22 Assaults Against Muslims in Foreign States in October: Dar Al-Iftaa

CAIRO – 12 November 2019: The Islamophobia Observatory linked to Dar Al-Iftaa, Egypt's main authority for issuing religious fatwas (rulings), reported 22 assaults in October against Muslims in 9 countries topped by France.

The monthly Islamophobia Index of the Observatory monitors and analyzes the main reported attacks and violations against Muslims, as well as migrants from Muslim areas to Western communities.

In France, the Observatory said the October index revealed eight attacks, representing (36.4%), including persecution and practices that cause psychological harms. The report also spotted a statement that showed contempt for the Islamic religion, the Observatory said, without naming the statement.

The US ranked second in the index for this month by reported five assaults, most of which were carried out by individuals likely to belong to the right-wing extremist groups. The assaults included physical and psychological abuses, as well as administrative discrimination, the Observatory said without explaining.

One of the most notable attacks in the US this month was on a school guard, the Observatory said, adding that he was severely beaten and taken to hospital. The Observatory did not name the name of the state or the school where the accident took place.

Britain and Belgium came third with two attacks on Muslim and immigrant individuals, while the Netherlands, Ireland, Bosnia, Canada and Australia ranked fourth with one attack each representing about five percent, the Observatory said, noting that these five countries are highly likely to witness growing violence against Muslims.

Late in October, the Observatory for Monitoring Takfiri Fatwas and Extremist Ideologies, also an affiliate to Dar al-Iftaa, warned world media outlets against encouraging Islamophobia following the death of Islamic State's (IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The Observatory strongly criticized the Washington Post newspaper for describing Baghdadi as “austere religious scholar," MENA reported.

This is a fatal mistake committed by the newspaper, the observatory said in a statement, stressing that this terrorist who killed, raped and burned alive many people had nothing to do with religion.