Moroccans Largest Victims of Islamophobia in Spain

 

After the Charlie Hebdo murders in France last January, Spanish authorities have recorded an alarming increase in discriminatory acts against Muslims and their places of worship.

According to the International Islamic News Agency, "Spain's Interior Ministry revealed that 40% of xenophobic crimes which Spanish police investigated are linked to Islamophobia."

The same source said that Moroccans were more often subject to Islamophobic and xenophobic acts since they are the most numerous Muslim community in the country.

"More than 800,000 Moroccan Muslim immigrants live in Spain," the Islamic Agency said.

The report, published on Monday by Spanish newspaper EL PAÍS, shared that most of the Islamophobia-related crimes, denounced by Spanish authorities, took place in Madrid, Malaga, Barcelona and Albacete.

In addition, the newspaper reported that racist assaults alone account for 31% of hate crimes in Spain.

There has been a rise in Islamophobia and hatred in most Western countries especially following the deadly attacks at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris.

In its annual report released in February, the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) recorded a 70% increase in Islamophobic acts in January 2015, compared to the same period in 2014. The watchdog reported an average of at least two identified cases of Islamophobia daily.

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