Germany to establish initial anti-Muslim racism reporting center in spring 2025
Date
12/29/2024 9:09:05 AM
(MENAFN) North Rhine-Westphalia, a populous western German state, is set to open the country's first anti-Muslim racism reporting center in the spring of 2025, according to local media. The new center, named MEDAR, will document and report incidents of attacks and crimes targeting Muslims, as well as track racist activities against non-Muslim foreigners, public broadcaster WDR reported.
MEDAR, a project spearheaded by the state government, is expected to begin operations by March or April 2025, following three years of preparations. North Rhine-Westphalia, home to more than 1.7 million Muslims within its population of over 18 million, will become the first German state to launch a dedicated center for addressing anti-Muslim incidents.
The state has a troubling history of attacks on Muslims and Islamic sites. For instance, in January 2022, numerous Muslim graves in the city of Iserlohn were desecrated, with headstones damaged and overturned. Such incidents highlight the importance of establishing MEDAR as a means of documenting and addressing these issues.
The initiative follows North Rhine-Westphalia's earlier efforts to combat other forms of discrimination, such as the launch of the Research and Information Center on Anti-Semitism in April 2022. That center focuses on recording and analyzing antisemitic incidents across the region, reflecting the state’s broader commitment to addressing hate crimes and fostering inclusivity.
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