An Egyptian-born man urged Muslims to speak out against Islamophobia after he faced discrimination while apartment hunting in Germany.
Mohamed Soliman, 30, was searching anonymously for a rental in the Bavarian city of Bad Neustadt for weeks before eventually being offered a two-bedroom flat online.
But in a text two days later, the landlord revoked the offer once he learnt Mr Soliman's full name, saying that he would not "deal with Muslims" who thought Germans were infidels.
Mr Soliman, who is an online content creator, said he was shocked by the response and decided to report it to police, who have since begun criminal proceedings against the landlord.
Mr Soliman has lived in Germany for the past five years and said he had never experienced such blatant Islamophobia before. He posted details of the interaction to social media, provoking an outraged response from Germans and people with Arab backgrounds.
Mr Soliman urged fellow Muslims "not to stay silent" if they suffer similar discrimination, which is sadly common in Germany, he said.
"You will face this everywhere – at work and college, because it is here," he told The National.
Many of his Arab friends shared similar stories, particularly women, who faced discrimination for wearing headscarves. Jibes about terrorism and other insults are commonly used against people with Arab-sounding names, he said.
“Germany is a great country but some people make our lives hard just because of our names. There are some good people and some bad people."
German's constitution explicitly outlaws discrimination based on race and religion. However, as many as one in three people with immigrant backgrounds faced abuse, according to the country's antiracism watchdog.
Although Mr Soliman does not believe Germany is racist, he said more must be done to combat such stereotypes, which he said are prevalent in the media.
“I want to say to people who live in Europe, don’t keep silent if something like this happens to you. You should move in the right way and necessary way.”
