BERLIN — North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, will open the country’s first dedicated anti-Muslim racism reporting center in spring 2025, local media reported.

The center, called MEDAR, will document and report crimes and attacks targeting Muslims, as well as monitor other racist incidents directed at non-Muslim foreigners, according to public broadcaster WDR.

Set to begin operations by March or April 2025, the initiative is the culmination of three years of planning by the state government.

North Rhine-Westphalia is home to over 18 million residents, including more than 1.7 million Muslims, and has seen multiple attacks against Muslims and Islamic sites in recent years.

In January 2022, several Muslim graves were vandalized in the city of Iserlohn, with headstones damaged and overturned.

The state has previously taken steps to address racism and discrimination, such as launching the Research and Information Center on Anti-Semitism in April 2022 to document antisemitic incidents.

By establishing MEDAR, North Rhine-Westphalia aims to create a robust framework for addressing and documenting anti-Muslim racism, further strengthening its efforts to combat discrimination and promote social cohesion. — Agencies