海角大神

Israa Alsabagh started wearing a headscarf to school when she was 10 years old.

A practicing Muslim born and raised in Germany, she had begged her mother to let her wear the head covering. When she finally wore it to class for the first time, 鈥淚 had the feeling everyone was looking at me, because I looked different.鈥�

Over time, it became clear her classmates wouldn鈥檛 be problems. It was older teachers 鈥� and strangers 鈥� who were occasional headaches. 鈥淓very once in awhile, I鈥檇 get a dumb remark [from a teacher] like, 鈥榃ell, why don鈥檛 you ask your God?鈥欌�� says Ms. Alsabagh, now 16 years old. Another time, a stranger on the metro asked, 鈥溾�楪o home, what are you doing here?鈥欌��

鈥淚 always answer, 鈥業 am German. My mom is German, too,鈥欌�� Ms. Alsabagh says. 鈥淎nd they are always surprised.鈥�

While much attention has been shone on anti-Semitism in Germany, anti-Muslim bigotry聽is potentially even more damaging to the country鈥檚 social fabric by targeting a group 5 million strong, compared to Germany鈥檚 roughly 150,000 Jews.聽The incidence of anti-Muslim hate is on the rise. Transgressions range from daily microaggressions (everyday slights, conscious and unconscious, that reinforce discrimination) to horrific attacks that capture national media attention, such as the February 2020 Hanau shooting in which a far-right extremist targeted two hookah bars and killed nine people, or the murder of the pro-refugee politician in the state of Hesse by a neo-Nazi in June of last year.

Courtesy of Israa Alsabagh

Israa Alsabagh started wearing a headscarf to school when she was 10 years old. 鈥淚 had the feeling everyone was looking at me, because I looked different,鈥� she remembers. But she found that it was older teachers and strangers, not classmates, who were most critical of her choice.

Progress towards acceptance of Germany鈥檚 second-largest religious group after 海角大神ity has come in fits and starts. The German government has promised more security at mosques this year. But at the same time, the interior minister halted an audit of racial profiling by the police, in a country where the largest racial minority groups are predominantly Muslim. And, last month, the German state of Baden-W眉rttemberg banned children .

鈥淎bout half the population sees Islam as a threat, and the picture has become cemented,鈥� says Yasemin El-Menouar, a researcher at the German research foundation Bertelsmann Stiftung. 鈥淏ut 15 or 20 years ago German society had much to say about Muslims, while they didn鈥檛 get to speak. Now we have a generation [of Muslims] who were raised here, are well educated, and who say, 鈥業 have a right to be here and be part of the discussion.鈥欌��

鈥楻acism is a dynamic phenomenon鈥�

Lamya Kaddor is one of that generation.

An author, activist, and teacher, she has fielded countless questions from colleagues when she teaches her classes on Islam. They include, 鈥溾�楢re you teaching students to build bombs?鈥� or 鈥楬ow can such an emancipated woman like yourself teach such antiquated beliefs?鈥欌�� says Ms. Kaddor, author of the 2010 book 鈥淢uslim, Female, German!鈥�

Other times people might say, 鈥溾�楪o back to Turkey.鈥� No one cares that I鈥檓 not actually from Turkey,鈥� she says. Meanwhile, media continue to associate Islam with violence or oppression, and Muslims are now suffering more severe exclusion than Jews, both in the rates and in the scope of alienation, says Ms. Kaddor, who has studied both anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim sentiment.

鈥淯nfortunately many Germans think racism has been defeated in our country because Adolf Hitler isn鈥檛 here anymore,鈥� says Ms. Kaddor. 鈥淏ut racism is a dynamic phenomenon. It adapts quickly and adjusts to societal conditions.鈥�

Those conditions include Germany鈥檚 intake of a million refugees in 2015, after Chancellor Angela Merkel suspended a protocol to send them back to other 鈥渟afe鈥� countries. The influx of migrants, mostly Muslims from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, helped trigger the rise of a far-right political party that campaigned partly on an聽anti-Muslim platform. In 2017 it won 94 seats in Germany鈥檚 federal parliament.

Politics, media, and society must change, says Ms. Kaddor, who adds that she has received death threats once she began publishing books. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about seeing Muslims as victims and active members of this society. As equal Germans.鈥�

Dismantling stereotypes

Young Germans are growing up in a society that鈥檚 the most ethnically diverse in generations. That means they鈥檙e ideally coming into contact with people of all kinds, who practice all sorts of religions.

On religious acceptance, there鈥檚 progress. German society is already starting from a strong base of tolerance of all religions, save Islam, points out Ms. El-Menouar of Bertelsmann Stiftung. Her research also shows that contact between people of different religions is key to dismantling stereotypes, and that results are strongest among young people. 鈥淲e need to deconstruct social distance so you realize people who practice a different religion aren鈥檛 necessarily that different.鈥�

This work is critical, she says, especially as the Muslim population in Germany and across Europe. And, as Germany鈥檚 population continues to age, migration will help relieve a graying labor force, with many of those new immigrants likely to be Muslim.

Back in Berlin, Ms. Alsabagh has faith in people. 鈥淩acism doesn鈥檛 come intrinsically. It is something that is taught to you,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter [exposure], people are more open. I think the generation after us will be more open as well.鈥�

In fact, with the last teacher who gave her trouble, she began pushing back with remarks of her own. Then, five or six fellow students spoke with him on Ms. Alsabagh鈥檚 behalf. 鈥淭hey sat down with my teacher. And it did get better.鈥�

There鈥檚 hope, she says. And social media is a powerful force to help connect people, and also enable talk about differences and individualities. 鈥淣ever get riled up,鈥� she says she has learned. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 help. It only reinforces the opinions they have.鈥�

Clara Suchy contributed research assistance from Berlin.

Editor鈥檚 note: This story has been updated to clarify that children鈥檚 burqas and niqabs were banned in Baden-W眉rttemberg.聽聽聽