• North Rhine-Westphalia will open MEDAR in spring 2025 to document anti-Muslim hate crimes and racial incidents, following three years of planning.
• Response to Rising Islamophobia: With over 1.7 million Muslims, the state aims to combat discrimination amid increasing attacks on Islamic sites.
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, will inaugurate the country’s first dedicated anti-Muslim hate crime reporting centre in spring 2025, according to local media.
Named MEDAR, the centre will focus on documenting and reporting crimes and attacks targeting Muslims, while also monitoring other racially motivated incidents directed at non-Muslim foreigners, as reported by public broadcaster WDR.
Slated to begin operations by March or April 2025, the initiative is the result of three years of meticulous planning by the state government.
Home to over 18 million residents, including more than 1.7 million Muslims, North Rhine-Westphalia has experienced a rise in attacks on Muslims and Islamic sites in recent years. In January 2022, several Muslim graves in Iserlohn were desecrated, with headstones damaged and overturned.
With the creation of MEDAR, North Rhine-Westphalia aims to establish a comprehensive framework for addressing anti-Muslim attacks, bolstering its broader efforts to promote equality, social cohesion, and the fight against discrimination.
