Muslim leaders alarmed by rise in Islamophobia in Australia
Muslim community leaders across southern Queensland say they're alarmed by a rise in Islamophobia in recent weeks
BRISBANE, Australia (MNTV) – Muslim community leaders across southern Queensland say they’re alarmed by a rise in Islamophobia in recent weeks, including bomb threats and abuse directed at children, reports ABC.
A mosque on the Gold Coast was allegedly targeted in a bomb hoax at the weekend, while last week a bomb threat forced the evacuation of 1,700 students from the Islamic College of Brisbane.
It’s part of a growing national trend. The Islamophobia Register of Australia, an organisation set up to monitor such incidents, recorded 366 cases of online abuse between January 2023 and November 2024, according to its latest report.
From September 2014 to December 2021, there were 415 cases. There were 309 in-person incidents recorded between January 2023 and November 2024, while 515 in-person incidents were recorded between September 2014 and December 2021.
The register’s co-executive director Nora Amath said reports in south-east Queensland had risen in recent weeks.
“Incidents range from verbal abuse in public spaces, harassment, threats, and hate mail, and attacks on Islamic institutions such as mosques and schools,” she said. “Women, particularly those who are visibly Muslim because of wearing hijab, remain disproportionately targeted.”
Islamic College of Brisbane CEO Ali Kadri said the school was evacuated on Friday after receiving a threatening email.
“The email had profanities directed towards Muslims, Islamophobic language used … and photos of a bomb placed at our school with the date,” he said.
Kadri said several people passing by yelled “Islamophobic abuse and showed fingers” to the students leaving.
“It was quite distressing, and it has a long-time impact on the young people,” Mr Kadri said.
“It makes it difficult for them to better integrate into this society because they’ve been constantly reminded that they don’t belong because of who they are.”
A Queensland Police Service (QPS) spokesperson told the ABC there was “no information” to suggest the incident at the school was religiously or racially motivated.
But a letter from a local police constable to parents, shared by the school, noted: “In the current cultural and political climate, we are seeing more friction between individuals expressing their poorly informed views publicly.”
A man has been charged over the Gold Coast incident and investigations into the school incident in Brisbane are ongoing.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
