Islamophobia in Australia Hitting 'Crisis Levels' as New Report Shows Spike
The number of Islamophobic incidents reported in Australia has reached record highs.
According to the Islamophobia Register, 675 incidents were reported between January 2023 and November 2024.
A significant spike was recorded in the three weeks following October 7, 2023.
The Register found Muslim women and girls are overrepresented among victims of Islamophobic attacks.
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The Islamophobia Register is a not-for-profit organisation that tracks vilification, hate crimes, and discrimination against Muslim people.
Since its launch in 2014, the Register has published reports on the state of online and in-person Islamophobic incidents in Australia.
Researchers from Monash and Deakin University analysed the Register’s data for its latest report.
Over the 23-month reporting period, 675 incidents were recorded — the highest in the report’s history.
Of these, 309 occurred in person, while 366 took place online.
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This was two and a half times the number of in-person incidents recorded in previous reports, and three times the number of online incidents.
Verbal intimidation and harassment were the most common forms of reported in-person Islamophobic attacks, accounting for 61% of all cases.
Muslim women and girls were the primary targets of Islamophobia, accounting for 79% of reports of verbal abuse and 95% of incidents on public transport.
Men and boys were identified as the perpetrators in 72% of all incidents.
The report’s authors believe this year’s findings are “just the tip of the iceberg,” citing “inherently low reporting rates” within Muslim communities.
They attribute this underreporting to a lack of awareness about how to report incidents, socioeconomic and language barriers, and concern authorities won’t take action.
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The Register’s executive director Dr Nora Amath called the findings “irrefutable” proof that Islamophobia has reached “crisis levels” in Australia.
Amath called for political leaders to “move beyond denial to meaningful action” against Islamophobia.
“The costs of inaction are not just the continued suffering of Muslim Australians, but the erosion of Australia’s social fabric and its promise of a fair, inclusive society,” Amath said.
Source: thedailyaus.com.au
