Muslims in Austria subjectively experience the most discrimination among European countries with a high Muslim population. This is evident from a study by the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), which was conducted in 2021-2022 and has now been published.
According to this survey, 66 percent in Austria had experienced discrimination within a year; the five-year average was 74 percent. This is the highest value of the thirteen EU countries surveyed.
Overall, at 80 percent, respondents from sub-Saharan Africa were the most likely to say they had experienced some form of discrimination in the past 12 months. Muslims from Syria and Turkey were almost equal in this respect at 64 and 65 percent.
Problems finding accommodation
In Germany, Denmark and Italy, the sub-Saharan African group also experienced more discrimination than others; However, in Belgium and France they were almost on par with the North Africans, and in France even just below.
When it comes to experiences of discrimination when looking for housing, Austria leads the way with a five-year average of 61 percent, both in the workplace (52 percent) and in contact with the healthcare system (45 percent). The topics of migration background, religion and skin color dominated the reasons for discrimination across Europe, with skin color most often cited among people from sub-Saharan Africa and migration background among the other groups. However, 52 percent of respondents gave two or more reasons for discrimination.
Young Muslims in particular feel discriminated against
Across Europe, younger respondents tended to experience discrimination more often than older respondents. In Austria, however, this phenomenon of variation by age group was hardly pronounced and was generally high, around 65 percent. Descendants of immigrants reported experiences with discrimination significantly more often than the first generation of immigrants.
No cases are reported
Although the experience of discrimination among Muslims in Austria is apparently so high, it was, together with Italy, one of the countries where cases of discrimination were least frequently reported by respondents (3 percent). And this despite the fact that knowledge about the existence of legal protection and human rights organizations that would help in such cases was relatively high at 32 percent.
The FRA study is the partial outcome of a broader survey of immigrants and descendants from Africa and the Eastern Non-European Mediterranean, conducted in 2021-2022. This survey into the experiences of discrimination among Muslims evaluates the responses of approximately 9,600 people from the 13 EU countries Austria, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg and Greece.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
