Australian state launches campaign to tackle anti-Muslim hate
New resources created with Muslim leaders aim to raise awareness of Islamophobia and encourage bystander action across the state
MELBOURNE, Australia (MNTV) — The government of Australia’s Victoria state has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling Islamophobia and supporting Muslim communities, as officials and community leaders warn that anti-Muslim hatred continues to have lasting consequences in Australia years after the Christchurch mosque shooting.
On the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, Victoria’s Minister for Multicultural Affairs Ingrid Stitt launched new “Combatting Islamophobia Resources”, a set of guides developed in partnership with Muslim community groups aimed at helping Victorians recognize and respond to anti-Muslim hate.
The resources outline different forms of Islamophobia and provide practical guidance on how bystanders can intervene, support victims and report incidents. The initiative comes amid anti-Muslim incidents across the state.
“We will always back Victoria’s Muslim communities and stand with them,” Stitt said. “There is no place for hate, division or discrimination of any kind in our state.”
She added that the government was working to ensure the materials reach communities across Victoria and would also collaborate with Muslim organizations and educators to address Islamophobia in schools.
Groups including the Islamic Museum of Australia, the Islamic Council of Victoria and the Board of Imams Victoria are expected to help introduce greater understanding of Islam and Muslim communities in classrooms.
The Victorian government said the initiative builds on broader policies aimed at combating racism, including the state’s anti-vilification laws and Australia’s first Anti-Racism Strategy. Officials stressed that Victoria’s multicultural identity was a strength that required collective effort to protect.
Board of Imams Victoria executive director Sheikh Moustapha Sarakibi welcomed the launch, saying the resources sent a strong message against anti-Muslim hatred.
“The Board of Imams Victoria welcomes this important step by the Victorian Labor Government, developed in partnership with the Muslim community, to tackle Islamophobia in our state,” he said. “This guide sends a clear message that anti-Muslim hate has no place in Victoria.”
The announcement coincides with renewed reflection on the Christchurch mosque attacks, carried out by Australian extremist Brenton Tarrant on March 15, 2019, which killed 51 worshippers at the Al Noor Mosque and the Linwood Islamic Centre.
Despite the attacker receiving a life sentence without parole in New Zealand, experts and Muslim leaders say his propaganda continues to circulate online and appear in criminal cases involving extremist material.
In one case, a South Australian teenager was sentenced in 2025 for possessing extremist content, including the attacker’s manifesto and videos of the massacre. Another 16-year-old had earlier been sentenced for terrorism-related offences after sharing material linked to both Islamic State and far-right groups.
Researchers say the continued spread of such material highlights the need for stronger education and prevention efforts.
Hank Teran, chief executive of the threat-intelligence platform Open Measures, said extremist propaganda often draws on conspiracy theories such as the so-called “great replacement” narrative. “In the Christchurch context, that ‘other’ was … Muslims,” he said.
For Teran, tackling extremism requires more than removing content from platforms. “It’s more about disrupting that pipeline from passive exposure to active planning,” he said, adding that parents, educators and communities must be involved in recognizing early signs of radicalisation.
Muslim advocates argue that Australia has yet to fully confront the domestic roots of the Christchurch attacker’s ideology. Rita Jabri Markwell, legal adviser to the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network, said the tragedy highlighted the importance of acknowledging how anti-Muslim narratives can develop over time.
“A lot of the hate that he developed happened in Australia,” she said. “Those views are not shaped in a few weeks, they are shaped over years.”
Community leaders say remembering the victims and confronting Islamophobia remain essential steps in preventing future violence. Alaa Elzokm, imam of Melbourne’s Elsedeaq Heidelberg Mosque, said: “We don’t want the incident to be forgotten with time,” he said. “Words are no longer enough.”
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