Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 18 Jul 2017, 09:48 am Print
![Oppression against Jews and Muslims on the rise in Europe: Pew Report Oppression against Jews and Muslims on the rise in Europe: Pew Report](https://www.justearthnews.com/old/rights_pic/2017/Jews and muslims-1500371002.jpg)
As many as 33 out of Europe's 45 nations hold prejudice against the Jews, the study by Pew Research Centre says.
With 32 nations vilifying them, Islam is the second most hated religion in the aforementioned continent, with the social hostility rising after the Charlie Hebdo massacre by Islamists in Paris.
The worrying factor is Islam's waning popularity.
From 26 counties (58 percent) in 2014, Muslims faced social restrictions from 32 (71 percent) nations in 2015.
The hostilities faced by Jews in 2015 were up two percent on the corresponding period in 2014, from 32 (71%) countries in 2014 to 33 (73%) countries in 2015.
"Many of the incidents targeting these religious groups occurred in the form of mob violence," a statement from Pew Research Centre said.
The sharp rise in hate against Muslims was triggered by the Charlie Hebdo incident, which took place in France on Jan 7, 2015.
The Bataclan attack carried out by Islamist outfit ISIS in France on Nov 13 later that year exacerbated the situation.
Following the attacks, several French town started a crack-down on 'Halal' shops, deemed a strike on Islam.
Anti-Muslim incidents have also tripled in France in 2015, according to the country's Interior Ministry.
Several mosques too have come under attack from anti-muslim protesters.
France isn't the only county openly opposing Islam though.
Atrocities against them are widely reported in Spain and Slovakia, the latter more direct in its approach.
Slovakia rejected European Union mandatory refugee quotas but was quick to point out that it would accept 200 Christian refugees from Syria.
Defending its choice, the country's Interior Ministry said Christian refugees would be better able to assimilate into Slovakian society than Muslim refugees given the lack of officially recognized mosques in the country.
Echoing Slovakia's theory, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told a German daily in 2015, "Those arriving have been raised in another religion, and represent a radically different culture. Most of them are not Christians, but Muslims."
"I think we have a right to decide that we do not want a large number of Muslim people in our country. The Islamic religion and culture do not blend with Christian religion and culture; it is a different way of life," he said.
Slovakia also organised an anti-Islam demonstration in Jun 2015 called "STOP to the Islamization of Europe! Together against the Brussels dictate, for a Europe for Europeans."
The clock is ticking and with each life lost to ISIS in meaningless wars in the name of religion, Islam is losing importance in Europe
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