President of European Turkish-Islamic Union calls on Europe to take action against Islamophobia

The president of the European branch of the Turkish-Islamic Union, Ihsan Oner, has called on European governments to take action against the growing attacks against immigrants and Muslims in Europe, Anadolu agency has reported.

“We must stop the ugly developments that began because we do not know how and when they will end,” Oner said in a statement on Sunday.

In the statement, Oner referred to recent anti- Muslim protests organised by the German far-right movement “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West” (PEGIDA). As well as organising a series of December rallies reportedly attended by a record 17,000 anti-Islamic protesters, the movement’s members have engaged in a number of Islamophobic attacks, including writing racist slogans and drawing swastikas on the walls of mosques, such as “Turks will be killed”.

One warned of the growing Islamophobia in Europe, despite the EU’s claims to defend freedom of belief, thought and human rights.

PEGIDA, which began in Germany, has recently grown from a few hundred members to several thousand following recent demonstrations in Germany by Kurdish Turks wishing to arm the PKK aagainst ISIS. The movement organises anti-immigrant protests every Monday.

“Did racism and anti-Islam, which started from Germany, begin to get out of control in Europe?” Oner asked, pointing out that PEGIDA’s activities are creating tension among Muslims and immigrants in European countries.

A professor of political science at Dresden Technical University, Hans Vorlander, has warned that the demonstrations organised by Pegida will harm Germany’s reputation. A record 17,000 people rallied in Dresden on 22 December, singing Christmas carols and chanting anti-immigrant slogans. Around 4,500 counter-demonstrators also marched in the city, under the banner “Dresden Nazi-free”.

The Protestant bishop of Saxony state, Jochen Bohl, said the PEGIDA followers, by singing Christmas carols, were seeking “to exploit a Christian symbol and a Christian tradition” for political purposes, German news agency DPA reported. Political parties across Germany have condemned the extremist movement’s activities.