A prominent Muslim advocacy group, Muslim Votes Matter, has announced that it prefers the Greens over Labor in several key federal seats across Australia. This move comes despite some disagreement with the Greens over religious freedom issues—specifically policies related to religious schools.

The group’s endorsements include Greens candidates in electorates like Wills and Bruce (Vic.), Moreton (Qld.), and Sturt (S.A). They’re also supporting independent candidates in western Sydney seats traditionally held by Labor. Their support is driven by strong alignment on issues like Gaza and policies affecting local Muslim communities.

Although the group disagrees with parts of the Greens’ platform—especially their stance on how religious schools can operate—they’ve chosen to support the party based on their openness to dialogue and broader shared values. The Greens have signaled a willingness to work with the group on these concerns. Labor, on the other hand, has refused to engage with Muslim Votes Matter, sparking criticism.

This shift marks a growing political voice within Australia’s Muslim community, particularly around the government’s response to the war in Gaza and domestic issues such as religious freedom. With federal elections approaching, this move could impact tight races in key electorates. Muslim Votes Matter says their goal is not to divide, but to empower the community—and ensure that their votes support candidates who reflect their values.

Source: Guardian Australia

Article by Aftab Malik, the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia

Five years ago, then prime minister Scott Morrison stated on national television: “I don’t know if Australians understand Islam very well.”

It seems this is still the case in 2024.

After spending five weeks travelling across this nation as the new special envoy to combat Islamophobia, defined broadly as anti-Muslim hate or prejudice, I have heard heartbreaking stories that illustrate how Islamophobia manifests in everyday life, and negatively affects the lives of everyday Australians.

Sometimes it manifests as discrimination or harassment. Sometimes as abuse. Sometimes outright hatred. And sometimes violent acts or vandalism.

The offensive graffiti discovered on a busy underpass in Sydney’s west over the weekend is just the latest visible reminder of Islamophobia in Australia.

It puts into context just how wrong Senator Dave Sharma was stating that Islamophobia is “fictitious”.

Every day, Islamophobia affects children, teenagers at their most vulnerable, and adults alike.

The fact is that there has been a 600% increase in reports of Islamophobia since the 7 October atrocities last year and it wasn’t uncommon beforehand.

The evidence documenting anti-Muslim hate is overwhelming. Over the past decade, countless studies have detailed incidents of anti-Muslim crime and discrimination, and analysed the media tropes that perpetuate stereotypes about Islam and Muslims.

This body of work paints a troubling picture of a world in which harassment and abuse of Muslims are equal parts common and perceived as socially acceptable.

Many of the reports of abuse and violence take place in ordinary settings, where bystanders rarely intervene, and in the main, the victims are identifiable Muslim women.

These are common outrages. They’re everyday discrimination. They have all been reported to the Islamophobia Register Australia. They deserve our collective condemnation.

As an aside, the fact there are Muslim community organisations documenting Islamophobia on a register, and a special envoy to combat it, is a clue as to whether Islamophobia exists.

The offhand dismissal of the everyday abuse of our community juxtaposes awfully with the recent commentary by some of our leaders, and it’s dangerous. It tests us as a community and it tests Australia as a society.

I understand emotions are high right now. All Muslims do. But we should treat people the way we want to be treated.

In that spirit I offer this: attacks on any places of worship are horrendous – especially because they are sacred spaces for people to worship in the knowledge that they free and safe to do so.

I condemn the recent antisemitic attacks in Melbourne and Sydney.

I also condemn the incidents of arson, graffiti and vandalism which have haunted mosques across Australia that have largely gone unnoticed without any outrage from our leaders.

I urge our politicians and community representatives not only to be passionate but also empathetic. We cannot condemn one form of hate and then deny the existence of another.

There are some who believe Islamophobia is a concept designed to shut down freedom of speech and stop criticism of Muslims or Islam. That’s not the case. People are free to dislike Islam, or any other faith.

But it manifests as Islamophobia when dislike turns into harassment, intimidation and abuse of Muslims, and discrimination against them. That’s real and it should be a concern for all members of society.

Senator Sharma has agreed to meet me this week. By no means is understanding alone the cure for Islamophobia, but it is a first step towards change.

It is imperative that we stop politicising suffering and work towards a more inclusive society, where every person, regardless of their faith, can feel safe and valued.

Source: The Guardian

Muslim groups in Australia have criticized the disparity in the police response to two stabbing attacks in Sydney this month, saying it created a perception of a double standard and further alienated the country’s minority Muslim community

The Australian National Imams Council said an attack at a Bondi Junction shopping center was “quickly deemed a mental health issue” while the stabbing of a Christian bishop at a Sydney church two days later was “classified as a terrorist act almost immediately.”

“The differing treatments of two recent violent incidents are stark,” the council’s spokesperson, Ramia Abdo Sultan, said in a statement with the Alliance of Australian Muslims and the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network.

“Such disparities in response create a perception of a double standard in law enforcement and judicial processes,” she said.

A 16-year-old boy is accused of repeatedly stabbing Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel and a priest at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church on April 15, two days after the Bondi Junction attack, in which six people were killed and a dozen others seriously wounded by a lone assailant with a history of mental illness.

The boy was charged last week with committing a terrorist act, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Sultan called for an inquiry into the processes leading up to the police raids to ensure transparency and accountability within the judicial system and to prevent marginalization of different ethnic and religious groups.

“We must also address the problematic and longstanding issue of racial and religious profiling, which has been part of the societal fabric for decades,” Sultan said. “The presumption that terrorism is inherently tied to religion is not only inaccurate but harmful.”

New South Wales state Premier Chris Minns agreed that it was important for allegations of terrorism to be correctly made but rejected any need for changes.

“The truth of the matter is, in some instances and it’s only some instances where there are terrorist activities, they are as a result of religious-based extremism,” Minns said at a news conference in Sydney on Friday.

More information on: ABC News

Victorian students will experience historical moments, including crewing a Torres Strait pearl boat and exploring Arnhem Land in the 1700s.

Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins highlighted the exhibition’s significance in celebrating the connections between First Nations communities and Australian Muslims.

The program, backed by a $120,000 investment, combines digital reconstructions, webinars, and excursions to educate students about the shared history of Muslim migration and First Nations Peoples.

Source: The National Tribune Australia