International Day to Combat Islamophobia

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. M. El Dannawi:

That this council—

1. Recognises 15 March as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

2. Notes that 15 March was adopted as International Day to Combat Islamophobia by the UN General Assembly, in order to commemorate the Christchurch Mosque attacks.

3. Acknowledges the concerning rise in Islamophobic rhetoric, actions and sentiment in Australia.

4. Acknowledges that Islamophobia:

    (a) isolates, endangers and dehumanises Muslim people;

    (b) creates barriers to full and equal participation; and

    (c) undermines social cohesion.

5. Affirms that Islamophobia, racism and discrimination have no place in Australian society.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:13): 

I rise today to support the motion recognising International Day to Combat Islamophobia and thank the Hon. Mira El Dannawi for moving this motion. The United Nations designates 15 March as International Day to Combat Islamophobia. It calls for the promotion of a culture of tolerance and respect for religious diversity. It recognises the need to combat Islamophobia and address rising intolerance, discrimination and violence against Muslims.

The United Nations defines Islamophobia as a fear, prejudice and hatred of Muslims that leads to provocation, hostility and intolerance by means of threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement and intimidation of Muslims and non-Muslims in both the online and offline worlds. As other honourable members have noted, the date of 15 March was intentionally chosen for this day of observance to commemorate the horrific Christchurch mosque attack, which occurred on that date in 2019. Those attacks were an act of pure evil that starkly highlighted the tragic consequences of unchecked hatred and underlined the urgent need to combat Islamophobia in all its forms.

At the time of the Christchurch attacks, both houses of parliament in South Australia spoke in bipartisan support to express our deepest condolences to the families, friends and communities who were deeply affected and devastated by that atrocity. I clearly recall that honourable members in both houses stood shoulder to shoulder with the Muslim community to pledge our support in their grief and suffering.

This parliament reaffirmed our commitment to an inclusive and harmonious multicultural society, as we have done on many occasions before and since. However, sadly, we continue to see an unacceptable and unprecedented rise in anti-Muslim sentiment across Australia, with the recent report from the Islamophobia Register Australia finding a 250 per cent increase in reported online incidents and a 150 per cent increase in reported in-person incidents.

Overwhelmingly, Muslim women and girls were the target of these incidents, making up 75 per cent of all victims, including 79 per cent of verbal abuse cases, 60 per cent of physical assaults, and they were the victims in 100 per cent of spitting incidents. Most of the perpetrators were men. Ninety-two per cent of victims reported ongoing psychological impacts, including anxiety, depression and social isolation.

In South Australia, we pride ourselves on our diversity and the success of a harmonious multicultural society. However, we cannot deny that Islamophobia, like all forms of racism and discrimination, undermines the fabric of social cohesion and threatens the foundation of our open, generous and respectful society. In South Australia, we have an incredibly diverse, proud, compassionate and generous Muslim community, and we have been enriched by their social, cultural and economic contributions in all aspects of our society. Today, we show support and solidarity for the Muslim communities in our state.

I want to take a moment to remind honourable members of the parliamentary declaration contained in the South Australian Multicultural Act 2021. It was legislation that I championed under the Marshall Liberal government, and I want to take a moment to remind members that in that landmark piece of legislation the Parliament of South Australia acknowledged:

(c) that all people have a right to express and celebrate their cultural, linguistic and religious diversity…

(e) that all South Australians should be able to participate in the cultural, economic, political and social life of South Australia to the maximum extent possible…

(g) that all people are entitled to mutual respect and understanding regardless of their background;

We also made a commitment to promote South Australia as a unified, harmonious and inclusive society. Today, I remind honourable members of these powerful statements because Islamophobia is incredibly isolating and dehumanising and creates very real barriers for Australians to fully participate in our society and achieve their aspirations. How can we as members of parliament commit to supporting all South Australians to participate in the cultural, economic, political and social life of our state without also addressing the obstacles that prevent some members of our community from doing just that?

I note that the opposition has indicated they will be moving amendments to this motion, which I believe will be seen as insensitive and lacking compassion by many Australians. The proposed amendments by the Liberal opposition completely changes the tone and intent of this motion and undermines the conversation about a very real problem that affects the lives of thousands of South Australian community members.

Tacking on amendments about the radical philosophies and extremist actions of some foreign regimes to this motion only fuels anti-Muslim sentiment by associating the policies and actions of foreign actors with innocent and peace-loving individuals in our society. We have spoken on motions before in this place that condemn human rights violations and oppression of minorities by foreign regimes, such as, for example, when we stood in solidarity with the women's rights movement in Iran and its calls for democracy and freedom.

We have also passed motions in this place to acknowledge and speak out against rising antisemitism in our society and to call for the better protection of Jewish people and communities. It is fitting that we do the same, with the same level of respect and sensitivity, to call out Islamophobia and to show our support for our Muslim brothers and sisters. While there is broad agreement that both antisemitism and Islamophobia are on the rise, we should avoid a tendency to debate which form of prejudice represents the biggest problem.

In the interests of addressing the rising hate in Australia, rather than attempting to resolve the political tensions overseas, many peace-loving Australian people are asking their political leaders to shift the focus away from an 'us versus them' implication because this competitive or adversarial approach risks exacerbating the issue and diverting attention from addressing the shared underlying causes of those forms of hatred. It should not be a competition between antisemitism and Islamophobia or any form of discrimination or prejudice.

It should be seen as a common problem that requires us to find new ways to address underlying causes of prejudice and hatred. This motion reaffirms that Islamophobia, racism and discrimination have no place in Australian society and I want to show my solidarity with our Muslim community in South Australia. We are stronger and better as an inclusive and harmonious multicultural society, and we should all defend that right. I wholeheartedly support the motion in its original form.