Islamophobia fears highlighted in Australian state extremism report
Advocates say report marks an important moment in bringing issues affecting South Asian diaspora communities into public policy discussions
SYDNEY, Australia (MNTV) — Concerns about Islamophobia and the safety of South Asian Muslim communities have taken centre stage following the release of a New South Wales parliamentary committee report on right-wing extremism, which also acknowledged caste discrimination and far-right Hindu extremism within diaspora networks, says an article published by The Mooknayak, written by Kouser Zameer and Devibala Palanivel.
The report, which examined various forms of extremism in the state, recorded submissions from community organisations highlighting the impact of anti-Muslim hate, warning that such narratives are not confined to overseas politics but are increasingly present within Australian social spaces.
The Alliance Against Islamophobia (AAI), in its submission, argued that South Asian Muslim communities face a distinct and often under-recognised form of Islamophobia. This includes harassment, online abuse, exclusion, and what it described as the “cumulative dehumanization” of Muslims through rhetoric portraying them as threats to society.
AAI noted that such hostility can be expressed through culturally specific languages and references, making it harder for institutions unfamiliar with South Asian contexts to address. The group warned that these dynamics risk reducing civic participation among affected communities and heightening concerns about safety and belonging.
The committee report acknowledged these concerns, noting that stakeholders had identified Islamophobia, alongside other forms of discrimination, as part of a broader right-wing extremist landscape. It also highlighted recommendations for targeted education programmes addressing intolerance, including anti-Muslim hate.
Alongside Islamophobia, the report recorded evidence presented by the Periyar Ambedkar Thoughts Circle of Australia (PATCA), which raised concerns about caste-based discrimination within diaspora communities.
PATCA argued that far-right Hindu extremist ideologies, linked to Hindutva politics, operate through community organizations, cultural networks and institutions, reinforcing caste hierarchies and exclusion.
According to the submission, caste discrimination in Australia manifests across workplaces, schools, religious settings and social spaces, affecting Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi groups. The report noted that while caste was not part of the inquiry’s original terms of reference, it was still raised by stakeholders as a form of systemic harm connected to extremist ideologies.
The committee documented differing perspectives, including submissions from Hindu organizations that rejected characterisations of Hindutva as extremist. However, it retained stakeholder concerns on record, acknowledging that some groups view these ideologies as contributing to exclusion, religious hostility and social division.
For both PATCA and AAI, the inclusion of their submissions in the final report represents a significant step towards institutional recognition of issues they say have long been dismissed as internal community matters.
Community advocates said the findings underline the need for more nuanced approaches to discrimination, particularly in multicultural societies where different forms of prejudice may intersect. They emphasized that Islamophobia and caste-based discrimination often operate through overlapping social and political narratives, affecting multiple marginalized groups.
The report also recommended that the NSW government support community-based reporting mechanisms for hate incidents, enabling affected groups to document and respond to discrimination more effectively. Stakeholders argued that such mechanisms are critical for communities that may lack trust in mainstream reporting systems or face barriers in accessing them.
Education was highlighted as another key area, with calls for school programs to explicitly address different forms of intolerance, including Islamophobia and caste discrimination, to improve awareness and prevention.
Advocates say the report marks an important moment in bringing issues affecting South Asian diaspora communities into public policy discussions. However, they stress that recognition must be followed by concrete measures, including legal frameworks, institutional awareness and community-led initiatives, to ensure meaningful change.
The report ultimately positions Islamophobia, caste discrimination and far-right extremism as interconnected challenges, requiring coordinated responses to safeguard social cohesion and equal participation in Australia’s multicultural society.
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