For many Muslim women in Australia, Islamophobia feels inevitable

Most targets of Islamophobia in Australia are women and girls, while most perpetrators are non-Muslim men. Credit: Getty/SBS

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“We're talking about thousands and thousands of incidents ... for many Muslim females who wear the headscarf, they feel that an incident of Islamophobia is what it means to be a Muslim here in Australia."

Dr Nora Amath, Executive Director of the Islamophobia Register, observed a “dramatic surge” in Islamophobic incidents, following the October 7^th attacks in 2023.

She said women and girls were disproportionately targeted, making up about 75 per cent of victims.

It is a gendered issue.

Dr Amath said geopolitical events can serve as a catalyst for Islamophobia in Australia, but they're not the only contributing factor.

“Political rhetoric is very important to whether we see a rise or a decrease in incidents reported to us.”

In this episode of Understanding Hate, we look at Islamophobia in Australia today.

Transcript

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SBS acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia.

Joumana Nasour Tanana

I was walking on the beach and suddenly a man on the bike, he started swearing at me and he started to um tell me, go back to your country. He was very aggressive.

Nic

From SBS examines, I'm Nic Zoumboulis. In this episode of Understanding Hate, we're looking at Islamophobia in Australia today.

Joumana Nasour Tanana

I was preparing myself, if it happens again to me, what should I do and what action I should take.

Nic

Joumana Nasour Tanana is a Muslim woman living in Western Sydney. She's called Australia home for the past 35 years. Joumana is visibly Muslim. She wears a hijab. She says she's always felt free from discrimination. That was until the October 7th attacks in 2023.

Joumana Nasour Tanana

Every time something happened under the Islamic title, they blame us here. And we get, we start to get abused again. Australia is a beautiful country. There are lots of people, they are beautiful, nice, and understanding. But on the other side, you have people, and they just listen to what they see on the media, and they get affected straight away instead of looking for the real story.

Nic

After the incident, Joumana spoke with the Islamophobia Register. It's an organisation that provides a secure platform for people to report any form of Islamophobia.

Nora Amath

Islamophobia is a form of prejudice that is defined by distress, hostility, or hatred towards Muslims and those perceived as Muslims. It is Muslim women and girls were disproportionately targeted. They constituted about 75% of victims overall. For many Muslim females who wear the headscarf, they feel that an incident of Islamophobia is what it means to be a Muslim here in Australia.

Nic

That's the executive director of the register, Dr Nora Amath. She confirmed there was a dramatic surge in Islamophobic incidents following October 7th in 2023.

Nora Amath

We saw an increase of 1,300%. We had about 130 cases in three weeks.

Nic

Nora says political leaders and the media can play a significant role in stoking or combating Islamophobia.

Nora Amath

Political rhetoric is very important to whether we see a rise or decrease in incidents reported to us.

Nic

Shereen Hassan is the director of education and community engagement at the Islamic Museum of Australia. She says the impact of Islamophobia can be devastating.

Shereen Hassan

Sadly, I've experienced my fair share of Islamophobia, often in the form of hate mail. I've had death threats sent to my home address. That's all been very confronting.

Nic

Shereen works to dispel misconceptions that may be fueling Islamophobia. She says a lack of information or exposure to a one-sided story can leave people fearful of Muslims.

Shereen Hassan

There was a 91 year old woman who said to me, for years I have felt crippled with fear towards Islam and Muslims, and you are the first Muslim I've ever spoken to. And just coming here and seeing all this beautiful art and and meeting Muslims, all that fear has just dissipated. People tend to fear the unknown, and when they're given an opportunity to um experience Islam through art and and through history, it's life changing.

Nic

In Adelaide, Imam Kamran Tahir says Islamophobic incidents have had a negative ripple effect on some people within his community.

Imam Kamran Tahir

Some people are really isolating, not going out in public out of fear of Islamophobia or attacks,

Nic

He says education and bystander intervention are essential pathways to curbing Islamophobia.

Imam Kamran Tahir

If you are taking a stand up against something which is unjust, ultimately you're putting a full stop there and you're saying that this is not acceptable within the society that we live in, and we shouldn't let a small minority destroy such a beautiful place by not taking a stand against that.

Nic

Dr Nora Amath says in their latest report, the Islamophobia Register found there was a decrease in bystander intervention and reporting. She agrees that bystander intervention is crucial to countering Islamophobia.

Nora Amath

If it is safe for you to do so, then clearly oppose the behaviour. Sometimes that's all it takes. If somebody say that's not OK or please stop, what you're doing is wrong. If we aspire to be a country where we're all safe, then we all have this collective responsibility to be compassionate to one another.

Nic

This episode was produced and presented by Nic Zoumboulis. To find out more, visit SBS.com.au/SBSexamines.

END OF TRANSCRIPT