European Islamophobia

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said that bigotry and prejudice, especially in regard to Muslims, were common in Europe and called on governments to tackle the issue. The remarks from the former Canadian Supreme Court judge, which came in the wake of similar charges issued last week by a U.N. rights investigator, were quickly challenged by a leading global non-religious grouping. The report by investigator Doudou Diene of Senegal documented what he called an alarming rise in intolerance, and in particular Islamophobia in European countries. Islamophobia and equating Islam with terrorism created a climate favoring racial and religious hate.