Germany: Crimes against Muslims rise dramatically in 2023, media reports say

The number of crimes affecting Muslims in Germany has more than doubled last year, TRTWorld reported citing media reports.

According to a report published on Monday by the German Press Agency dpa, some 1,464 crimes nationwide were classified as Islamophobic in 2023, compared to 610 anti-Muslim hate crimes in the previous year.

It added that police reported 137 Islamophobic crimes in the first quarter of this year.

The dramatic surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes is associated with the escalating war in Gaza, according to the article.

The German government had repeatedly expressed concern about the rise in anti-Muslim racism in the country since the start of Israel’s attacks on Gaza following attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Any attacks on Muslims in Germany, for religious or other reasons, are “absolutely unacceptable,” government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit was quoted as saying.

It should be mentioned that nearly 5 million Muslims reside in Germany.