Muslim leaders back special envoy to combat Islamophobia as ‘crucial step’

Influential Islamic organisations have thrown their support behind the government’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, saying it would address hatred, while urging for protections against protesters and action against ‘anti-Palestinian sentiment’.

Special envoy to combat Islamophobia Aftab Malik. Picture: Sam Mooy

Australia’s most influential Islamic organisations have thrown their support behind the government’s new special envoy to combat Islamophobia, saying the role would be an important tool to address hatred against Muslims, while also urging for protections for protesters and action against “anti-Palestinian sentiment”.

It comes after the government announced on Monday that Aftab Malik, a leading Muslim affairs scholar and long-serving NSW public servant, would take on the role.

The announcement had been planned prior to Israel’s attacks in Lebanon and the ensuing domestic scenes, but comes amid discontent within the Muslim community and claims of rising Islamophobia.

Mr Malik said he would root out hate targeting Muslims but also work with his anti-Semitism envoy counterpart, Jillian Segal, adding that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia were not “mutually exclusive”.

On Tuesday, the role was backed by two of Australia’s most powerful Muslim bodies, the Australian National Imams Council and the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils.

ANIC’s Bilal Rauf.

Their support is significant after a drawn-out, delayed process – announced months after Ms Segal’s own appointment – amid concerns that the role could be restrained from speaking out and government selectors identifying a candidate.

Calling the role a “crucial step” against Islamophobia – which Muslim leaders say has skyrocketed in recent years, predating October 7 – AFIC urged for protections for a “right to protest” and ANIC said they hoped it would address ‘anti-Palestinian sentiment’.

Mr Malik told government officials and community leaders on Monday that although he was honoured to accept the role, its existence showed that “something was broken”, lamenting how Muslims had become fearful of daily activities, like praying at mosques or leaving home wearing the hijab.

“This appointment is a recognition that Islamophobia is real … this is not just a challenge for Muslims but for us all,” he said, adding that he would work with Ms Segal to bring together their communities on “common ground”.

“The conflict has unleashed a tsunami of mis, dis, and mal-information about Islam and Muslims; it has done the same for Jewish communities too.”

Calling free speech a “fundamental right”, Mr Malik said Islamophobia wasn’t conceived to deter criticism of Islam but to capture hatred, saying it was a “social cohesion issue”.

ANIC senior adviser Bilal Rauf said Mr Malik had a history of working closely with the council, adding that the organisation supported the role “without equivocation”.

“The appointment is an opportunity to shine a light into the suffering of those who have endured in silence,” he said.

AFIC’s Rateb Jneid.

“We stand or fall together. We call upon our fellow Australians to stand with us against such hatred, ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

“The term ‘Islamophobia’ is somewhat of a misnomer, because it’s not a phobia or some irrational sentiment but calculated hatred … driven by ignorance.”

The organisation said it hoped the role would also tackle “anti-Palestinian sentiment”, and the heightened distress within that community and the Lebanese Muslim diaspora.

AFIC president Rateb Jneid said it was a “crucial step … not only in combating Islamophobia but also fostering an inclusive society”. He said he hoped the role would extend further than “mere tokenism”.

“We also urge Mr Malik to address the wider issues that fuel Islamophobia, including international conflicts affecting Muslim communities … these have not only led to tragic losses but also anti-Muslim racism, particularly targeting people exercising their right to protest against the destruction overseas.”