Muslim youth about discrimination: ‘Spit at because of my headscarf’

NOS News•today, 7:15 PM•Amended today, 9:31 PM

“They spat at me because of my headscarf”, “people calling terrorist or saying you don’t belong here” and “I had to put my bag away because the teacher didn’t know if it could explode”. This is a selection of the hundreds of experiences that Muslim young people have shared with NOS Stories. They feel somewhat or not at all at home in the Netherlands and some indicate that they feel unsafe walking around.

Last week, new figures from the police and anti-discrimination agencies showed that the number of reports of discrimination has increased again. When it comes to reports based on religion, the vast majority of cases involve Muslim discrimination. The police accounted for 94 percent of the 272 registrations, and the anti-discrimination agencies accounted for 285 reports, the report states.

Houssam, 26, is one of the young people whose feeling of insecurity has increased in recent years. He points to Quran burnings, vandalism at places of worship and hateful comments about his religion on social media. “There have been times when I have stood in a mosque and as a precaution I checked where the nearest exits were.”

It comes as no surprise to Nourdin el Ouali, director of the Islamic Organizations Rijnmond Foundation (SPIOR). He often speaks to Muslim young people about this theme. “These types of stories are unfortunately recognizable and I hear them regularly. But it is and remains very painful.”

NOS Stories also spoke to Sumaya (18) who shared her story on video:

Sumaya experiences this as a young Muslim woman in the Netherlands

“Not feeling in your place as a Muslim in the Netherlands is not new and this is also the case in several European countries. For many Muslims this is something that arose after 9/11 and there have been all kinds of attacks and unpleasant events where the Islam is linked to spikes in those feelings,” says El Ouali.

Hanneke Felten, who conducts research at Movisie into tackling discrimination, recognizes this. “Every time the link is made between Muslims and terrorism – for example in online comments or in the media – you remember it. If you see it everywhere, it automatically becomes normal. Even if it is a wrong stereotype.”

Sumaya also regularly experiences this connection. “But people say all sorts of things to me. That I look like a penguin, for example, or that I have to get out of here.” It also went further than words for once; someone pulled her headscarf on the street. “You freeze at such a moment. Only afterwards did I realize what had happened.”

According to Felten, the fact that the numbers continue to rise is worrying. “We see that there are young people who at a certain point simply settle for these kinds of negative experiences. They then see it as something that is simply part of it and thus accept second-class citizenship.”

According to El Ouali, the wheel does not need to be reinvented to tackle Muslim discrimination. “The Muslim community does not ask for special treatment. You should simply do exactly the same as when combating anti-Semitism or homophobia.”

Felten also emphasizes the importance of an equal approach. “There is a budget for municipalities to tackle LGBTQA+ discrimination. Unfortunately, there is no budget for tackling Muslim discrimination or anti-black racism.”

In any case, continuing the conversation is the way for Sumaya to deal with it. “Only in this way can I try to remove prejudices and show that we are not monsters. And only in this way can we connect with each other, instead of becoming increasingly distant from each other.”