Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
Marion Lalis, the European Commission's coordinator for combating anti-Muslim hatred, said that the time has come to break the vicious circle and stop racism. This came in a post written by the European official on the X website (formerly Twitter) in her comment on the latest report published by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights, accompanied by a video about the state of racism, which included: The report reveals new revelations about the prevalence of racism, harassment and discrimination and also points to increasing inequality in employment, education and access to housing
More than half of the population of African descent in Belgium (56%) has been exposed to racism. This is more than in other European countries, according to a report published by the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) on Wednesday.
Four out of ten Belgians of African descent indicated that they had been subjected to racist intimidation. Nearly half (45 per cent) felt discriminated against while looking for work, and 37 per cent also felt discriminated against at work. The average in the 13 EU countries surveyed was about 11 and six percentage points lower, respectively. In Belgium, a third of people of African descent have a temporary contract, while only seven percent of the total Belgian population falls into this category. In addition, a third of the group surveyed in Belgium have difficulty making ends meet.
Regarding the housing market, 44 percent of Belgians of African descent indicate that they have been subjected to discrimination. This is ten percentage points higher than in the other countries surveyed. In addition, one in five (21 percent) of people of African descent in Belgium owns their own home, while the vast majority (71 percent) of Belgians own property. The group also studied life in homes that were more crowded than the rest of the population.
“Those who reported believed that nothing would change or make a difference.”
Nearly half of respondents in Belgium (48 percent) had experienced a recent stop by police as a result of racial profiling. This is the same as the average in the 13 EU countries surveyed. Those who feel they are being surveilled because of their origin have significantly less trust in the police than those who do not have this feeling. According to what was published by the Belgian News Agency
A small minority (13%) say they reported discrimination to an official agency. This is in line with the general trend in other European countries. Those who do not report discrimination often feel that reporting “will change nothing or make no difference.”
The report says that although the European Union has had anti-discrimination legislation in place since 2000, people with African roots in Europe still face racism, discrimination and hate crimes. The FRA calls on EU countries to urgently take additional measures to address racial discrimination and harassment. In cooperation with the polling agency Ipsos, between October 2021 and September 2022, the agency conducted interviews with 459 people of African descent in Belgium.
The European Union Coordinator for Combating Anti-Muslim Hatred, Marion Lalis, previously revealed that the Union has concrete plans to combat the phenomenon of “Islamophobia.”
Lalis said that the European Union has concrete plans to combat Islamophobia, by identifying the sources of hate speech against Muslims and confronting it.
The European Coordinator explained that the Union will work to generalize policies to combat hatred against Muslims in various sectors, such as education, security, immigration, and other fields.
She indicated that the Union countries will continue dialogue with various institutions, civil society, actors, citizens and international organizations. To establish policies that enhance awareness among citizens and institutions about the phenomenon of Islamophobia.
In the same context, Lalis pointed out that the Muslim community in Europe is “the largest religious minority,” stressing that it is an integral part of society.
It is noteworthy that the European Commission launched the position of European Union Coordinator to Combat Anti-Muslim Hatred in 2015, in order to ensure the establishment of a strong and comprehensive response through the Commission’s services to this issue, and to strengthen integration and social integration policies.
On February 1, the European Commission appointed Marion Lalles as its new coordinator to combat anti-Muslim hatred.
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