ISTANBUL

High level officials from the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Tuesday agreed to take concrete steps to combat rising anti-Muslim racism in Europe.

Daniel Holtgen, CoE's special representative on antisemitic, anti-Muslim and other forms of religious intolerance and hate crimes, held an online meeting with Ismail Hakki Musa, the new personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-office on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims.

In a tweet he posted following the meeting, Holtgen said they have observed a worrying increase in racism against Muslims in Europe, similar to the rise in antisemitism.

"The Council of Europe and the OSCE are committed to stop the trend," he wrote.

In a separate statement, Holtgen said he congratulated Musa on his appointment, adding that they agreed to continue and build on the excellent relations established with his predecessor, and exchanged views on freedom of religion and belief, in particular anti-Muslim racism.

"We both stressed the importance of civil society and engaging young people in combatting all forms of intolerance," the statement said, adding that they looked into "possible avenues of cooperation", such as establishing best practices in "combatting anti-Muslim racism."

On July 27, Turkish ambassador Musa was appointed by Poland, OSCE's 2022 chair, as the personal representative of the OSCE chairmanship-in-office on combating intolerance and discrimination against Muslims