoked by two very crucial events. The first is definitely 9/11, that shook the whole world and marked the beginning of the new history of the world, while the second occurred in France in 2015. As you may suppose, I talk about Charlie Hebdo shooting, after which nothing was the same for Muslims in Europe. Additional attacks throughout various European countries only contributed to the fact that Islamophobia is on the rise in Europe, but we should not act numb and pretend that there are not some other things outside this continent that contributed to this since there are many. And, yes, I am talking about Trump and his politics, especially about the travel ban from several Muslim majority countries.
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The growing of Islamophobia in Europe was also supported by this constant European backlash against Islam, and that can be mostly visible in the prohibition of headscarves in public institutions or wearing burqa or niqab in public places. Today, when we talk a lot about human rights, these prohibitions that are mostly present in France and Belgium only contribute to forming a distorted image of women who decide to cover and of Islam as an oppressive religion in general. And, although Europe is constantly trying to present itself as a cradle of democracy, Islamophobia in Europe statistics show something completely opposite, especially in these most racist Islamophobic European countries toward Muslims on our list below. Yes, you are welcome to be whatever you want in Europe, as long as you are not a Muslim.
To support the statement, it would only be enough to mention Slovakia among many other examples, with the clear message: “Islam has no place in this country”. When seeing all this, one can probably think that Slovakia has all predispositions to be marked as first among the most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims, but believe it or not, there are some worst cases, and this list will definitely deal with them. However, this is definitely not going to prevent the further settlement of Muslims in Europe, and the list of 10 Countries Where Muslim Population Will Increase The Most By 2050 is there to prove this.
Nevertheless, it is important to emphasize the following; many people are afraid of Muslims and Islam, without even knowing anything about that religion. I bet that the majority of people would be scared to death if someone told them he or she is going through the “jihad”, not knowing that its meaning is also related to the spiritual struggle within oneself against everything that is bad. Additionally, how many people know that there are many groups even among Muslims? If you have no idea, please read our list that deals with 7 Major Differences Between Shia and Sunni Muslims, and you will see how much you actually don’t know about Islam.
Eventually, making of this list would be impossible without the European Islamophobia Report. It has provided a very deep insight into various European countries when it comes to Islamophobia. However, make sure to understand that the report of Islamophobia in Europe 2017 has not been done yet, so I will use the one from 2016. My starting point was a survey conducted by the Chatham House Europe Programme that dealt with attitudes towards the migration from predominantly Muslim countries where the respondents from various European countries needed to say “yes” or “no” to the following statement: “All further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped”. However, to make it even more credible and better researched, I also went through information provided by Huffington Post, with an additional excellent article about Islamophobia. Telegraph also tackled the issue, as well as many other credible websites. The countries on the list are mostly there as they are usually mentioned in the news when you search for “Islamophobia in Europe”.
Additional information will be provided for each of them, so let’s see together what are 11 most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims.
11. Spain
41% of the respondents in Spain said that they would gladly stop Muslim migration to their country, which is in a way quite Islamophobic. Additionally, Islamophobia in this country is rising even more after recent attacks in Barcelona earlier this year.
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10. The United Kingdom
In the UK, 47% of the whole number of people who participated in the survey agreed that they don’t want Muslims to inhabit their country anymore. There are many things that provoked such a narrative, and one of them is definitely the London Bridge attack that occurred in June this year.
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9. Italy
Besides being beautiful and breathtaking, Italy is also a little bit Islamophobic, and 51% of the respondents, in this case, would reject Muslim immigration to this country, making it one of the most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims. However, Italy did not have any unpleasant situations or attacks in the past, and the Guardian gives an amazing analysis on that issue.
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8. Germany
53% of the people who responded in Germany agreed that they would not like more Muslims in their country, and that being more than a half is a little bit worrying. However, that can be provoked by the events throughout the Europe, as well as the horrible event from December 2016, when a truck was deliberately driven into the Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.
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7. Greece
Greece is the country where 58% of the respondents explicitly said that they would not like people from Muslim countries to immigrate to their own. Although this country was more or less saved from “terrorism”, the report says that there are many things that affect the rise of Islamophobia in this country, and the main are definitely right and far-right political parties and organizations, certain Church figures of the Orthodox Church of Greece, and the media.
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6. France
It was more or less obvious that France will find its place among 11 most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims, as 61% of the respondents would not like Muslims to immigrate there anymore. There are so many things to say about this country in relation to Islamophobia, but to avoid elaborating much, I strongly recommend reading the European Islamophobia Report on France.
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5. Belgium
Our number five on the list of most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims, similarly like France, also had many points where it proved its Islamophobic nature, such as banning the burqa in public, or headscarves in schools, and 62% of the respondents is against Muslim immigration to their own country. This is also very much provoked by attacks from March 2016, where almost 40 people got killed.
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4. Hungary
64% of the people who responded in Hungary agreed that all further migration from mainly Muslim countries should be stopped. According to the report, even though Hungary was not personally involved in bombings or attacks, it shifted towards adopting Islamophobic perceptions and discourses in the past decade due to exposure to Western European debates and recent events.
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3. Austria
Not very different from its neighbor Hungary, 65% of Austrian respondents would prevent further settlement of Muslims to their country. The report brings many appealing details on how Islamophobia is on the rise in Austria, and how it is very much directed towards women with the headscarf, making it third among most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims.
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2. Czech Republic
So, Czech Republic was not on the list of countries that were a part of Chatham House Europe Programme’s research, but it is impossible not to put it on the list. If not first, then only just one place behind. Since Slovakia was mentioned in the introduction, and they are quite similar when it comes to Islamophobia, this place is definitely reserved for the Czech Republic, which has become so hostile towards Muslim, especially from 2015, with the upsurge of refugees. Read the report to get to know more about this Muslim-hostile country.
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1. Poland
It is very sad to see that 71% of respondents were in favor of blocking migration from Muslim-majority countries, making Poland the most hostile country towards Muslims in this regard. Ryszard Czarnecki, the Polish minister, even said that the only way to protect Poland from terrorist attacks is by not allowing Muslim migrants into the country. The media in this country are strongly opposing Muslim population, and the report gives a closer insight into the issue. Read it, and you will see why Poland is the first among 11 most racist Islamophobic European countries towards Muslims.
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