On 26 May
2016 in Brussels, the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) presented the
results of a two-year project on the multiple discrimination affecting Muslim
women in eight EU countries.
As a part
of the steering group for this project, EFOMW participated at the symposium and
took part in discussions with experts, high-level officials and other
organisations active in this field on how to advance rights for Muslim women in
Europe. It was also great
opportunity to network with various stakeholders, share experiences, work for
greater understanding of Islamophobia and gender equality in order to fight
racism and sexism in the European Union more effectively.
It was the
first time that such an event, which specifically addressed intersectional
aspects of racism against Muslim women, was organised on EU level.
The report ”Forgotten
women: the impact of Islamophobia on Muslim Women”, which was presented on the
symposium, is based on research in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
It shows
that Muslim women experience the same inequalities as other women in employment
and in relation to verbal and physical violence, but they are compounded by
additional factors of (perceived) religion and/or ethnicity.
However,
very little is done to collect comprehensive data and tackle this
intersectional form of racism.
Furthermore,
the report shows how prejudices and stereotypical representations about Muslim
women are spread by media and public discourse, including some politicians.
This
negative attention to Muslim women in media and political discourse also
contributes to creating a fertile ground for discriminatory practices and
violence on the ground. Muslim
women are also more exposed to hate crimes and violence with Islamophobic
motives than Muslim men.
The report
makes a number of recommendations for different stakeholders e.g. EU
institutions, Member States, law enforcement authorities and police forces,
employers, employment agencies and trade unions, media, different civil society
organisations and more.
Besides the
findings and recommendations this project has also initiated a dialogue between
the anti-racism and feminist movements and has encouraged partnerships between
the two, which is an important step in the struggle for women rights.
“Muslim
women are the targets of discrimination and violence because they are women and
Muslim, but nothing is done to address the multiple discrimination they face”,
said ENAR Chair Sarah Isal.
“The
European Union can’t afford to exclude and forget about Muslim women if it
stands up for gender equality and the fight against racism. EU laws protecting
against discrimination in the labour market and hate crime must effectively
protect them.”
Read European
report as pdf here
Read key
findings here.
Find full national
reports, factsheets and more information about the project on ENAR’s website.
See short
video about how do Muslim women in Europe define themselves, and how does
Islamophobia affect Muslim women?