Austria Records Europe’s Highest Islamophobia Rate in 2024, Report Finds

Austria Records Europe’s Highest Islamophobia Rate in 2024, Report Finds
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A new report by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has revealed a sharp rise in anti-Muslim incidents across Europe in 2024, placing the continent as the second-highest region globally for Islamophobia cases. According to the OIC’s annual report, Austria recorded the highest number of Islamophobic incidents in Europe, with more than 1,500 reported cases—the country’s highest figure in a decade.

The report also found that nearly half of Europe’s Muslim population faced direct discrimination in workplaces, educational institutions, or public spaces. The findings warn that Islamophobia in Europe is increasingly driven by far-right movements, which have gained political influence and amplified anti-Islam rhetoric through media and parliamentary platforms.

Analysts cited in the report said the surge in hate speech online and hate crimes on European streets highlights a growing failure of the so-called European model of freedom and equality to safeguard Muslim minorities from systemic bias and violence.