Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi says anti-Muslim hate becoming ‘dangerously normalised’ in Australia

A Greens senator has accused the Albanese government of failing to address rising Islamophobia in Australia, as the world marks seven years since the Christchurch mosque massacre.

Mehreen Faruqi – one of the handful of Muslim politicians in federal parliament – made the commments in a statement issued to mark the United Nations’ International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15.

The date coincides with the anniversary of the 2019 mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, where 51 Muslims were massacred by an Australian white supremacist who livestreamed the terror attack.

“The fact that this act of terror was perpetrated by an Australian white supremacist with an Islamophobic ideology should have been a reckoning, but seven years on, anti-Muslim hate has become dangerously normalised in this country,” Senator Faruqi said in a statement.

“Yet instead of confronting the conditions that made such an atrocity possible, governments have looked away, or worse, fuelled this reality.”

Senator Faruqi claimed successive governments had not “truly recognised or responded” to the Christchurch shooter’s Islamophobic ideology being shaped by decades of othering Muslims, including through portrayals of the community as “dangerous”.

“Decades of politicians and the media have claimed that Muslims threaten the so-called ‘Australian way of life’,” she said.

“Things are getting worse for Muslims in this country because now Labor and the Coalition are both in a racist race to the bottom with One Nation.”

She then pointed to the Greens’ Senate motion earlier this week, which aimed to suspend standing orders to note the “dangerous normalisation and escalation of anti-Muslim hate in political rhetoric, media commentary and public discourse”.

It was voted down by the major parties.

“Politicians will line up for knafeh and leap at the chance for Ramadan selfies at the same time as dogwhistling, diminishing and dehumanising Muslims,” she said.

“Instead of cherry-picking one form of racism, Labor could fund the National Anti-Racism Framework and start tackling the systemic racism that harms communities of colour every single day.”

In December, the Islamophobia Register Australia documented a 740 per cent surge in reported anti-Muslim incidents following the Bondi terror attack.

These included physical assaults, verbal abuse, threats and vandalism.

That same month, the Australian National Imams Council, Australia’s highest religious Islamic authority, warned Australian Muslims feared “Christchurch-style” attacks on their places of worship.

Since then, several alleged Islamophobic incidents have made national headlines, including four threatening letters sent to Sydney’s Lakemba mosque, a Victorian imam’s roadside assault, and the desecration of Muslim graves in Western Sydney.

Islamophobia Envoy Aftab Malik described anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia as having reached “crisis levels” in a Sunday statement, saying Australian Muslims were being alienated from the “Australian national fabric”.

“For many Muslim Australians, daily activities like praying, travelling, or simply walking now raise the question of safety,” he said.

“This is unacceptable by any standard.”

Mr Malik said addressing anti-Muslim hate required “systemic reform, not just statements after the damage is done”.

“To address these issues, we must strengthen institutional accountability, enhance victim protections, promote education that combats prejudice, and implement policies that actively support Muslim communities,” he said.

Earlier, Labor MP Anne Aly – a Muslim cabinet minister – also shared a statement to mark the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

“This day is deeply personal to me. I know the strength, compassion and connection that faith brings to the lives of so many fellow Muslim Australians,” she said.

“Islamophobia has no place in Australia. It causes real harm. It makes people feel unsafe, unwelcome and unfairly judged.

“Today, and every day, we stand against Islamophobia and continue the work of building an Australia that is inclusive, cohesive and respectful, where every person feels safe, valued and able to belong.”

Her comments echoed those made by Anthony Albanese, who said Australia stood “united with Muslim Australians against hatred and division”.

“Coinciding with the anniversary of the Christchurch massacre, it is a tragically significant day on which to recommit to the essential truth: that everyone has the right to be proud of who they are, to practice their faith in peace, to feel safe and be safe,” he said.

“Muslim communities have long been a part of the breadth and the richness of the Australian story, and we celebrate all that Australian Muslims have contributed to our modern nation through their aspiration, hard work and love of country.

“Today reminds us of the importance of interfaith and community dialogue, building the understanding that acts as a safeguard against rising fear and intolerance, here and around the world.

He reiterated Australia’s commitment to “always speak and act clearly against Islamophobia”.