Regional overview of islamophobia in Europe: Submission to the CoE PACE Committee on Equality and Non-discrimination

Muslim communities in Europe are estimated to account for approximately 25.8 million people or roughly 4.9% of the region’s total population. Amnesty International has long been concerned about racial and religious discrimination and its specific impact on Muslim people’s human rights across Europe.

This submission to the Council of Europe Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination contains both longstanding and new research on discrimination against Muslims, including in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and United Kingdom. It is not an exhaustive overview, but documents the alarming manner in which a number of states have “racialized” the Muslim religious minority and subjected people within that minority to a range of discriminatory and racist laws, policies and practices.