Muslim groups say a Liberal senator’s description of Islamophobia as “fictitious” risks dehumanising victims and emboldening perpetrators.
The Islamophobia Register has listed a number of reports of Islamophobic incidents it said occurred this year, including:
– A Muslim woman being attacked and having her headscarf ripped off her head while shopping with her baby in a pram in Adelaide.
– A Muslim man being physically assaulted trying to protect his mother as she was being subjected to verbal abuse by a person yelling out “f— black Muslim refugees” in Queensland.
– A student discovering messages in a toilet on the University of Melbourne campus glorifying the Australian terrorist that live-streamed his 2019 shooting of 51 worshippers during prayer in a Christchurch mosque.
NSW senator Dave Sharma made the remarks on Monday, responding to last week that is being treated by police as a likely antisemitic act of terrorism.
“Any time any senior minister mentioned antisemitism in the last 12 months, they also mentioned a fictitious Islamophobia which was not going on,” he said.
Islamophobia Register’s executive director Nora Amath told SBS News that Sharma’s comments “undermined” the lived experiences of thousands of Australian Muslims who she said face discrimination, hatred, and violence.
The Islamophobia Register said it was receiving an average of three reports each week before 7 October last year, which has increased to nearly 18 a week in the aftermath — about a six-fold increase.
Amath listed a number of incidents that have occurred in recent months, saying the organisation’s data demonstrated that Islamophobia was: “not only real but also escalating to unprecedented levels, posing a serious threat to the safety of Australian Muslims”.
“For politicians to dismiss Islamophobia as ‘fictitious’ risks emboldening perpetrators and discourages meaningful policy action to address the issue,” Amath said.
“Sadly, incidents of Islamophobia simply do not generate the same levels of publicity as other forms of discrimination.”
The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) described Sharma’s comments as “deeply concerning”.
“It is a time to bring everyone together, whether against antisemitism, Islamophobia or any other reprehensible act of hatred, and not play politics in dividing our society,” ANIC senior advisor Bilal Rauf said.
“We hope that he will reflect on his poor statement and retract it.”
The Alliance Against Islamophobia said the comments were “harmful” and urged Sharma to engage with members of the Muslim community to “better understand the realities of Islamophobia”.
“Such rhetoric denies Muslims their humanity, dehumanises them, risks further discrimination and perpetuates marginalisation of Muslim communities,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The organisation also pointed to what it said were “double standards” from the government in its responses to discrimination faced by different communities.
“Such a disparity in responses not only undermines the Muslim community’s experiences but also perpetuates a narrative that some forms of bigotry warrant immediate condemnation while others are trivialised or ignored.”
found that one in three (34 per cent) Australians said they held a somewhat or very negative attitude towards Muslims, an increase from 27 per cent in July 2023.
SBS News has contacted Sharma’s office for comment.
