Resolution for the interests of Muslim people

Resolution of the State Advisory Council for Participation dated 25.11.2024

The State Advisory Council for Participation has decided:

Office for an independent representative for the interests of Muslim people

The state of Berlin is called upon to set up an office for an independent representative for the interests of Muslim people. The position is to be equipped with a full-time staff position.

Justification

Around 5.5 million people of Muslim faith live in Germany, making Islam the third-largest religious community. In addition, there are a wide variety of people who are perceived as Muslim due to external characteristics, regardless of their actual beliefs or origin. These include Yazidis, Alevis, Armenians, atheists and Christians from certain countries of origin. These people experience discrimination and hostility in society due to anti-Muslim racism, although some of them have different religious or cultural identities.

Anti-Muslim racism is not a religious phenomenon, but a racist construction that is based on external characteristics and discriminates against people in their diversity. According to a recent study by the European Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA), 68% of Muslims in Germany are affected by discrimination — a figure that is above the EU average and just behind Austria (71%). These figures show that there is an urgent need for action to improve protection and prevention.

The Commissioner for Anti-Discrimination, Ferda Ataman, has also called for increased measures to specifically combat anti-Muslim racism in Germany and Berlin. The Independent Expert Commission on Anti-Muslim Racism, which was established in 2020, recommended various strategies and measures to combat anti-Muslim racism in the long term. The report published in 2023 by the “Independent Expert Group of Anti-Muslim Hostility” also highlights the need for advice and reporting agencies with specific expertise on anti-Muslim racism, particularly in schools.

It is crucial that security agencies adequately record and prosecute crimes motivated by anti-Muslim racism. The integration of an independent representative body could act as a link between civil society and administration, give those affected a voice and at the same time sensitize the administration to the specific forms of anti-Muslim racism.

This body must act to combat anti-Muslim racism, in particular:

1. Strengthening penalties for racially motivated crimes.

2. Extension of the statute of limitations for crimes related to racism and discrimination so that they remain visible on the certificate of good conduct for longer.

3. Expansion of psychosocial care in Berlin for victims of racism and discrimination.

4. Establishment of a specialized department for anti-racism and anti-discrimination at the Berlin State Police, which deals specifically with this criminal offence (involving LADG and PartMigg).

5. Adapting curricula at Berlin schools and educational institutions to address discrimination and racism prevention on an interdisciplinary basis.

6. Establishment and expansion of complaint, reporting and documentation bodies with expertise on anti-Muslim sentiment as well as appropriate training for their employees.

7. Involving civil society and science in administrative work.

Legal bases:

• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD);

• EU Directive 2000/43/EC;

• Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights;

• Berlin State Anti-Discrimination Act (LADG); and

• Act to promote participation in the migration society (PartMigg).