Australia's Islamic leaders have called on politicians to take a stand against increasing Islamophobia and stop contributing to the problem themselves.
The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) has encouraged Muslims to use the holy month of Ramadan to build bridges with others and try to clear up misconceptions of Islam in the wider community.
ANIC spokesperson Bilal Rauf said there was a lot of concern in the Muslim community about an increasing trend of Islamophobia.
"A number of politicians have come out and made Islamophobic comments directed at Muslims, directed at Islam," Mr Rauf told AAP.
"All of that creates a certain culture and gives a certain acceptance to that kind of language and conduct, especially when it's a person occupying a public platform and they express certain views."
Mr Rauf said he was speaking generally, although he noted some Liberal federal election candidates had been caught out by anti-Muslim comments.
