SYDNEY: Australia has failed to tackle persistent and intensifying Islamophobia, a government envoy said Friday, calling anti-Muslim hate a “deeply ingrained societal challenge”.
At a news conference in Sydney unveiling the results of a year-long inquiry, Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik said that incidents had soared in recent years.
“The reality is that Islamophobia in Australia has been persistent, at times ignored and other times denied, but never fully addressed,” he said.
Without any remedies, “Islamophobia has intensified over the past two decades”.
Among the report's 54 recommendations to parliament and government were stronger measures to ensure accountability for hate speech and greater support for victims.
“Islamophobia is not only interpersonal, it is also institutional and structural,” Malik added.
It also called for an “independent review” of the country's counter-terrorism laws as well as an inquiry into the cause and solutions of anti-Palestinian racism.
“From vile, hate-filled graffiti, the vandalism of Muslim property, and the verbal, as well as physical, violence towards Muslim bodies, Islamophobia is a part of everyday life for Muslim communities in Australia,” the report said.
Malik, appointed last year as the inuagural holder of the envoy post, shared the experiences of a Muslim family who were approached by a stranger on the train telling them he would “love to kill them all”.
“It is a moment where we decide who we are as a country and whether we are prepared to take the necessary steps to ensure that every person in Australia, regardless of faith, ethnicity or background, is safe, valued and treated with dignity,” he said.
Australia prides itself on multi-cultural tolerance, despite a troubled history with its Indigenous population.
A series of anti-Semitic incidents this year in which vandals torched a Sydney childcare centre, firebombed a Melbourne synagogue and scrawled anti-Semitic graffiti in Jewish neighbourhoods sparked condemnation from Australian leaders.
And last month, thousands of people, including neo-Nazis, joined anti-immigration marches across Australia.
