Anti-Muslim incidents keep Indonesians on edge in Australia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) – Sydney’s Bondi Beach shooting has left some Indonesian Muslims in Australia feeling anxious about stepping out of their homes amid a rise in reports of Islamophobic incidents, reports CNA.

For Neti (not her real name), a student studying at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, the days after the Dec 14 shooting were filled with fear.

The main campus of her school in Kensington is located about 8km, or a 10 to 20 minute drive, from Bondi Beach.

Neti, 46, who wears a hijab, said she was initially afraid to leave her house, particularly when accompanying her three daughters to school. “I was afraid to go out … Especially since we all wear hijab and use public transport, we are very easily identifiable,” she told CNA Indonesia.  

“I even thought about not going to school and cancelling my campus clinic appointment. But in the end, I went anyway,” she said.

Across the country, in Perth, Hani Noor Ilahi, 36, a student at the University of Western Australia, said that while the environment at her multicultural campus has not changed, it is a different story beyond its walls.

In city areas, especially during Friday prayers, mosques are now guarded by the police, she said. 

The police presence followed incidents in which mosques became targets of vandalism after the Bondi Beach shooting. 

On Dec 18, the walls of Bald Hills Mosque in Brisbane, Queensland, were spray-painted with hate graffiti and swastika symbols associated with Nazism. The perpetrators are still at large. 

Hani, who also wears a hijab, said: “For those of us whose religious identity is visible, it makes us more worried. Especially when we are outside Muslim environments, there is always this sense of anxiety about how they see us.”

Neti and Hani said they have been closely following advisories issued by both the Australian and Indonesian governments following the Bondi Beach attack.

The Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney, through its Instagram social media account, has issued an advisory urging all Indonesian citizens there to remain calm while increasing vigilance and caution in the wake of the Bondi Beach shooting.

Hani said she received a security advisory and support email from her university shortly after the attack. The email contained contact information for students who may have been affected by the incident.

Neti said similar security advisories also came from parties such as the non-profit health and social services organization Mission of Hope, which were shared informally via WhatsApp to provide support to anyone affected.

Neti and Hani hope various communities in Australia will regain a sense of security while being able to express their identity. 

“Hopefully people who have visible identities, for example those who wear hijab, those who wear robes or turbans, or wear clothing that signifies a particular religious, ethnic or racial identity, feel safe to express what is part of their identity,” Hani said.

“My first impression when I came to Australia was that various multicultural communities live side by side, and I hope it will always be that way,” said Neti.