For immediate release
Brussels – [16/07/2025] The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) expresses its deepest sorrow and outrage following the racist murder of Rahma Ayad, a 26-year-old nursing student of Algerian descent, stabbed to death by her neighbor on Friday, July 4th in Hemmingen, a district of Hanover, Germany.
Rahma had recently moved to Germany to pursue her studies and career in nursing. She was known by her peers and teachers as caring, dedicated, and ambitious. In the weeks leading up to her murder, Rahma had reportedly faced repeated racist and Islamophobic harassment by the alleged perpetrator; harassment she formally reported to police. No protective measures were taken.
This brutal crime represents a systemic failure.
Germany recorded 3,080 anti-Muslim incidents in 2024, a 60% increase from 2023 – revealing two homicides, 198 assaults, and over 70 mosque attacks, with women making up 71% of identifiable victims.
According to a 2024 report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights 68% of Muslims in Germany reported experiencing racial discrimination over the previous five years, compared to the EU average of 47%.
The unchecked escalation of racist harassment against visible Muslim women has, tragically, turned lethal. Such violence is not random; it is a product of pervasive Islamophobia allowed to fester in European societies.
FEMYSO calls for the following urgent actions:
- Full recognition of this case as a hate crime under German law, with transparent investigation and prosecution of the alleged perpetrator, the 31-year-old German neighbor now in custody.
- Comprehensive review and overhaul of police and local authority responses to Islamophobic harassment, ensuring early protection for those at risk.
- EU-wide frameworks and institutional support to protect Muslim women who face daily threats and increased racial and Islamophobic targeting, emphasising visibility, safety, and empowerment.
- Support civil society organisations doing vital work to support victims of discrimination and hate crime.
“Rahma’s murder was not just the act of one individual, it is a direct result of neglect by institutions that repeatedly fail to take Islamophobia seriously and protect Muslim women, migrants, and racialised communities,” said Fjona Nela, FEMYSO’s Head of Campaigns “This cannot continue. Justice must be pursued in this case but systemic change is needed in order to save lives.”
This tragic death is a stark message: failure by governments to take Islamophobia seriously iş costing lives. FEMYSO demands not just words of condolence, but concrete actions to protect individuals and communities.
[END]
NOTES:
- FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network of 32 Muslim youth and student organisations across 22 European countries. It is the leading voice for European Muslim youth, developing and empowering them, and working to build a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.
- For more information or requests please email media@femyso.org.
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