Islamophobia report makes dozens of recommendations to confront hatred against Muslim Australians

Federal police should receive compulsory religious sensitivity training and Australia’s counter-terrorism laws be reviewed according to a long-awaited government report into Islamophobia.

The special envoy to combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik has made 54 recommendations to Parliament and Government departments, including setting up a new commission of inquiry to examine existing policies for any potential discriminatory practices.

Standing alongside the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly in Sydney on Friday, Mr Malik declared “Islamophobia in Australia has been persistent, at times ignored, and other times denied, but never fully addressed”.

According to the envoy, Islamophobic incidents have skyrocketed in Australia since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks, with the Islamophobia register recording a 150 per cent increase in verified in-person incidents by November 2024 and even more online.

“Despite these reports, Islamophobia remains underreported with far more intensity than what the troubling numbers tell us,” Mr Malik said.

“But this phenomena is not new. The data and evidence on Islamophobia is consistent, and it is troubling.”

Mr Malik also stressed that anti-Palestinian racism is distinct from Islamophobia which also encompasses Afghans, Pakistani, Yeminis, Iraqis and white Muslims.

“Anti-Palestinian racism is focused specifically on Palestinians and it has a sinister undertone to erase and eradicate anything to do with their heritage or culture,” he said.

The envoy called for AFP officers to receive compulsory religious sensitivity training similar to domestic violence and family violence–related courses, to better identify and handle Islamophobic hate crimes.

His report also recommends an “independent review of counter-terrorism laws, policies and practices to investigate potential discriminatory application and effect”, particularly “discriminatory application and effect on Muslim-Australian communities”.

Anne Aly, a West Australian MP and first Muslim woman in Federal Cabinet, said the report had given a voice to those who had “long endured discrimination, racism, and, at times, some pretty abhorrent acts of just outright hatred”.

Releasing the report, Mr Albanese declared: “Australians should be able to feel safe at home in any community. The targeting of Australians based on their religious beliefs is not only an attack on them, but it’s an attack on our core values”.

In July the special envoy for antisemitism, Jillian Segal, released her report to government which called for more sweeping measures, including threatening to cut funding from universities and artists if they failed to act on the problem.

Last year a survey by the not-for-profit Scanlon Foundation found more than one third of Australians held negative views towards Muslims, while unfavourable attitudes towards Jewish people was also increasing.