Report Finds Half of Luxembourg’s Muslims Experience Racism

IQNA – A new report by the European Agency for Fundamental Rights reveals that 50% of Luxembourg’s Muslim population reported experiencing racism in the last year, with 60% saying they faced discrimination over the past five years.

Released on Thursday, the report is based on data from 2021 and 2022, surveying Muslims in 13 EU countries and highlighting the specific challenges faced by Luxembourg’s Muslim community, the Luxembourg Times reported on Friday.

The report notes that respondents in Luxembourg were primarily from Sub-Saharan African countries, emphasizing that racial discrimination, especially based on skin color, is a significant factor.

Across Europe, Muslims reported similar experiences, with 71% in Austria and 68% in Germany citing at least one act of discrimination in the past five years. In France, nearly four in ten Muslims reported experiencing racism, while 53% in Belgium did as well. The report’s findings align with broader trends, showing that half of all European Muslims surveyed had encountered racism in daily life—a marked increase from 39% in 2016.

Luxembourg’s Muslim community faces specific challenges in housing and healthcare. One-quarter of respondents reported discrimination when renting or buying property, and 28% experienced discrimination in healthcare access.

This puts Luxembourg third in the EU for healthcare-related discrimination, following Austria (45%) and Germany (31%).

Harassment is also a concern, with 35% of Luxembourg Muslims reporting verbal insults and 5% experiencing physical violence.

Additionally, half of those surveyed felt their last police encounter was due to racial profiling. Trust in law enforcement is notably lower among Muslims who have experienced racism (6.1/10) compared to those without such experiences (8.6/10).

These findings align with data from the Observatoire de l'Islamophobie au Luxembourg (OIL), which reported in 2023 that 23% of the 299 Muslims surveyed had been direct victims of Islamophobic incidents, while 1% experienced violence due to their faith.

To address these issues, the European Agency for Fundamental Rights calls for stronger EU-wide anti-discrimination laws, national action plans to combat racism, and targeted assistance to improve Muslim communities’ access to education, employment, and affordable housing.

Source: Agencies