AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The annual report "Islamophobia in Europe 2025," published by the Brussels-based body known as the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE), presents a worrying picture of the situation of Muslims in European countries—a situation where hatred against Muslims is no longer limited to street attacks but has become part of the political, media, and security structure of Europe. This report, prepared based on victim complaints, media monitoring, and data from academic institutions in 11 European countries including the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Austria, and Denmark, emphasizes that Islamophobia has now become "normalized" in Europe.
According to the report, a total of 876 cases of Islamophobia were recorded in 2025 alone, the bulk of which related to discrimination, incitement to hatred, defamation, insults, and physical attacks. Muslim women constitute 80 percent of the victims, and a significant portion of discrimination cases were directly related to the hijab. The report states that these statistics represent only a "small fraction of reality," as according to estimates by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, only six percent of Islamophobia cases are reported—an issue attributed to Muslims' mistrust of official institutions and the normalization of the anti-Muslim climate.
Muslims; Europe's New "Security Issue"
The report's authors emphasize that across Europe, Muslims are increasingly viewed through the lens of "security," "social cohesion," and "national identity." According to the report, despite legal and political differences, European governments have gradually reached a common pattern: increased security surveillance, restrictions on religious symbols, and presenting Muslims as a group in need of "special control.
The report provides specific examples for each country. In Austria, the wave of anti-Muslim attacks intensified concurrently with elections. In Belgium, although anti-discrimination laws exist, their enforcement regarding Muslims has been described as "unequal." In Denmark, researchers have spoken of the "conditionality of Muslim rights" since October 2023, meaning that Muslims' social participation and even religious freedom are tied to their compliance with the government's political and cultural expectations. The chapter on Sweden also refers to the formation of something called "national Islam"—a model where some forms of Muslim religiosity are accepted while others are labeled as a security threat.
Explosion of Hatred in Cyberspace
One of the report's main warnings concerns the spread of online hatred against Muslims. Researchers, examining nearly 15 million posts published between 2017 and early 2026, found that 16.6 percent of this content was "toxic." In 81 percent of hate content, religious themes were present, and more than a third contained elements of overt violence. The report emphasizes that each political crisis or major event has generated a wave of tens of thousands of highly anti-Muslim posts on social media.
The report also identifies cyberspace as a direct factor in the escalation of real attacks against Muslims, stating that provocative clips and anti-Muslim media narratives on social networks have fueled harassment, threats, and physical attacks. The report mentions the killing of Abubakar Sisse in a mosque in France in April 2025, and the authors warn that the dehumanization of Muslims should not be merely a "symbolic concern," as such an atmosphere can pave the way for wider violence.
British Muslims; Under the Shadow of Constant Surveillance
The UK section of the report pays special attention to a security program called "Prevent." Although the British government claims the program's goal is to "combat extremism," the report's authors see it as a tool to create an "atmosphere of perpetual suspicion" against Muslims. Layla Ait El-Hajj, the author of this chapter, emphasizes that pressure on Muslims intensified more than ever in 2025 with increased restrictions on immigrants and street attacks.
The report also refers to the riots of summer 2024, when, following the spread of false rumors about the religion of the perpetrator of the Southport incident, organized attacks were carried out on mosques and Islamic centers. The survey results in this report are very concerning: 92 percent of Muslims said they did not feel safe in public places after those events, and more than half reported increased anxiety due to social media. The intensity of this insecurity is such that approximately 44 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes in England and Wales are now registered against Muslims.
Furthermore, the British government's monitoring policies have been accompanied by shocking statistics: despite comprising only 6 percent of the country's population, Muslims are referred to the "Prevent" program six times more than other citizens. The number of these referrals reached 8,778 in 2025, the highest figure since the program's implementation. Another part of the report states that over the past decade, the names of 200 children under the age of three have also been referred to this program due to concerns related to "Islamic extremism"—a statistic that has created a bitter feeling among many British Muslims that the government sees them not as "citizens," but as a "community under constant supervision."
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