Surge in Islamophobic Incidents in Australia Following Bondi Attack

Surge in Islamophobic Incidents in Australia Following Bondi Attack
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Threats and hate speech targeting Muslim Australians have risen sharply after the deadly attack at Bondi Beach, with one mosque receiving numerous offensive calls and reports of people being harassed in public, The Guardian reported. Religious leaders say that social and political tensions following the incident have contributed to the increased hostility.

The Islamophobia Register Australia documented 126 hate-related incidents in the week after the 14 December attack, a tenfold increase compared with the previous two weeks. The Australian National Imams Council recorded a similar surge, with Muslim women reportedly verbally abused and subjected to threatening gestures mimicking guns.

Ahmed Abdo, vice-president of the council, said the community is experiencing heightened fear. “One woman doesn’t want to leave her home because she wears a scarf as a Muslim woman, fearing she may be targeted,” he said. Police have alleged that the Bondi attack was inspired by the Islamic State.

Incidents of Islamophobic vandalism have also been reported, including pig heads left at a Muslim cemetery in Sydney’s south-west, graffiti at a Queensland mosque, and vandalism of an Islamic school in Victoria. Online calls for violence against people of Middle Eastern descent, such as a Cronulla beach incident, have also led to criminal charges.

In response, some congregations have reduced the time spent at mosques after prayers, while others, including Lakemba mosque in south-west Sydney, have increased security. Mohamed Mohideen, president of the Islamic Council of Victoria, said his organisation has received multiple threatening calls and a surge in hate mail, prompting greater police presence.

Political rhetoric has also been blamed for inflaming tensions. During a visit to Sydney’s Masjid Al-Hidayah mosque, NSW Premier Chris Minns emphasised that authorities would act against extremism regardless of the target.