A recently published report shows that only a tiny percentage of rascist incidents affecting Muslims in Switzerland are reported. Around a third (35%) of Switzerland’s 450,000 Muslims report being victims of racism. However, only around 60 people a year report such incidents to Switzerland’s official racism reporting centres.
Marianne Helfer, head of the Federal Office for Combating Racism, the organisation responsible for the report, said hostile attitudes towards Muslims are relatively high in Switzerland compared to those against other minorities. According to another survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), hostility towards muslims is the most widespread form of hostility in Switzerland, second only to a general dislike of foreigners. In addition, the negativity towards Muslims is more intensely felt.
The report’s authors describe anti-Muslim racism as perceiving Muslims to be a homogeneous group with fixed characteristics. Discriminatory perceptions essentially reduce them to their religion, ignoring other variable aspects of their identity. This can lead to generalisations that, for example, deem all Muslims to be homophobic, sexist, anti-Semitic, resistant to democracy, or more likely to be violent. These generalisations can then lead to a belief that Muslim culture can never be compatible with values considered European.
Anti-muslim sentiment is deeply rooted in Switzerland. The narrative of a threatening Islamic advance in Europe goes back to the 7th century, says the report.
More recently, a referendum in Switzerland in 2009 that led to a ban on the construction of minarets amplified negative sentiments. Those promoting the ban encouraged a debate focused on the failure of some muslims to integrate into Swiss society. This was followed by a vote in 2021 to ban face coverings. Campaigns for this vote, which found a majority, further added to the generalisation that muslim men are sexist and muslim women are oppressed.
Recent world events have also played a role. The attacks of September 11, 2001 in the US represent a key global event affecting perceptions, said the authors. The attacks on 7 October 2023 in Israel and the escalation of the Middle East conflict have also influenced public discourse. Muslims are now being confronted with blanket accusations of anti-Semitism.
The recent study finds most Muslim experiences of racism are related to employment. A large proportion of those affected experienced discrimination when looking for work or in their everyday working life. Job seekers with Kosovar names were found to be disadvantaged in the job application process. A study on the Muslim employment gap shows that Muslim people have more than twice the risk of unemployment as non-Muslim people. Having a Swiss passport does not seem to change this, nor does a university degree. In addition, there is evidence that women wearing headscarfs are discriminated against. Experiments have demonstrated that women wearing headscarfs are less likely to be helped in public settings and more likely to be chided for standing on the left of an escalator blocking people from passing.
Most instances of anti-muslim racism in Switzerland are unreported. One study found that only 1 of 2,471 cases were reported. Switzerland’s official racism reporting centres receive only around 60 reports are year. One reason for low reporting rates is a lack of awareness. Many are unaware official reporting centres exist. Another reason is a lack of trust in the Swiss authorities.
The report recommends official reporting centres better publicise their services and work to build trust with outreach and multilingual information. In addition, online reporting platforms should be made available to report hate speech on the Internet. Networking among Muslim communities could also be improved, said the authors. More work could be done to educate people at schools and in the workplace. Anonymous CVs and job interview checklists could also help. Law enforcement authorities should also make greater use of the options available under existing law, recommend the authors.
More on this:
Anti-Muslim racism report (in German)
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