A new report by the Coalition Against Islamophobia and Anti-Muslim Hostility (CLAIM) reveals a sharp rise in anti-Muslim incidents across Germany. The 90-page document recorded 4,096 incidents in 2025, up from 3,080 in 2024 — an increase of over 1,000 cases.

Verbal attacks accounted for more than 60% of incidents (2,379 cases), followed by 840 cases of discrimination and 680 other harmful acts, including physical assaults and property damage. The report documents two homicides, 214 cases of bodily harm, four cases of aggravated assault or attempted murder, and five arsons. Additionally, 61 attacks targeted mosques, out of 64 attacks on religious institutions, including bomb threats, hate flyers, and a swastika painted at a university prayer room.

Said Etris Hashemi, who survived the 2020 Hanau far-right attack that killed nine people (including his brother), stated: “The numbers are not just statistics. Behind every number is a face; behind every incident is a story.” He now chairs the Association of Binational Families and Partnerships and visits schools to discuss anti-Muslim racism.

Rima Hanano, CLAIM’s executive director, warned that Muslims are “portrayed primarily as perpetrators, not as victims of exclusion and violence,” and that such discrimination erodes trust in politics and strikes at “the very core of our democracy.”

The report urges policymakers to strengthen support for victims, improve hate crime investigations, and establish more counseling centers. Despite the grim data, Hashemi expressed optimism about the younger generation, saying they “might do even better than we do.”

Source: www.dw.com