Nilay Kar
26 September 2018•Update: 27 September 2018
By Yusuf Hatip
BRUSSELS
In the wake of growing racism across Europe, a project to counter islamophobia was launched in the European Parliament on Wednesday.
Experts and academics from across Europe gathered at the parliament for the launch of the two-year Counter-Islamophobia Kit (CIK) project funded by the European Commission's Directorate of Justice.
They called on member states and policymakers to play a more active role in the fight against Islamophobia and strengthen legal procedures on the issue.
The project reviews dominant anti-Muslim narratives and compares counter-narratives in eight EU members states of France, Germany, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Greece, and the U.K.
It outlines 10 counter-narratives that must be prioritized in Europe:
- Challenging and contextualizing constructions of Muslim ‘threat’
- Building inclusive nations: challenging exclusive and discriminatory national projects
- Cultural compatibility and conviviality: challenging the narrative separation of cultural and ethnic groups
- Elaborating plurality: challenging narratives of Muslim singularity
- Challenging narratives of sexism
- Building inclusive futures
- Deracializing the state: challenging institutional narratives
- Emphasizing humanity and Muslim normalization: challenging narratives of division
- Creating Muslim space(s)
- Challenging distorted representation: verity and voice
