Muslim Interaction, Interfaith Ties Needed to Counter Islamophobia
Speaking to IQNA, Ibrahim Olgun, head of the Islamic Society of Austria, said Muslims ought to boost their interactions as well as their relations with followers of other faiths in order dispel myths about Islam and counter biases and negative views about the region.
He said there has been a growing trend of Islamophobia in Europe, especially in Austria, over the past 10 years.
An institute affiliated to the Islamic Society of Austria registers attacks against mosques and hijab-wearing Muslim women in Austria, he said, adding that according to the institute’s reports, enmity toward Islam has been rising in Austria and all across the continent.
Olgun referred to the most recent example of Islamophobia in the European country, when the president hit back at racist social media users who attacked a newborn baby for being Muslim.
When Asel Tamga became the first Austrian born in 2018, her birth was celebrated in the local press with a photo of the happy family in which her mother wore a hijab and then a deluge of racist and hateful comments followed on social media, forcing President Alexander Van der Bellen, 73, to step in.
“Basically, Austria is one of the main countries (in Europe) facing the problem of Islamophobia,” Olgun said.
Islamophobia is witnessed less in countries where Muslim citizens have better ties and interactions with the rest of the people, he noted.
“In order to tackle the problem of Islamophobia, it is necessary that interactions and relations be enhanced among members of the society.”
He went on to say that better ties between Muslim countries and European states could also play a role in curbing Islamophobia in Europe.
http://iqna.ir/fa/news/3682223
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