Discrimination against Muslims in the counterterrorism context in Europe is a longstanding human rights concern. In the last two decades in particular, Muslims’ lawful religious, cultural, and political activities and affiliations have been construed as “dangerous” enough to justify significant restrictions on individual rights.
Unfortunately, despite widespread acknowledgement of this issue from the UN and other European institutions, discrimination against Muslims has generally received less attention from human rights groups and oversight bodies.
A Human Rights Guide for Researching Racial and Religious Discrimination in Counterterrorism in Europe, the result of a two-year collaboration between Amnesty International and the Open Society Initiative for Europe, is intended to help right a longstanding wrong by providing activists and practitioners with tools to fight against discrimination; and by proposing a way to redress the violations of survivors' human rights.
Download
-
A Human Rights Guide for Researching Racial and Religious Discrimination in Counterterrorism in Europe (1.1 Mb pdf file)
Download the 108-page report. (Updated: March 9, 2021)
-
Executive Summary: A Human Rights Guide for Researching Racial and Religious Discrimination in Counterterrorism in Europe (131.39 Kb pdf file)
Download the 3-page executive summary.
Read more
explainer
Islamophobia in Europe
![Muslim residents walk past racial slurs painted on the walls of a mosque in the town of Saint-Étienne in central France. Photo credit: © Laurent Cipriani/AP Muslim residents walk past racial slurs painted on the walls of a mosque in the town of Saint-Étienne in central France.](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/8ae47649-c6fc-4aac-a2e7-30c9d1c509dc/20150422-cipriani-muslim-mosque-3490.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=520&q=80&rect=%2C%2C%2C)
While it remains contested as to what the term exactly means, Islamophobia in Europe manifests itself through individual attitudes and behaviors, and the policies and practices of organizations and institutions.
Standing Up to Big Brother
Q&A: A Big Step for Global Privacy Rights
![The chair of the Society for Freedom Rights (right) and the managing director of Reporters Without Borders (left) stand with a symbolic octopus that is meant to represent one of Germany’s intelligence agencies, at the Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, Germany, on January 14, 2020. Photo credit: © Ronald Wittek/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Two people stand with a grey octopus cutout balancing mobile phones](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/58b4b73a-93e3-49ae-a0e6-c8faca2e7134/20200716-wittek-germany-bnd-surveillance-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=200&q=80&rect=0%2C63%2C3000%2C1875)
By ruling against a government intelligence agency, one of the most powerful courts in Germany has struck a blow for data privacy and free expression.
Voices
The Truth About Terror and Youth Radicalization
![People stand at a makeshift memorial in Barcelona, Spain, on August 18, 2017. Photo credit: © Pascal Guyot/Getty A group of people mourning](https://opensocietyfoundations.imgix.net/uploads/9355329e-e3de-4b74-bcbf-2be2750effc4/20171027-guyot-spain-memorial-las-ramblas-3000.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=min&fm=jpg&h=200&q=80&rect=%2C%2C%2C)
As concerns grow about the influence of social media and the internet in radicalizing young people, it’s vital to separate the myths from the facts.