Report calls for hate crime legislations as anti-Islamic racism ‘reality’ on our streets

A report has found that anti-Muslim racism is an “established reality” in Ireland, including on-street physical violence.

According to the report, drawn from focus groups of 66 Muslim men, women and children living in Dublin, some participants were verbally abused or assaulted in public by assailants shouting “Allahu akbar”, making references to Islamic State, or, in one case, asking the question: “Are you Bin Laden’s wife?”

Public spaces including public transport, shops, and restaurants are also referenced in claims of discrimination. According to the report: “There is a distinct security theme emerging in this study in the manner in which Muslim women, predominantly, are pursued in shops and shopping malls, mainly by security guards but also by shop staff.”