Muslims in EU feeling at home despite discrimination - Study

A large majority of Muslims in Europe feel closely connected to the country they live in and trust public institutions despite facing “widespread discrimination”, a study suggested Thursday.

The findings come ahead of elections in Germany on Sunday and in Austria next month when rightwing parties critical of Muslim immigration are expected to perform well.

Seventy-six percent of 10,527 first and second-generation Muslims in 15 European Union member states feel “strongly attached” to their country of residence, according to the survey by the Vienna-based EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

Nonetheless, nearly 40 percent also reported suffering discrimination and harassment because of their ethnic or immigration background, particularly in the Netherlands and France.

Both countries have large Muslim communities and farright parties sharply critical of Islam came second in elections this year.

“Our survey results make a mockery of the claim that Muslims aren’t integrated into our societies,” says FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty.

“On the contrary, we see a trust in democratic institutions that is higher than much of the general population.”

O’Flaherty warned that key obstacles to Muslims’ social inclusion were the large-scale discrimination and “hate” crimes they experienced on a regular basis.

Meanwhile, the survey also showed that most Muslims were “generally open” towards people from different religious or cultural backgrounds. (AFP)