TRANSCRIPT
The Islamophobia Register Australia has called for the federal government to adopt the recommendations by an Islamophobia envoy and repair relations with the Muslim community in the country.
This, as Australia's first Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, handed down his report on addressing Islamophobia in Australia last week [[Friday]].
The co-executive director of the Islamophobia Register Australia, Sharara Attai welcomes the report.
Ms Attai tells SBS News there is a 'fractured relationship' between the Muslim community in Australia and the federal government.
She says the communities do not necessarily believe that the federal government has given their concerns the consideration they deserve.
"I think that there's widespread mistrust. I think it will take a lot to amend that relationship. I don't think the handing down of this report in itself is going to amend that relationship, a lot more needs to be done, and Islamophobia needs to be treated with a level of urgency that we have not seen yet."
The register has recorded a 530 per cent increase in incidents since the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Mr Malik’s report - which was commissioned by the government - includes a national plan with 54 recommendations.
The recommendations include to grant Islamophobia the "same rights, protections, and legal recourse" as other forms of discrimination; a review of counter-terrorism laws; and the establishment of a commission of inquiry into anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab racism.
He says discrimination against Muslim groups in Australia has been persistent, but that number of incidents has risen sharply since October 2023.
Mr Malik says global events can fuel Islamophobia within the country.
"The Islamophobia Register has recorded a 150 per cent of increase in verified in-person Islamophobic incidents by November 2024. Online, these incidents skyrocketed to 250 per cent, compared to any other period before that. Despite these reports, Islamophobia remains under-reported, with far more intensity than what these troubling numbers tell us."
The Islamophobia Register Australia's Queensland-based executive director, Nora Amath, says Muslims feel targeted and afraid against the backdrop of recent anti-migrant rallies.
In a statement, the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia says they are gravely concerned by the escalation of Islamophobic violence and threats in recent days.
Leading refugee resettlement and multicultural services provider, SSI echoes similar sentiment - condemning Islamophobia incidents in the country.
The report outlines a sharp increase in incidents involving prejudice and threats since 2023 - with one in three Australians expressing negative views about Muslims.
The report also found that Muslim women and girls accounted for three-quarters of all Islamophobia victims, three-fifths of physical assaults and every target of reported spitting incidents.
Federal Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly describes the release of the report as a historic moment.
Ms Aly says Muslim communities in Australia should not be living in fear.
"What Aftab has done with this report is to give voice, to give voice to Muslim across Australia who have longed endured discrimination, racism and at times, some pretty abhorrent acts of just outright hatred. And often without a form a recourse to pursue on that."
Speaking to the ABC on Sunday Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says it will take time for his party to go through the recommendations.
He was questioned if he supports Mr Malik's recommendation on penalising parliamentarians over their racist remarks.
Mr Malik suggested introducing clear contingencies for responses to parliamentarians who engage in hate speech or behaviour, including imposing temporary suspension from the party room or various party-granted roles.
Mr Marles doesn't directly respond on whether he supports the suggestion, but says racism is not allowed in parliament.
"Well look, we are gonna go through the process of responding to this report, you know, it's a very significant report, 54 recommendations, so we are gonna give the respect that it deserves and take the time to go through it, but let me be clear, the parliament should not be a place for people to be making racist statements."
Muslim communities in the country say concrete steps to stamp out hate are needed.
Khaled Alamedine, who's the General Director of the Lebanese Islamic Society told SBS Arabic that after the October 7 attacks, they noticed "the discourse began to portray the Palestinian cause as a fabricated religious issue, reduced solely to Islam".
Arabic translated to English "We affirm that Palestine is not the cause of one religion; rather, it is a national and humanitarian issue that encompasses all components of the Palestinian people, including Muslims, Christians, and others. Palestine does not belong to one group over another, and it is not acceptable to impose a specific religious narrative."
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir was among those consulted by the Envoy for the report.
Mr Kheir told SBS Arabic he's keen for the government to accept and implement the document's 54 recommendations - including Australia's counter-terrorism approach.
"We've been very, very strong in our advocating for the fact that the whole concept of definition of terrorism has been unfairly pegged towards the Muslim community selectively only. We've been very much advocating the government and support by the envoy, in the fact that the definition of terrorism needs to be way better defined and less focus on the person's religion, and more focus on the act itself."
He says the government has an obligation now to honour the recommendations and take them seriously.
In a joint press conference last week [[Friday]] with Mr Malik, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese dismissed claims that anti-Muslim hate had not been given the same attention as hate directed at other communities.
"We have strengthened Commonwealth hate crimes to criminalise threats of violence, force or property damage that targets individuals or groups based upon race, religion or nationality. That applies across the board. We have been consistent."
Australian National Imams Council senior advisor Bilal Rauf says the report strengthens the case for religious protections, which the council has lobbied for.
However, the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network has been more critical.
The network doesn't share the government's rationale for establishing the Islamophobia and antisemitism envoy roles, but welcomes the recommendations.
It says all communities deserve equal protection from hate.
