"80% live on social benefits, "80% refuse to work", "8.5 million euros in rental aid for Muslim families" or "Muslim countries do not receive Muslim refugees ". These are messages that move on social networks without context and that try to confuse us with respect to Muslims and that they are not real. Either because there is no proof in any case of what they say or because the requirements to receive aid are by income levels and not by nationality or religion.
We tell you:
No, there is no proof that 80% of Muslims in Europe live on welfare and refuse to work
There are no data, documents or studies that show that "80% of Muslims residing in Europe live on social assistance and social benefits and refuse to work". Actually, it is a figure that is not based on any evidence or official data.
Where does the number come from? This is a belief, which I do not give data, that a Swedish-Algerian commentator named Aahya Abu Zakariy expressed in an interview for the MEMRI TV organization in November 2012.
He did not provide proof of the figure he mentions and there is no trace of any document, report or study to support it. In his television statement, he assured that 80% of Muslims in the West "are beggars, who live on Western welfare." Since then, this has been moving through different web portals such as ProIsrael (2012) and Alerta Digital (2013). The latter also exchanged the name of the commentator for that of the interviewer Ali Abd Al-Aal.
There is no official census of how many Muslims there are at a European level
There is no official census of how many Muslims there are in Europe. This has been confirmed to us by the European Commission from its headquarters in Madrid. In addition, the European Union does not allow distinction by religion when granting aid: "it would be both illegal and discriminatory."
As for the member countries, in Spain there is also no official record on the number of Muslims and aid is not granted based on religion. From the National Institute of Statistics (INE), they confirm that there is no population census based on religion.
No, there is no proof that "Muslims from Morocco live on 80% of social benefits". It's a made up number
Similar content has also been posted ensuring that "Muslims from Morocco live on 80% of social benefits." As we have already told you, there is no proof of this. It is an invented figure: there is no data, document or study that supports it.
There are no aids for religion or nationality. There is no proof of that figure because there is no record of aid based on religion. This has been confirmed to us by the Department of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Generalitat de Catalunya, in charge of managing social assistance.
The benefits are given to any person "who meets a series of requirements, such as other people, of another religion or none at all," the Department of Labor indicates. Neither the INE nor the Directorate General for Religious Affairs of the Department of Justice of the Generalitat de Catalunya have population data on how many Muslims there are in Spain and, therefore, it is not possible to know if 7,000 reside outside the country or not.
To receive the Guaranteed Citizenship Income aid in Catalonia (equivalent to the Minimum Insertion Income) it is necessary to be registered in Catalonia and attend the training courses they offer, because these aids are linked to the job application.
If you leave Spain, can you continue receiving aid? "No, this is linked to training and they have to [physically] attend this training, the idea is job placement," they assure us from the Labor Department.
Neither does the RGC pay "indefinitely to all Muslims, refugees and women who report gender violence" as this tweet says
This tweet ensures that the RGC is paid "indefinitely to all Muslims, refugees and women who report gender violence." It's a hoax
The Guaranteed Citizenship Income (RGC) is an economic benefit from the Generalitat of Catalonia that seeks to "ensure the minimum of a dignified life for people and family units that are in a situation of poverty". The reality is that this aid is not given based on the religious faith of the applicants.
In addition, we have reviewed Law 14/2017, of July 20, which regulates guaranteed income and at no point does it distinguish between religions nor does it say that "all Muslims" for the simple fact of being Muslims have access to help. In addition, they have denied it to us from the Department of Labour, Social Affairs and Families.
No, there is no evidence that "8.5 million euros in aid for housing rental exclude Asturian families and include Muslim families"
If we continue talking about aid, this poster with the phrase "8.5 million aids for housing rentals that exclude Asturian families and include Muslims" is also a hoax.
There is no evidence that 8.5 million euros in aid for home rental excludes Asturian families and includes Muslim families. There is no requirement when applying for these aids that differentiate by religion (nor by nationality). The hoax mixes origin with religion and relates them to the list of rental aids in the Official Gazette of the Principality of Asturias for the year 2017. The majority of beneficiaries of these aids were people with Spanish nationality.
In the requirements to access this aid there is no measure that excludes "Asturian families". All the requirements are economic or related to housing. In addition, the montage that is being disseminated on networks, with surnames of people of possible foreign origin, corresponds to only one page of the 320 that make up the entire resolution.
In the rest of the sheets we have been able to verify that there are surnames of possible autochthonous origin such as Folledo or Hevia which, according to the INE, are mainly concentrated in the Asturias area and correspond to people of Spanish nationality.
The Ministry of Services and Social Rights tells us that "the criteria for granting this support are of a socioeconomic nature and are the same for all people who apply for rent aid".
No, it is not true that "Muslim countries" do not receive "Muslim refugees"
We have also received questions about a poster that was circulating with the phrase "Muslim countries do not accept Muslim refugees." It's a hoax In the main host countries for asylum seekers, Islam is professed and the refugees they host include people of the Muslim faith.
The first thing to clarify is that being a refugee and being a Muslim are completely different concepts. Being a refugee is a legal condition that recognizes the applicant as a beneficiary of international protection, while being a Muslim is professing the Islamic religion.
As we already told you, Muslim refugees do arrive in the main refugee-hosting countries. According to data from the UN Agency, in 2017 in Turkey, where 98% of the inhabitants are Muslims, there were 3,424,200 refugees from Syria, a country where at least 86% of the population professes Islam.
In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, where 96% of the population is Muslim and Islam is the official religion, there were 1,392,600 Afghan refugees in 2017. The official religion in Afghanistan is also Islam
For its part, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, where 96% of the population is Muslim and Islam is the official religion, there were 951,100 Afghan refugees registered on that date.
In Lebanon, where there are up to 18 religious denominations, including Muslims and Christians, in 2017 there were 992,100 registered refugees from Syria.
In Uganda, where Christians are in the majority (more than three quarters), there are also Muslims who make up about 12% of the population. Here, in 2017, there were 1,037,400 registered South Sudanese refugees. In South Sudan, 70% are Christians and between 3% and 5% of the population is Muslim.
*This article is part of Maldita Migración, a Maldita.es project in collaboration with eldiario.es and the support of Oxfam Intermón.