Countering discrimination against Muslims

Participants in a conference on countering intolerance and discrimination against Muslims held in Vienna on 18 October 2017. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and Georgetown University.

(OSCE/Salko Agovic) Photo details

Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims are not new, but manifestations of these phenomena appear to have been on the rise in recent years. Muslims might experience verbal harassment or be the targets of hate speech, violent attacks or religious profiling. ODIHR works with OSCE participating States to develop educational policies to fight hostility toward and prejudice against Muslims, and provides training on hate crimes for NGOs working in this area.

Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims has become increasingly prevalent in the OSCE region in recent years. The “war on terror”, the global economic crisis, anxieties about national identity and the difficulties in coping with the increasing diversity in many societies have led to a growth in resentment against Muslims and Islam that has sometimes been fuelled by intolerant language in media and political discourse.

As a result, many Muslims experience a range of discrimination, including verbal harassment, hate speech, violent attacks and religious profiling. Many are also confronted with a lack of equal opportunities in employment, housing, health care and education, and face restrictions on the public expression of their religion.

The OSCE recognized the danger of growing public intolerance against Muslims as early as 2002, in a Ministerial Council decision that firmly condemned such acts of discrimination. OSCE participating States have committed themselves to combating intolerance against Muslims, and strongly rejected the association of any religion or culture with terrorism.

In order to support the efforts of participating States to counter intolerance and discrimination against Muslims, ODIHR has undertaken a number of activities, including:

Working with OSCE participating States to develop educational policies and programmes to fight hatred, hostility and prejudice, with a view to addressing the root causes of intolerance;
Monitoring hate crimes and hate-motivated incidents against Muslims through the collection of data for ODIHR’s annual Hate Crime Reporting
Providing training on hate crimes for non-governmental organizations dealing with intolerance against Muslims in the OSCE region, to help them better record and report instances of hate crimes;
Creating international and regional forums where the challenges in combating intolerance against Muslims are highlighted and recommendations for further action are identified.

OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights > Countering discrimination against Muslims

Highlights

Larry Olomofe, ODIHR Adviser on Combating Racism and Xenophobia, presenting during the ODIHR workshop on improving identification and reporting of hate crimes against Muslims. Belgrade, 15 December 2017.

OSCE/ODIHR workshop in Belgrade focuses on improving identification and reporting of hate crimes against Muslims

Strengthening the ability of civil society groups to identify and report hate crimes was the focus of an event held by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Belgrade from 14 to 16 December 2017.

Methods to respond to intolerance, discrimination against Muslims explored at conference organized in Vienna by OSCE/ODIHR and Georgetown University

Participants in a conference held in Vienna on 18 October 2017 reviewed current manifestations of intolerance and discrimination against Muslims and related challenges across the OSCE region and explored methods for developing a comprehensive response to address these phenomena.

OSCE/ODIHR, Ireland’s Immigrant Council hold consultations in Dublin to develop educational materials to counter intolerance against Muslims

Representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Immigrant Council of Ireland held consultations with students, Muslim community associations and teachers as part of joint efforts to develop new guidelines for teachers on countering intolerance against Muslims, from 8 to 11 October in Dublin.