Study Links Rising Islamophobia in Europe to Right-Wing Populism and Authoritarian Tendencies

Study Links Rising Islamophobia in Europe to Right-Wing Populism and Authoritarian Tendencies
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A new academic study from Germany indicates that the rise of Islamophobia across Europe is being driven primarily by right-wing populist and authoritarian political trends rather than by the religious convictions of adherents of other faiths.

The findings, reported by Deutsche Welle, offer one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of the political and social roots of anti-Muslim sentiment in several European countries.

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz analyzed responses from nearly 75,000 participants in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. According to the study, narratives portraying Islam and Muslims as a threat show no significant correlation with personal religiosity among Christians or members of other faith communities.

The authors noted that individuals who regularly attend church services or participate in other religious rituals are not more likely to hold Islamophobic views, and the intensity of their religious practice does not predict anti-Muslim attitudes.

Instead, the study identifies right-wing populist movements as the central drivers of Islamophobia in Europe. Over recent years, these groups have amplified anti-Muslim narratives through political messaging and media campaigns. According to the researchers, far-right actors increasingly frame Christianity not as a religious identity but as a cultural marker of Western civilization, positioning Islam as an external and threatening “other.”

Analysts describe this approach as a political and identity-based instrumentalization of religion for ideological purposes.

Deutsche Welle’s report also highlights official statistics showing a rise in racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and far-right violence in Germany in recent years—an upward trend that underscores the expanding social and political space for extremist narratives.

The Mainz study concludes that policymakers, cultural institutions, and media organizations must strengthen efforts to counter hate-based discourse, warning that such rhetoric—often cloaked in religious symbolism—deepens social divisions and undermines peaceful coexistence.