Islamophobia Has Quadrupled In Australia Since The Christchurch Terror Attack
Islamophobes have kicked children, threatened to cut people’s heads off, and left mutilated pigs outside mosques.
Islamophobia has quadrupled in Australia in the years since the Christchurch terror attack, according to a new report.
The Islamophobia Register Australia collects first-hand experiences of religious discrimination and released their third annual findings on Tuesday. They said that there was a noticeable spike in Islamophobia during the two week period after a white supremacist murdered 51 people in a New Zealand mosque on March 15, 2019, while also observing an overall four-fold increase in offline cases since the massacre.
Women, particularly those who wear Islamic head coverings, tend to bear most of the brunt of these attacks, while the number of children exposed to Islamophobia is on the rise as well.
Meanwhile, only 11 percent of insults recorded were related to terrorism, “showing that anger and hatred expressed in Islamophobic attacks […] instead appear to be largely about a hatred of Islam and Muslims,” they said.
In some examples shared, people recalled having strangers threaten to cut their head off, a child being kicked by a woman passing him on a bike, and a mutilated pig being left outside a mosque.
“Islamophobia in this country is widespread, it is virulent, and it is on the rise,” said NSW Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi in a statement. “In the three years since Christchurch, the Federal Government has not lifted a finger to tackle Islamophobia and racism in this country,” she said. “Enough is enough. Politicians must take responsibility and act.”
The report corroborates with a survey by the Australian Human Rights Commission last year that found that nearly 80 percent of participants said that the Christchurch Mosque shootings have made them increasingly afraid for their community.
“Islamophobia has broad and far-ranging implications, and is ultimately a threat for Australian multiculturalism, Western civil liberties, and universal humanistic values,” said the Islamophobia Register Australia findings. “It is vital, then, that all relevant Australian bodies at governmental, societal, and communal levels prioritise and develop strategies to counter Islamophobia as an international, regional, and national threat.”
Photo Credit: Islamophobia Register Australia