Record 175 Mosque Attacks in Germany in 2024 Raise Alarm Over Rising Islamophobia

Record 175 Mosque Attacks in Germany in 2024 Raise Alarm Over Rising Islamophobia
……………….

In a troubling development, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) has reported a record 175 attacks on mosques across Germany in 2024 — an unprecedented surge that the group warns poses a serious threat to Germany’s Muslim community and the foundations of social coexistence.

DITIB, Germany’s largest Muslim umbrella organization, which oversees around 1,000 mosques nationwide, said the number of attacks has sharply increased since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October 2023. According to the union, only 43 incidents were recorded before the conflict began, but that figure jumped to 100 attacks within the following three months, reaching 175 by the end of 2024 — nearly four times higher than in 2021.

A report published on June 3 by DITIB’s anti-discrimination office revealed that 96% of the attacks targeted mosques affiliated with the union. The assaults ranged from written threats and racist graffiti to vandalism and the use of banned Nazi symbols such as swastikas, alongside direct threats against worshippers.

DITIB emphasized that this wave of attacks reflects the rise of Islamophobia, which it described as a form of xenophobia comparable to anti-Semitism. The union called for a broad societal response to confront hate and urged closer cooperation with the Central Council of Jews in Germany to jointly combat all forms of racism and bigotry.

In response to the growing threats, DITIB has ramped up security measures at mosques, enhanced surveillance systems, and strengthened coordination with law enforcement to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. The union has also launched initiatives to promote social cohesion and raise awareness of the equal rights of Muslims as German citizens.

DITIB encouraged Muslims to engage positively with society and to take an active role in all areas of life, from business to politics, stressing that such attacks would not deter the community from contributing to a cohesive and diverse German society. The most recent official figures from 2019 estimate that Germany’s Muslim population stands between 5.3 and 5.6 million, making up about 6.6% of the country’s total population.