Authorities are currently probing a threat targeting a mosque in Sydney, as a prominent Muslim community figure highlights growing concerns about safety among Muslim Australians.
The menacing message contained a handmade illustration depicting a mosque engulfed in flames, with worshippers inside, accompanied by offensive and racist language.
This alarming correspondence was delivered to Lakemba Mosque, located in the western Sydney region, on Wednesday evening.
This incident marks the second time in just ten days that the mosque has reportedly received such threats. Previously, a 70-year-old man faced charges in late January for sending documents that threatened death or serious harm.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns emphasized that there is “no room for hatred or intimidation in New South Wales.”
In response to these threats, Minns communicated his solidarity with the Lebanese Muslim Association, which is headquartered at Lakemba Mosque.
“People should be able to attend and pray without fear or intimidation. This matter has been referred to NSW Police and is being investigated,” Minns said in a statement on Wednesday night.
A police spokesperson said the letter had been seized by detectives and would undergo forensic examination.
Treasurer Daniel Mookhey told reporters on Thursday the letter was an “outrageous act” that was “un-Australian”, and the government was taking the threat seriously.
Not an isolated incident
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir said the threat was not an isolated incident.
“This is the second one we’ve got [in 10 days]. Several mosques have already been targeted. We had pig heads thrown at a cemetery,” Kheir told SBS Arabic.
“So it’s not isolated, and more concerning for us is the fact that there’s a rising number of community members contacting us saying that they don’t feel safe sending their kids alone to school anymore. They don’t feel safe walking to the shopping centres or going shopping on their own.
“That’s alarming because this is not the usual Australia that we love, where we’re tolerant and accepting of others.”
Community tensions have been high since the Bondi terror attack on 14 December, when 15 people were killed during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.
The alleged gunmen were father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram. Sajid was killed during the shootout, while Naveed faces dozens of charges, including murder and terrorism charges.
Late last year, the Australian National Imams Council said Muslim communities were being “unfairly scrutinised and implicitly linked to acts of violence they categorically reject” in the wake of the attack.
Cases of Islamophobia following the Bondi attack have surged by 740 per cent, according to the Islamophobia Register Australia.
— This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.
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