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Members of Australia’s Muslim community have urged the government to intensify efforts to combat discrimination. This comes in the wake of the release of a long-anticipated report by the special envoy addressing Islamophobia on Friday.
The envoy noted that Islamophobia has not been adequately addressed in Australia, often being “ignored” or “denied” at times.
The report’s recommendations involve all major agencies of the Australian government, focusing on three primary areas: accountability and responsibility, protection and support, and education and awareness.
Key suggestions include providing Islamophobia with the same rights and legal protections as other forms of discrimination, reassessing counter-terrorism laws, and introducing a commission to investigate racism against Palestinians and Arabs.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed an intention to “carefully consider” these recommendations.
The report comes two months after the special envoy for antisemitism, Jillian Segal, released her report to the government, which called for more sweeping measures, such as cutting funding for organisations seen as failing to act.
Malik brushed aside any criticism that his recommendations do not go far enough in the wake of bomb threats against mosques and vandalism of Muslim properties.
In conversation with SBS World News, Malik stated, “My primary guidance came from the Australian Muslim community, who seek acknowledgment rather than retaliation.”
‘A severely fractured relationship’
Sharara Attai from the Islamophobia Register Australia says there is a “fractured relationship” between the Muslim community in Australia and the federal government.
“There is a severely fractured relationship between the Muslim community and the Australian government,” Attai told SBS World News.
“I think there is widespread mistrust [in] the government from the Muslim community and the way that our community’s suffering and plight has not been treated with the same level of concern as other communities.
“It will take a lot to mend that relationship.”
Attai said the report was just the first step of treating Islamophobia with the “level of urgency” it needed, adding that “a lot more” needed to be done.
Gamal Kheir of the Lebanese Muslim Association was “very supportive” of the envoy’s recommendations and called on the Albanese government to take action.
“I believe the government has an obligation now to honour the recommendations and take them seriously,” Kheir told SBS Arabic.
“For genuine social cohesion and unity among all communities, embracing the envoy’s recommendations is crucial for addressing current community disparities.”
He spotlighted the need for definition changes to counter-terrorism laws, which he says have unfairly targeted the Muslim community.
“The whole concept of the definition of terrorism has been unfairly pegged towards the Muslim community, selectively only,” Kheir said.
He added, “We have strongly lobbied the government, with support from the envoy, to redefine terrorism in a way that focuses more on the actions rather than the individual’s religion.”
‘An escalation of intensity’
The report comes after a man staged an alleged bomb hoax at a Gold Coast mosque and an Islamic school in Brisbane received a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of hundreds of students and staff.
The Islamophobia Register’s Queensland-based executive director Nora Amath said Muslims felt targeted and afraid against the backdrop of recent anti-migrant rallies.
“We’re seeing an escalation of intensity,” she told AAP.
“For the very first time, we’re seeing back-to-back physical assaults and back-to-back bomb threats, which is all very concerning.”
Australian National Imams Council senior advisor Bilal Rauf said the report strengthened the case for religious protections, which the peak religious body has lobbied for.
He said the onus was on Albanese and his government to take the recommendations seriously, “so it’s not just lip service”.
The Australian Palestinian Advocacy Network says anti-Palestinian racism and the report’s findings are deeply connected, but this has not been recognised.
“The Australian government has failed by restricting its focus to Islamophobia through the Islamophobia envoy, while deliberately ignoring and refusing to quantify the widespread anti-Palestinian racism and discrimination that has surged since October 7,” APAN executive member Lama Alqasem said.
“That refusal itself is a form of racism because it denies Palestinians recognition, safety and justice.”
Since 7 October 2023, reported incidents of Islamophobia have increased by 537 per cent, according to the Islamophobia Register Australia.
The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network was more critical, saying it did not share the government’s rationale for establishing the Islamophobia and antisemitism envoy roles but welcomed the recommendations.
The network supported new measures to treat hate crimes more seriously without expanding crimes and police powers or restricting free speech.
“The recommendation to establish independent scrutiny panels to improve the way hate crimes are policed is a positive step,” the network said.
“All communities deserve equal protection from hate and applying different standards creates unfairness in a multicultural society.”
‘We have been consistent’, says Albanese
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed claims that anti-Muslim hate had not been given the same attention as hate directed at other communities.
“We have strengthened Commonwealth hate crimes to criminalise threats of violence, force or property damage that targets individuals or groups based upon race, religion or nationality,” Albanese said in a joint press conference with Malik on Friday.
“That applies across the board. We have been consistent.”
He added that he would “carefully consider” the recommendations and continue to “work closely” with Malik.
“Australians should be able to feel safe and at home in any community. The targeting of Australians based on their religious beliefs is not only an attack on them, but it’s an attack on our core values,” Albanese said.
“We must stamp out the hate, fear and prejudice that drives Islamophobia and division in our society.”
— With additional reporting by Richelle Harrison Plesse, Mahnaz Angury and Australian Associated Press.
