Islamophobia rising in Australia, says report 

MELBOURNE, Australia (MNTV) – The Islamic Council of Victoria has reported an increase in Islamophobia, warning that the number of victims is likely far higher than reported.

The council held its first conference on Islamophobia last week, with politicians, police, religious leaders and academics among those in attendance, according to The Guardian.

In a report released to coincide with the conference, it estimated more than 85% of Islamophobia incidents were not reported.

The council said it had received 96 individual case reports from people affected by Islamophobia since 2021, but 26 of these had come in only six months, from January to July this year. 

Most of the reports related to verbal abuse or mockery, followed by workplace discrimination.

Islamophobia incidents that were not directly reported by a victim – but could include occurrences of anti-Muslim racism such as online “hate comments”, emails sent to Muslim organisations, “hostile phone calls” and other material including “dehumanising media commentary” – had also increased, the council said.

It reported 3,254 such incidents between January and July.

The council said many Muslims did not report Islamophobia because they feared not being taken seriously and had a distrust of police and government bodies.

“Underreporting makes it easier for institutions to deny the scale of the problem,” the ICV found.

“It also means many victims never access the support, validation or justice they deserve.”

Reports of Islamophobia and antisemitism have increased amid a backdrop of the war in Gaza.

On Friday, in New South Wales the Minns government announced a $1m program to combat anti-Muslim hate, including establishing a support hotline for victims and a program to build awareness of Islamophobia.