Islamophobia rises after Bondi attack
Police are investigating a break-in at the Australian Islamic House in Edmondson Park.Credit: Australian Islamic House Facebook page
Sibat Sheikh is also among those who reported the case of Islamophobia. On his way to work the day after the Bondi attack, he was called a “dirty Muslim” and had eggs thrown at him.
Sheikh, 40, a lawyer in inner Sydney, was approached by three young women on bicycles who attacked him and used racial slurs.
“My pants were dirty and there was raw egg all over my shoes,” he said.
“I’m one of the very few women in my job who wears a headscarf, and now there’s an elephant in every room we enter. People now talk about us and look at us differently.”
Two of the major government-funded organizations that track and record Islamophobia have reported a significant increase in incidents since the Bondi attack.
Islamophobia Record Australia, which has been operating for over a decade and produced nine reports on the effects and extent of Islamophobia, said its data showed incidents had increased from an average of 1.5 reports per day before the Bondi attack to more than 18 per day since.
A similar increase was recorded by Action Against Islamophobia (AAI), which also tracks and reports Islamophobic incidents. It was stated that reports of 62 incidents have been received from 19 in November until now in December.
Aftab Malik, Special Representative for Combating IslamophobiaCredit: Edwina Pickle
The AAI spokesperson described this rise as appalling and added that it was mostly physical and verbal abuse faced by Muslims.
“This is the worst it has ever been and is causing the community to question their sense of security and their ability to participate in the community.”
The spokesman said it was “extremely unfair” that the Muslim community had to face these problems despite leading organizations stating that “the Muslim community had nothing to do with the attackers”.
“It appears that no amount of distancing, condemnation, or correcting the narrative will be enough to quell the hatred arising from these events.”
Loading
Both Islamophobia Register Australia and Action Against Islamophobia are listed as organizations tackling this issue by Aftab Malik, the federal government’s special envoy appointed to combat Islamophobia.
Malik said Islamophobia was increasing at an alarming rate.
“This climate of fear and mistrust affects daily life and erodes the security and harmony of our multicultural society,” he said.
The National Imams Council of Australia said it was deeply concerned by the rise of Islamophobia, adding that the community was “implicitly linked to acts of violence which they categorically reject”.
The council, the peak body for imams in Australia, said the Muslim community “is facing a marked increase in hostility and accusations against them as a society, despite having no connection with the actions of lone actors”.
“The comprehensive and unfair response to an entire community due to the actions of two criminals is unacceptable and dangerous,” the statement said.
Dr., a researcher studying Islamophobia at La Trobe University. Yassir Morsi attributed racism to the rise in efforts to transform people’s anger, hurt and fear into “a call for action, accountability and responsibility.”
“For some people who fall into the wrong hands, it turns into a kind of Islamophobia or violence through speech or action. Collective responsibility very quickly turns into collective blame and collective guilt, and then it turns into a kind of punishment,” he said.
Loading
He said many people who hold Islamophobic beliefs may also be looking for permission to hate.
“There are Islamophobes out there waiting for the right moment, which we give permission to hate; after Bondi and stuff like that, the perpetrators of the terrorists are Muslims, then that gives them permission.”
Sibat Sheikh said a sense of fear had descended on Sydney’s Muslim community, who felt they were blamed for the Bondi attack.
“I feel increasingly paranoid and there is now a fear in society about going out in public.
“People are worried about their children, afraid to leave the places they live. Some have banned their children from taking public transportation.
“We’re just trying to live our lives. I’m going to keep living my life because I haven’t done anything wrong.”
Start your day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
