Focus group in Austria allows Muslim Women and Men to share experiences about hate crimes and discrimination

Fifteen Muslim women and men recounted their own experiences of hate-motivated violence and discrimination, while highlighting factors that either hamper or facilitate better response to hate crimes as part of a focus group facilitated by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Vienna on 12 July 2014.

The initiative, which follows-up on an expert meeting on co-operation between law enforcement and Muslim communities organized by ODIHR and the 2014 Swiss OSCE Chairmanship on 28 April 2014 in Vienna.

Many of the participants reported on good practices and co-operation with the authorities and with other faith-based communities. But they also identified the need for public officials and personalities to send a consistent message stressing the positive aspect of diversity and countering the marginalization of and negative attitudes towards Muslims, or any other community.

“Although the responsibility to prevent and respond to hate-motivated crimes lies with the authorities, different communities within societies are also well-placed to support victims of hate crime and to record hate-motivated incidents,” said Floriane Hohenberg, Head of the Tolerance and Non-discrimination Department at ODIHR.

During the focus group discussions, participants recounted incidents that had taken place on the street, public transport or in other public spaces, ranging from insults and harassment to physical assault. Women and girls wearing a hijab were particularly vulnerable to such manifestations of intolerance, they reported.

“Although most of us were born in Austria, we are often victims of institutional discrimination, and are perceived or portrayed as 'the other',” said Ercan Karaduman, who took the initiative to establish a community-based centre to help prevent and respond to hate-motivated crimes.. “Unfortunately, these are facilitating factors for hate crimes.”

Most participants admitted that they either had not reported the incidents or had not advised the victims to report the incidents, saying they feared this would bring no positive result, and might even lead to further victimization.

“Today’s event is the first step in setting up an outreach and support centre dealing with hate crimes, where victims of hate-motivated violence can report and find psychological and legal support,” said Dr. Fuat Sanac, President of the Islamic Community in Austria. “We believe that this responds to a real need and that this will help us to co-operate more closely with the authorities to fight this problem effectively.”