“Report Islamophobia”, an independent Dutch citizen initiative established in January 2015, released its first half-yearly report on islamophobic violence in the Netherlands today. The report presents findings collected between January – June 2015. The findings mirror research conducted elsewhere in Western Europe that reveals that Muslim women bear the brunt of islamophobic abuse. From January to June, Report Islamophobia registered 89 reports of verbal and physical abuse, including slurs, beatings, and an attempted kidnapping. 90% of the victims were female and the majority wore the hijab when attacked. In the vast majority of cases the attacker was a white male. In one third of all cases physical violence was used against the victim. In most cases, victims did not report to the police due to lack of confidence that something would be done with their report or out of fear of reprisals. In some cases, the police tried to dissuade victims of verbal and physical abuse from submitting a formal police report. Only 39% of the victims subjected to physical assault reached out to the police to file a report. The report also reveals that most islamophobic incidents in the…
Muslim Women Bear the Brunt of Islamophobic Violence: Dutch Report
November 28, 2015
