In brief
- Muslim communities across Australia are uneasy ahead of Ramadan this year, typically a time of spiritual renewal, joy and gathering.
- The concern follows an uptick in Islamophobic incidents, including several threats sent to Australia's largest mosque.
Members of Australia's Muslim community are on edge ahead of the holy month of Ramadan as they contend with a surge in reports of anti-Muslim hate and attacks.
The Lebanese Muslim Association (LMA), which oversees Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney, said it had received a third threat on the eve of Ramadan.
According to the 2021 Census, 61 per cent of residents in Lakemba identified as Muslim. It also houses the country's largest mosque, which is attended by thousands each night during the holy month.
"Community members have contacted us expressing fear that something may happen, particularly given the current tensions in the broader environment," the LMA said.
"Families are anxious. Parents are worried about bringing their children to prayers. No community should feel this way in Australia."
NSW Police said it has launched an investigation over the threatening note — the third the mosque has received this year.
'It sends a message to Muslim families across the country'
It comes amid a rise in reported Islamophobic incidents across the country in recent years.
The Islamophobia Register Australia (IRA) documented a 740 per cent spike in reports after the Bondi terror attack in December, and its 2023-2024 report recorded the highest number of incidents since the register was created, including physical assaults, verbal abuse, threats and vandalism.
The Bondi attack targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration. The gunmen, a father and son, allegedly killed 15 people and wounded dozens of others. Investigators allege they were motivated by self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group ideology.
Nora Amath, executive director of the IRA, told SBS News the organisation had heard from community members who feel uneasy attending mosques, visibly practising their faith or even going about daily activities in public.
"We consistently see spikes in reported incidents following high-profile negative commentary about Muslims," she said.
Barrister Bilal Rauf, an advisor to the Australian National Imams Council, said there is a heightened sense of anxiety and concern going into Ramadan.
"Sadly, there has been a lot of hate and vitriol directed at the community and instances of physical and verbal abuse. It has particularly impacted on women and children," he told SBS News.
The IRA has consistently found that Muslim women and girls are more likely to be targeted.
Rateb Jneid, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, told SBS News that Ramadan is ordinarily a time of peace and renewal, but things are different this year.
"When a mosque such as Lakemba receives repeated threats on the eve of Ramadan, it does not just affect one congregation," Jneid said.
"It sends a message to Muslim families across the country. People begin to ask whether their place of worship is safe, whether their children are safe, whether simply gathering for prayer could make them a target."
Muslim community leader's three requests for support
The LMA is seeking additional support from the NSW government and police force going into Ramadan, which begins on Wednesday evening.
Gamel Kheir, secretary of the LMA, said he had seen an "alarming increase" in people asking if it would be safe to attend Lakemba Mosque during the holiest month of the year.
Lakemba Mosque expects up to 5,000 worshippers daily during Ramadan to perform a special nightly prayer, called Taraweeh.
More concerning for Kheir is the end-of-month celebration, Eid al-Fitr, where 50,000 Muslims visit the mosque for an early morning prayer. The road is typically closed and worshippers pray publicly on the strip.
"How can a not-for-profit organisation guarantee security for that many people? We can't," Kheir said.
The Muslim leader said he had made three requests to police and NSW Premier Chris Minns.
He called for an increased police presence during nightly Taraweeh prayers, additional police patrols in the area throughout the month, and government funding for additional security cameras and guards.
"I've requested from [Home Affairs Minister Tony] Burke and Minns, who hasn't event responded to any of my requests. This is the fourth time I've messaged Minns, and I haven't received a response", he said.
Minns' office referred questions to NSW Police minister Yasmin Catley, who said "community safety is the highest priority of the NSW Police Force and the NSW government".
"Everyone has the right to feel safe at home, at their place of worship and when gathering to mark important occasions.
"We are continuing to work closely with NSW Police to ensure Ramadan is observed peacefully and respectfully, and we remain committed to doing everything we can to support and protect the community."
SBS News has contacted Burke's office for comment.
In a seperate statement, NSW Police said it was investigating a threatening letter sent to the mosque, and would continue to provide a police presence at Ramadan community events as it had in previous years.
"To provide reassurance to the Muslim community, there will be additional police resources, including under Operation Shelter, deployed to religious and community sites and events based on community needs and risks," a spokesperson said.
Pauline Hanson stirs controversy ahead of Ramadan
This week, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has faceda backlash after she suggested during a Sky News appearance that there are no "good" Muslims.
She has since walked back part of her widely-condemned remarks, although only offered a conditional apology.
"It is unfortunate that we have political leaders opportunistically engaging in dog whistle politics," Rauf said.
"At a time when we should stand together and social cohesion is severely frayed, hateful and divisive comments are not helpful and only embolden bigotry, hate and division."
Hanson also claimed in a separate interview with ABC that people feel "unwanted" in certain suburbs, singling out Lakemba.
Bilal El-Hayek, mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown Council, which includes Lakemba, told SBS News Hanson's remarks were nothing new for the senator.
"Pauline Hanson has been divisive since 1996 when she said that Australia is being swamped by Asians. This is not something new," he said.
"In Canterbury-Bankstown, we come within 150 different countries from around the world and we're proud of each and every one of these cultures.
"Our diversity is our strength."
He said he had personally invited Hanson a day earlier to visit the Ramadan night markets in Lakemba, which drew more than a million people last year.
Australia's special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, has also extended an invitation to the One Nation senator this week, inviting her to join him for an iftar meal.
During Ramadan, observed by billions of Muslims around the world, many will abstain from food and drink from the break of dawn until sunset.
When the sun sets, many families will gather to break their fasts together with iftar.
Malik told SBS News comments like Hanson's, combined with threats to mosques, "creates a feedback loop of fear and alienation".
"It is not just about a single statement or threat; it is the cumulative effect.
"Each incident reinforces a sense that Muslim identity is being framed as suspect, rather than as part of Australia’s social fabric."
'These threats have to stop'
El-Hayek said the surge in Islamophobia reports since the Bondi attack was "scary".
"We live in the best country in the world. These threats have to stop," he said. "No matter which mosque, which church, which synagogue, which temple."
Jneid said supporting the Australian Muslim community during Ramadan is not complicated.
"It means leaders speaking responsibly and rejecting divisive narratives. It means law enforcement treating threats against mosques with the seriousness they deserve. And it means ordinary Australians reaching out, standing in solidarity, and making it clear that hatred has no place here."
— With additional reporting by Shivé Prema.
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