In Berlin everyone can wear whatever they want – except a headscarf. Such is the experience of the many Muslim women who have been insulted, spat at or even attacked in the street.
Islam is a multi-dimensional religion, but in Germany its many facets are often simplified and unified: there is then talk of simply of “Islam”, which is generally described as “foreign” and “dangerous”. This has little to do with reality. Also, the word Muslim is used synonymously with “migrant”, “foreigner” or “Turk”, thus equating religious affiliation with certain nation states and geographical regions. Muslims are thus perceived as a homogeneous group, regardless of their individual life stories. Anti-Islamic racism is not about what Muslims or supposedly Muslim people do, but about devaluation and exclusion: Muslims are assumed to exhibit negative behaviour or have a negative character; while attributes such as “backward”, “unemancipated” or “violent” are assigned to them.
Islamophobia is widespread. It is a form of racism and one of the central instruments of right-wing extremist and right-wing populist politics. This often has brutal consequences for Muslims going about their everyday lives; especially Muslim women wearing headscarves who are easily recognisable as targets.

ReachOut has been supporting victims of racist violence in Berlin and its surroundings for over 15 years: reachoutberlin.de

Right-wing extremist and discriminatory incidents of various kinds can be reported to the Berlin Register with a view to contributing to comprehensive documentation for the various Berlin districts: berliner-register.de