Muslim voter anger in Australia over Palestine, Islamophobia, and political silence

In Melbourne’s Calwell seat, growing number of Australian Muslims say they feel betrayed by government’s stance on Gaza and rising anti-Muslim sentiment

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA (MNTV) — In one of Australia’s most multicultural constituencies, a political shift is brewing. The federal seat of Calwell in northern Melbourne — home to one of the country’s largest Muslim populations — is poised to elect a Muslim MP for the first time.

Yet, many in the community say their core concerns are being ignored.

As Israel’s war on Gaza continues and reports of Islamophobia rise across Australia, Muslim voters in Calwell say they feel abandoned by the ruling Labor Party, long seen as their political home.

The federal government, led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the Australian Labor Party has so far remained muted to the crisis in Gaza. It has triggered anger, frustration, and a growing sense of political alienation — not just in Calwell but in Muslim communities across the country.

“This community feels enormously betrayed,” said Omar Jaber, an Australian-Palestinian lawyer. “For nearly two decades we’ve supported Labor. But when it mattered, they did not stand up for us.”

Jaber, like many Australian Muslims, says the pain of watching the devastation unfold in Gaza has been compounded by the silence of political leaders and a spike in anti-Muslim hate at home.

His suburb of Craigieburn is not only one of the most mortgage-stressed in the country but also one where Muslim families have reported feeling “othered” and sidelined by the very institutions they once supported.

According to the latest census, nearly 25% of Calwell’s residents are Muslim, and less than half were born in Australia. Despite this, both major parties — Labor and the conservative Liberal Party — have chosen to remain tight-lipped about Gaza and Islamophobia during their campaigns.

Labor’s candidate, Basem Abdo, is of Palestinian heritage, while the Liberals are fielding Usman Ghani, also Muslim.

Yet both declined to be interviewed about the Gaza war or its domestic fallout.

Abdo told a national broadcaster that he would “leave the future of a Palestinian state to the Palestinian people” and avoided offering a personal stance.

Community groups like Muslim Votes Matter and The Muslim Vote have emerged to hold politicians accountable on issues of concern to Muslim voters — most notably Gaza. Both groups have endorsed independent candidate Samim Moslih in Calwell, who argues that Muslims are tired of being taken for granted in safe Labor seats.

The frustration is not limited to Victoria. In the neighbouring electorate of Wills, the same groups have backed Greens candidate Samantha Ratnam over incumbent Labor MP Peter Khalil.

“The major parties don’t speak for us anymore,” said Moslih.

This sentiment mirrors recent political developments in other Western democracies.

Muslim leader’s warning to Labour

In the U.K.’s July 2024 election, Labour lost five seats in heavily Muslim areas despite winning nationally. In the US, traditionally Democratic Arab and Muslim voters in Michigan swung away from President Joe Biden, citing his unwavering support for Israel — a shift that helped Donald Trump regain the White House.

Back in Australia, Muslim community leaders warn the same could happen here.

Nesreen Bottriell, head of the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights, says government silence on Gaza and inaction on Islamophobia have alienated Muslim Australians.

“We’ve been suffering for 17 months and counting,” she said. “There’s been no recognition of that suffering, no action to prevent more harm. People are fed up.”

Bottriell cited more than 1,200 Islamophobic incidents reported since October 2023 — including a violent attack on two Muslim women in Melbourne and a recent threat of mass violence against the country’s newest mosque during Ramadan.

Many in the community now question their place in Australian politics. Professor Fethi Mansouri of Deakin University says there’s a growing belief that major parties no longer represent the views of multicultural Australia.

“Pro-Palestinian voices — many of whom only called for a ceasefire — were labelled as antisemites or terror sympathisers,” he said. “This failure to address genuine grievances, especially about Gaza, will absolutely influence the next federal election.”

Among those disillusioned is Kashif Salman, an Indian-born pharmaceuticals professional and father of four. Once a loyal Labor voter, he’s now reconsidering.

“I used to believe Labor cared more about multiculturalism. I don’t see that anymore,” he said. “Foreign policy matters to us — especially for young Muslims. We want peace. We want our government to stand for human rights.”

There are now over 813,000 Muslims in Australia, making them the country’s second-largest faith group. Yet their political representation remains limited.

Senator Fatima Payman — who was suspended by Labor and later resigned for supporting Palestinian statehood — is seen as a cautionary tale. Her treatment, many say, underscores how little room there is in major parties for dissenting voices, especially from multicultural backgrounds.

“We wanted equality. We wanted a seat at the table,” said Jaber. “But the political system still sees us as a vote bank — not as citizens with voices worth hearing.”

As Australia gears up for its next federal election, the message from Calwell’s Muslim voters is increasingly clear: representation must go beyond religion — it must also mean listening, action, and standing up for justice, even when it’s uncomfortable.