Berlin: Anti-discrimination group officials say far-right groups trying to use economic, energy crisis to incite hatred against minorities, Muslims
German authorities have recorded 152 Islamophobic attacks so far this year, injuring seven people in 6 months.
In 2021, 662 Islamophobic crimes were recorded. However, it is not entirely clear how many attacks actually took place.
More than 46 mosques were also attacked in the anti-Muslim violence, in which 17 people have been injured so far.
Suleyman Demir, project director of the anti-discrimination group Insaan, said attacks on Muslims and mosques have seen an increase after the pandemic.
"It is also increasingly seen that not only men, but also women wearing hijab and niqab are subjected to physical assaults such as spitting, which has increased significantly in recent years," he added.
He urged the government to provide better sensitivity training to the police to deal with Islamophobic crimes. "Police officers are not properly trained to deal with anti-Muslim crimes."
Germany has the second largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. There are approximately 5.5 million Muslims in Germany, of whom 3 million are of Turkish origin.
Source: Anadolu Agency