Incident Occurred During Economics Class at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University

A Muslim student filed a criminal complaint after being racially insulted by a professor in Germany for wearing a headscarf, her lawyer said on Monday. The incident occurred during an economics class at the campus of the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University in northwestern Germany.

Professor Uses Racist Slurs and Compares Headscarf to Neo-Nazi Symbol

The professor used racist slurs and even compared the Muslim woman’s headscarf with the swastika symbol of neo-Nazis, lawyer Fatih Zingal said. “Article 4 of the German Constitution protects religious freedom, and a student can attend lessons while wearing a headscarf. The attitude of this professor is absolutely unacceptable,” he told Anadolu Agency (AA).

Latest in a String of Islamophobic Incidents and Hate Crimes

It was the latest in a string of Islamophobic incidents and hate crimes in Germany, particularly affecting women in Islamic attire. Gülşen Kurt, who was shocked by the lecturer’s racist slurs, said most students reacted and left the class in protest.

“The professor said that he would not allow a student with a headscarf to attend the class, just as he would not allow a neo-Nazi with the swastika, He shouted at me, saying ‘you are an Islamofascist’, and that he would report me to the directorate,” she told Anadolu Agency (AA).

University Administration Does Not Approve of Lecturer’s Behavior

Kurt said the directorate had apologized for the racist slurs in class and underlined that the university administration does not approve of the lecturer’s behavior.

Rising Racism and Islamophobia in Germany

A country of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. It is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, according to official figures. The country has witnessed growing racism and Islamophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties. German police recorded 5,372 xenophobic incidents and 610 Islamophobic hate crimes last year. Experts say actual figures could be much higher, as many instances are not properly investigated or registered in official statistics.