A new report has warned of escalating Islamophobia across Europe, identifying hijab-wearing Muslim women as the primary targets of discrimination and highlighting security surveillance as a dominant tool used against Muslim communities.

What happened

The Collectif for Countering Islamophobia in Europe's annual report on Islamophobia documents the state of Islamophobia in Europe in 2025. This year's report identifies veiled women – those wearing hijabs and other visible Islamic dress – as experiencing disproportionate targeting compared to other Muslim populations. The documentation indicates that security surveillance represents a primary mechanism through which Muslim communities face systemic pressure and monitoring.

The report's findings suggest that anti-Muslim sentiment is not limited to individual incidents but reflects broader patterns of normalization across European institutions and society. The report raises concerns about the trajectory of Islamophobia on the continent, with particular emphasis on how discriminatory practices have become embedded within security and surveillance systems.

Reaction

Advocacy organizations monitoring Islamophobia have expressed concern about the report's findings and their implications for Muslim communities across Europe. The identification of hijab-wearing women as primary targets underscores longstanding concerns raised by Muslim women's rights advocates about the intersection of gender-based and religious discrimination. Civil society groups have emphasized that such targeting creates barriers to full participation in employment, education, and public life for affected women.

The report's focus on surveillance as a key mechanism of discrimination aligns with concerns previously raised by human rights organizations regarding the disproportionate security monitoring of Muslim communities and the chilling effect such practices have on freedom of movement and association.

Why it matters

The documentation of systematic targeting of hijab-wearing women and reliance on surveillance has significant implications for how European societies address religious discrimination and equal protection.

For French Muslims specifically, these findings provide context for ongoing discussions about laïcité, religious visibility, and the balance between security concerns and individual rights. The report's emphasis on normalization suggests that anti-Muslim discrimination has become embedded in institutional practices rather than remaining at the margins of society, requiring comprehensive policy responses rather than incident-based interventions.

The findings underscore the need for European governments, including France, to examine how security frameworks and public policy affect Muslim communities disproportionately. Addressing these patterns requires attention to both explicit discrimination and systemic mechanisms that may appear neutral in design but produce discriminatory outcomes in practice.