Survey: Majority of Muslims in Europe are integrated in countries they live

BRUSSELS, Sept 21 (KUNA) -- The vast majority of Muslims in the EU have a high sense of trust in democratic institutions despite experiencing widespread discrimination and harassment, shows a major survey by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published Thursday. "Our survey results make a mockery of the claim that Muslims aren't integrated into our societies. On the contrary, we see a trust in democratic institutions that is higher than much of the general population," commented FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty.
"However, every incident of discrimination and hate crime hampers their inclusion and reduces their chances of finding employment. We risk alienating individuals and their communities, with potentially perilous consequences," he added.
On his part, European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said he is "encouraged by the confidence of Europe's Muslim communities in our public institutions and rule of law, despite the individual challenges of discrimination which they attest to.
"But I am disheartened by the EU Fundamental Rights Agency's report which shows that over the past five years, almost one in three Muslims feel that they have been discriminated against when looking for work, but that only 12% of Muslims have reported the latest cases of discrimination. I want to assure our Muslim citizens that the European Commission will not tolerate intolerance. It goes against our values and our laws," he noted.
EU Commissioner for Justice, Vera Jourova said, "the Fundamental Rights Agency report shows that discrimination against Muslims is too widespread. I'm especially concerned about the challenges faced by Muslim women in Europe. It is now our duty both at European, national and local level to make sure that anti-discrimination measures are respected and that the Muslim community can trust the police".
It is the second large scale survey of Muslims in EU carried out by the Fundamental Rights Agency.
Key findings of the survey show that 76% of Muslim respondents feel strongly attached to the country they live in; 31% of those seeking work have been discriminated against over the last five years; 42% of respondents who had been stopped by the police over the last year said this happened because of the migrant or ethnic minority background.
The report suggests a number of solutions, including, effective sanctions for violations of anti-discrimination legislation; Reinforcement of trust in the police through targeted outreach activities and greater efforts to increase the participation of Muslims in decision-making processes. (end) nk.tg