NICE, France

The rise of Islamophobia in Europe is intrinsically related to the rise of nationalism in European countries, according to a report by a Belgium-based anti-Islamophobia group.

The Collective for Countering Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) said in a report on Wednesday that there was a "remarkable rise of Islamophobia and the policies that it inspires, in 2022."

Underlining that Islamophobia in Europe was often denied and minimized, the organization said that this did not help much to stop the rise of the far right.

It urged the EU Commission to designate a coordinator on anti-Muslim hatred, to "fight effectively against far-right-spurred hatred and racism," and end to suspicions "stemming from the fight against radicalization and separatism."

For the CCIE, more needs to be done to fight discrimination against Muslims in recruitment and education.

The group said it received 787 alerts of Islamophobic cases throughout 2022, including of 527 Islamophobic acts, 467 acts of discrimination, 128 of provocation, 71 of insulting, 59 of moral harassment, 44 of defamation, 27 of physical violence, and 33 linked to the fight against radicalization and separatism.

These occurred mostly in public spaces, particularly in schools, it said.

* Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara