Brussels, May 23rd 2026
Dear Anti-Muslim Hatred Coordinator, Ms Marion Lalisse,
We are writing in the aftermath of the deadly terrorist attack targeting the Islamic Center in San Diego, which claimed the lives of three victims and left deep trauma across the wider Muslim community.
While this attack took place outside Europe, the conditions and narratives that enable such violence are not confined to one country or context. Anti-Muslim hatred, exclusionary rhetoric, and the normalisation of Islamophobia continue to rise across Europe and beyond, with devastating consequences for the safety, dignity, and belonging of Muslim communities.
It could collectively be acknowledged that this attack is not an isolated incident. It reflects a broader global climate in which Muslims are increasingly portrayed as threats, outsiders, or disposable communities. Such narratives are amplified not only by extremist actors, but too often by political discourse, media platforms, and public institutions that fail to meaningfully engage Muslim communities as equal stakeholders in democratic life.
As a representative network bringing together more than 30 organisations across over 20 countries, we have worked for many years to combat anti-Muslim hatred, racism, discrimination, and exclusion in all their forms. Since 2015, we have maintained a long-standing record of engagement with the European Commission and successive Coordinators on combating anti-Muslim hatred. Throughout this period, we have consistently advocated for policies grounded in fundamental rights, equal citizenship, and meaningful participation of Muslim communities in decisions affecting them.
Our work has included numerous impactful initiatives aimed at addressing Islamophobia and strengthening social cohesion, including projects such as IMAN, EADAI, ADVISE, and MEET, among others. These initiatives have focused on monitoring discrimination, empowering Muslim youth, countering hate narratives, building institutional capacity, and fostering inclusive democratic participation across Europe.
Meaningful engagement with Muslim communities cannot be symbolic, selective, or conditioned on political convenience. Muslim representative organisations and youth-led initiatives must be treated as legitimate partners in shaping policies intended to address anti-Muslim hatred and social exclusion. Marginalising representative Muslim voices and not meaningfully engaging with them risk reinforcing the very exclusionary environment that enables anti-Muslim hatred to grow.
The European Commission has both a political and moral responsibility to engage meaningfully with organisations such as Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) and broader Muslim representative networks. Failure to genuinely include Muslim youth and communities in policymaking processes does not constitute neutrality; it risks contributing to the continued rise and normalisation of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia across Europe.
In light of the San Diego attack and the broader rise in anti-Muslim hatred internationally, we would welcome the opportunity to urgently meet with you to discuss concrete steps the European Commission can take, together with the civil society, to prevent similar attacks from occurring in Europe. Such a meeting would provide an important opportunity to exchange expertise, discuss emerging risks and challenges facing Muslim communities, and strengthen meaningful institutional engagement based on partnership, trust, and the principle of “nothing about us without us.”
We remain committed to constructive engagement and to working together toward policies that uphold justice, inclusion, and the safety of all communities.
Sincerely,
Hiba Latreche
FEMYSO President