Victorian Muslim groups to boycott premier’s iftar dinner over Gaza

More than 70 Muslim community organisations have vowed to boycott the Victorian premier’s annual iftar dinner next month in protest over the ALP’s position on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The state’s peak Islamic body – the Islamic Council of Victoria – has also told Premier Jacinta Allan’s office the group will not attend the gala dinner.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan.Credit: James Brickwood

An open letter penned by a group of eight community members, which has been circulating in Victoria’s Muslim community for the past three days, calls on all “individuals and organisations within the Muslim community to boycott the premier’s iftar for this year” citing the Labor Party’s “apathy, at all levels of government, towards the live-streamed genocide of the Palestinian people”.

“Standing united in boycotting this iftar will provide a clear message to premier Allan as to how unhappy the Muslim community feels due to her and her party’s position regarding the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” the letter reads.

The iftar dinners have been held by the premier each year since 2015 during the holy month of Ramadan. They are usually attended by high-profile Muslim and non-Muslim community leaders and politicians.

Mohammad Helmy, the lead author of the open letter, said endorsed organisations had already committed to boycotting the event, but a list of those organisations would not be released until later in the week.

“We feel as a community that it’s not right while Gazans are literally starving because of lack of food and water and kids are eating grass from the ground … we cannot stomach sitting and having lavish iftar during Ramadan while this happening,” he said.

“It’s not sensitive, and it’s not right.”

Helmy said he had no affiliation with a specific group or organisation but was an active pro-Palestine advocate and said he had spoken at a number of pro-Palestine rallies in Melbourne.

He said the boycott organisers were a group of community members, and that their target was not just the Victorian Labor Party but its federal counterpart.

Victorian MPs at the premier’s iftar dinner in 2023.

Although the federal Labor government voted in favour of an immediate ceasefire in December, Helmy said proponents of the boycott did not believe the Australian government had gone far enough in its advocacy for civilians in Palestine. The letter takes issue with Australia’s continuing military connections with Israel.

“The Labor government has not categorically condemned the genocide and condemned what Israel is doing. Even the ceasefire [call] came too late,” he said.

The Islamic Council of Victoria has previously boycotted the iftar dinner in 2017 over a row with then-Premier Daniel Andrews over the merits of the provision of “safe places” for Muslim youth – a suggestion made during a federal inquiry into religious freedom.

The council’s chief executive, Adel Salman, said his organisation told the Premier’s office “two to three weeks ago” it did not believe the iftar gala should go ahead.

“Given the circumstances and given the trauma in the community and out of sensitivity towards the suffering of the Palestinian people, we just didn’t think it was appropriate to hold a gala event like this and asked them to cancel this year,” he said.

“People are in no mood to enjoy a fancy iftar when the Palestinians are being bombed.”

But Salman disputed the suggestion in the letter – which was not organised by the council – that the council threatened to organise a boycott. The calls for a boycott had come from “grassroots community members” he said.

“We’re not calling for a boycott, but we are saying it’s not appropriate to hold an event like this at this time. There were no threats, it was very amiable and respectful,” he said.

“This has happened spontaneously – the community is very upset.”

A spokeswoman for the premier said the iftar dinner would go ahead, but the government was working with the community on how it should be more respectful.

“We understand the heartbreak that Palestinian and Muslim Victorians are feeling as the Gaza conflict continues, and the premier supports the prime minister in calling for a humanitarian ceasefire,” she said.

“Premiers’ iftar dinners are an important tradition in Victoria. We’re working closely with leaders of Victoria’s Islamic community to ensure that everybody’s voices are heard, recognising that this year’s event will be a more solemn and respectful occasion.”

Last week the premier condemned vandalism of her office by groups as “cowardly” and criticised local Victorian councils for passing ceasefire motions perceived to be Pro-Palestinian.

Allan last week said the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Middle East was a grave concern, but it was the role of the federal government to speak on behalf of the nation.

Gaza health officials say almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s military campaign began in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack. More than 1400 Israelis have been killed, according to Israeli tallies.