Man charged over racist abuse of Muslim schoolgirl on Sydney bus
Australia's Islamophobia envoy says "victim pool is getting younger," after 13-year-old was called "terrorist" for defending another girl
SYDNEY, Australia (MNTV) — A 50-year-old man has been charged over a torrent of racist and Islamophobic abuse directed at a 13-year-old Muslim girl on a Sydney bus, an attack Australia’s anti-Islamophobia envoy said reflected a disturbing trend of younger victims, ABC News reported.
The man was arrested at a home in Greenacre, in Sydney’s southwest and charged with stalking and intimidation intended to cause fear or physical harm.
He was refused bail and appeared at Bankstown Local Court, where the prosecution said he had a 46-page criminal record. Video of the Sept. 10 incident, which spread widely online, shows him calling the uniformed, hijab-wearing eighth-grader a “terrorist” and an “immigrant” who did not “deserve to be here,” among further slurs, including sexualized and dehumanizing language.
In separate footage he is heard saying he “can’t wait until they kill all of you,” apparently directed at Muslim women aboard.
The girl, Janna, who was born in Australia, said the abuse began after she noticed the man appearing to photograph another girl in a hijab without her knowledge and spoke up. In court, the man denied wrongdoing, claiming he had been threatened.
Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, condemned the attack, warning that “the Islamophobia victim pool is getting younger” and that abuse “does not require spectacular violence to cause serious harm.”
He invited Transport for NSW to work with his office on protecting Muslim schoolchildren who wear the hijab. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns called the incident “disgusting,” saying the girl “should never have had to defend her right to belong in her own country.”
The Islamophobia Register Australia has recorded a 612 percent rise in reported anti-Muslim incidents over three years.
The case follows the girl’s earlier account, which drew national attention to a sharp rise in anti-Muslim hostility across Australia.
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