Australia: Islamophobic Abuse on Rise amid Gaza Onslaught
Muslim Australians say they are being subjected to Islamophobic abuse as a result of the war between the Israeli regime and Hamas.
The SA Islamic Society says members of the community are fearing for their safety, with calls for the media and politicians to stop presenting a "one-sided" view of the conflict that is inflaming the situation.
A gas cylinder was set on fire outside the Al-Khalil Mosque on Monday and a fire lit outside the Marion Mosque four days earlier, a spokeswoman for the society said.
A South Australian Police spokesperson confirmed they received reports about the two arson attacks but said they do not believe the fires were linked or racially motivated.
Nobody was injured as a result of the incidents but Islamophobic comments directed at the mosques and a school with a large proportion of Muslim students have increased significantly, the Islamic Society spokeswoman said.
Abusive comments
"'Go back to where you came from'; 'we don't want you here' - those kinds of very negative comments and abuse (they have been receiving)," she told AAP.
She said the comments were surprising given the majority of victims in the conflict have been Palestinians but attributed the upswell in vitriol to the presentation of the conflict by the media and the government.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess earlier in October condemned divisive rhetoric for inflaming tensions, warning there were "direct connections" between language and community hostility.
Islamophobia condemned
South Australian senator and opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham denounced the abuse against Islamic Australians.
"Islamophobia is to be condemned, just as is antisemitism and all hateful acts motivated by faith, race or other attributes," he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"Australians of any faith or none should feel safe and welcome."
The Australian Islamophobia Register has received a tenfold increase in reports of Islamophobic incidents via their online form.
Despite the abuse felt by the Islamic community in Australia, their concerns are primarily with those in the conflict zone who face the threat of death daily.
"What we are experiencing is nothing compared to what the Palestinians are experiencing and our prayers are with them," the SA Islamic Society spokeswoman said.
Source: Australian Associated Press
