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

A third of Muslims in the UK said the recent far-right riots have led them to consider leaving the country, a survey revealed.

The survey, conducted by Survation on behalf of Tell Mama, an NGO that tracks hate crimes targeting Muslims, revealed rising concerns within British Muslim communities following the violent unrest that swept across the UK this summer.

One in four Muslims interviewed, either online or by phone, reported experiencing anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia after July 30, the day following a mass stabbing in Southport.

The violence, which was sparked by false online claims that a Muslim asylum seeker was responsible for the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport, led to a significant surge in charges as authorities address the unrest.

Two-thirds of survey respondents said they felt the risk of harm to Muslim communities had increased since July 30, with more than two-thirds expressing that anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia had become more prevalent.

Nearly four in 10 participants also said they believed their local mosque was at risk from far-right groups and extremists, according to the survey.

However, despite the hostility, half of the respondents said the riots had made them feel “more open about their Muslim identity,” and six out of 10 said they still felt safe in the UK.

In a statement, Tell Mama said: “The poll findings demonstrate that anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia is having significant impacts on Britain’s Muslim communities.”

It added that in the weeks following the riots in late July, Tell Mama had been inundated with reports from the public, many of whom had been shouted at, threatened with death, spat at, or physically assaulted.

The survey, which contacted 750 Muslims in the UK between Sept. 30 and Oct. 14, highlights the ongoing challenges faced by British Muslims in the wake of the far-right violence.

Source: Anadolu Agency