Muslims lacking in Swedish presidency’s EU equality talks

“Hate speech, Holocaust denial and distortion, and conspiracy myths each on-line and offline, are clear challenges that should be handled,” together with by extra prosecutions, it added.

“Steps additionally must be taken to enhance bodily safety and to stop threats in opposition to websites and gatherings of individuals, resembling round non secular establishments, assembly venues and faculties, and through cultural or non secular occasions,” it stated.

The Swedish memo set the agenda for EU justice and residential affairs ministers in Brussels on Thursday (9 March), who mentioned progress on “nationwide motion plans”.

Ministers are to carry the anti-hatred consultations regularly in future.

The Swedish briefing notice talked about antisemitism and “fostering Jewish life” a number of occasions, however made no point out of Islamophobia or Muslim life.

For member states, they’re free to debate anti-Muslim hatred below the “racism” bracket.

“The strategy doesn’t preclude Islamophobia, moderately it permits for addressing the multitude of various methods to fight hatred,” an EU diplomat stated.

However in apply, discussions of racism in EU circles are inclined to deal with the 15 million or so black Europeans and Europeans of African descent.

The 1.3 million Jewish folks estimated to be residing in Europe are additionally protected by tailored EU “methods” and different insurance policies, together with LGBTQI folks, Roma folks, and disabled EU residents.

However Europe’s 25 million Muslims have subsequent to nothing, regardless of likewise struggling spiralling ranges of hate crime.

Europe had the world’s highest numbers of anti-Muslim hate speech and anti-mosque incidents within the newest survey by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, an intergovernmental physique based mostly in Riyadh.

And in contrast to the Swedish mannequin, the European Fee does have three devoted co-ordinators — on racism, antisemitism, and on anti-Muslim hatred.

On one hand, this recognises the truth of the issue.

However then again, it is the one EU motion on this entrance.

The fee anti-Muslim hatred coordinator additionally has fewer employees to assist her than her colleague on antisemitism and the anti-Muslim hatred publish had, till not too long ago, stayed vacant for 18 months, giving the impression there was little curiosity within the topic.

However regardless of its shortcomings, for some students of European politics, Sweden would have accomplished higher to observe the EU Fee’s protocol.

Given the “European structure” instead of three EU particular co-ordinators, “the EU Council strategy seems to be selective,” Farid Hafez, a global relations professor at Williams Faculty college within the US, advised EUobserver.

When requested if it agreed, the EU Fee stated: “We work intently with the [EU] Council and our member states to struggle all types of hatred, discrimination, or racism”.

“They’re opposite to our values and what the European Union stands for,” a spokesman added.

However for Hafez, Sweden’s dedication to EU values was not as pure because the Nordic nation favored to assert.

Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson’s ruling coalition depends on a take care of the far-right Sweden Democrats get together, which itself hates Muslims, Hafez famous.

“I’m not shocked that the EU presidency of Sweden just isn’t pushing this [EU protection for Muslims] given the already mainstream institutionalised Islamophobia in Sweden even earlier than the centrist-right-right wing quasi coalition got here to energy,” Hafez stated.

And if that’s the case, then the roots of EU “selective” equality additionally return to France and Poland.

French priorities

The then French EU presidency first drew up the EU priorities specializing in assist for black and Jewish Europeans, whereas leaving out Muslims, in March 2022.

It did so whereas discussing Islam primarily as a terrorist risk in EU safety talks as an alternative and whereas French president Emmanuel Macron imposed a crackdown on mosques for spreading “Islamist separatism” in France.

Extra liberal EU nations did suggest a extra outstanding position for anti-Muslim hatred coordination in inner negotiations, in line with diplomatic sources.

However Poland, which is dominated by the Islamophobic Legislation and Justice get together, stated if Muslims have been to get extra of a particular point out, then it wished EU motion in opposition to “Christianophobia” to be added to the March 2022 checklist.

Christianophobia was not added both ultimately.

However there may be little to have a good time in that for Hafez, on condition that it might have been absurd.

“This argument is mindless, as Christians symbolize by and enormous the highly effective moderately than the marginalised and weak,” he stated.

“If we perceive racism and therefore Islamophobia or anti-Muslim racism as one thing structural and never solely particular person prejudice, then this argument is principally whitewashing the issue of energy inside racist buildings,” Hafez stated.