Erdogan urged European nations to take effective measures to combat all forms of discrimination and racism.

• Ruqiya Anwar 
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• Source: Al Mayadeen Net

Erdogan urged European nations to take effective measures to combat all forms of discrimination and racism.

Irrational hatred, fear, or hatred of Islam, Muslims, and Islamic culture, as well as active discrimination against these groups or individuals within them, is referred to as Islamophobia. Individual attitudes and behaviors, as well as the policies and practices of organizations and institutions, are all manifestations of Islamophobia in Europe today (Open society Foundation, 2019). 

The term "Islamophobia" was coined in 2001 and has since grown in popularity to the point where US President Donald Trump has been dubbed "Islamophobia President”. Over the last 20 years, Muslims living in European countries have faced bigotry and discrimination as a result of Islamophobia. To name a few, the banning of Quranic translations in Russia, the increase of anti-Muslim sentiments in Georgia, the Myanmar 969 Movement, and the French cartoonist Charlie Hebdo movement.

Significantly, in an attempt to curb the tide of anti-Muslim sentiment, Muslim leaders are drawing the world's attention to the region's ramifications and implications in general, and for the world's Muslims in particular.

On October 16, 2021, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for an hour at Huber Mansion in Istanbul. Discriminatory treatment in European countries due to Islamophobia and racism was discussed during their conference (TRT world, 2021). The Turkish President also spoke about the difficulties faced by the Turkish population in Europe - about three million people in Germany. Erdogan stressed, “The Turkish community in Germany is our commonwealth, and it is an essential social part of our relations”.

He remarked, “Racism, xenophobia, and animosity towards Islam, unfortunately, remain to be the primary problems afflicting the Turkish community in Europe.” He thus called on European leaders to hold perpetrators of racially- and faith-motivated crimes to be held accountable while also “eradicating the social roots of cultural racism.”

He further urged European nations to take effective measures to combat all forms of discrimination and racism. During the German Chancellors’ farewell visit to Turkey, Erdogan expressed his hope that Merkel will continue to contribute to the friendship between the two countries as she prepares to step down after 16 years as Germany's chancellor. 

In Addition, Erdogan has repeatedly asked European decision-makers and politicians to take a stand against racism and other forms of prejudice, which have put millions of people's lives in jeopardy within the bloc's borders.

Following similar lines, in the New York conference (TASC), Erdogan said, anti-Muslim hatred and xenophobia have held politics hostage in the West, disrupting Muslims' daily lives. The president mentioned the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the United Nations, among others, as places where Turkey has been engaged in anti-Islamophobia activities (Sabah, 2021).

Earlier, as the boycott of France gained momentum in many Muslim nations, Erdogan believed Macron requires "mental care”. France was forced to recall its ambassador from Turkey as a result of this. As Islamabad summoned the French envoy for a scolding, Imran Khan accused Macron of "deliberately upsetting Muslims." Both the leaders are doing their part to draw attention to the most pressing issue of our time, Islamophobia (Sana, 2021).