European law should include Islamophobia: Turkish FM

ANKARA, TURKEY - APRIL 11: The Turkish foreign minister on Wednesday urged European countries to include Islamophobia as a crime in their constitution, without waiting for a Holocaust-like situation to unfold."We should ensure that Islamophobia is included in [European] constitution as a crime clearly," Mevlut Cavusoglu said during an event at capital Ankara marked to unveil the latest European Islamophobia Report (EIR)."There is no need to relive Auschwitz or wait for Muslims to be burned in gas chambers like Jewish people," he said, referring to the Nazi concentration camp in Poland and the Holocaust.Cavusoglu said that hate speech, which is a crime in Europe, is still used by politicians.He recalled that populist politicians in Europe, especially in Germany, used anti-Turkey discourse and Islamophobia to win elections.The EU’s largest economy has witnessed growing Islamophobia and hatred of migrants in recent years, triggered by propaganda from far-right and populist parties who exploit fears over the refugee crisis and terrorism.The far-right AfD became the third-largest party in Germany’s federal parliament after winning 12.6 percent of the vote in federal elections last year. (Footage by Tolga Ciplak/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)