AhlulBayt News Agency: As the train crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge, 17-year-old university student Sarah Alzoubi felt compelled to look up from her phone. She saw a man unzip his pants and place his hands inside them. As she moved away, she heard him mutter the words “Islam” and “Muslim.”
“I was so frazzled and disoriented,” Alzoubi recalls. “You’re processing, ‘Was that what I thought it was?’ In my mind, I was like, ‘Wait, did that actually just happen to me?’”
The 2015 incident has had a lasting impact on how Alzoubi uses public transport. “I don’t go on with my headphones, I don’t touch my phone, I’m completely aware of my surroundings,” she says. “I know it makes more boring trips, but I’d rather be bored than be in danger.”
Last week, a long-awaited report from the special envoy to combat Islamophobia revealed the persistence of anti-Muslim discrimination and a sharp rise in Islamophobic attacks since October 7, 2023—similar to the surge after the September 11 attacks.
Special envoy Aftab Malik stated that Muslim women are disproportionately affected by these incidents. It is well-documented that Muslim women are overwhelmingly targeted in Islamophobic attacks.
Since the launch of the Islamophobia Register Australia (IRA) in 2014, most victim-survivors have been women and girls. In the latest report released in March, 75% of all reports were submitted by females.
These reports include Muslim women having their hijabs pulled off and being spat on in public. Dr. Nora Amath, IRA’s executive director, says that since 2014, reports from women have consistently made up at least 70% of all submissions.
The register also documented a 530% increase in reported incidents since October 7, 2023—when Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people. Alongside the rise in Islamophobia, antisemitic incidents have also increased in Australia.
Alzoubi, who wears a hijab, says she now only visits areas of Sydney with larger Muslim populations. “I don’t know how people will react to me in public, being so visibly Muslim, and I can’t take that chance, especially when I have my son with me,” she says.
When commuting with her 14-month-old son, who loves trains, she is extra cautious. “It’s not just me to think about any more, it’s also his safety to think about too,” she says.
Mariam Tohamy, a teacher and activist who wears a hijab, has faced Islamophobic incidents since 2007. But one incident in Bankstown’s Kmart last December felt more severe.
Tohamy and her 10-year-old daughter, both wearing hijabs, were browsing when a woman began throwing pencil boxes and made a throat-slitting gesture. The woman shouted, “Are you proud of wearing ‘From the river to the sea’?”—a slogan on their matching pro-Palestinian shirts.
In video footage, the woman also yelled “get fu*** A**.” Tohamy says, “She’s there because I’m pro-Palestinian and obviously, wearing the hijab. I didn’t respond to her at all because of my safety.”
Tohamy contacted police but didn’t hear back until the next day, after a protest was organized outside the local station. NSW police said the operator determined there was no immediate danger and that security was aware of the incident.
Police later charged a 39-year-old woman with publicly threatening violence based on religion, offensive behavior, offensive language, and intimidation.
Despite these incidents, Tohamy continues to wear her hijab and pro-Palestinian clothing. Dr. Amath refers to this as “gendered Islamophobia”—a form of anti-Muslim hatred that intersects with sexism.
“Islamophobia intersects with sexism, and attacks against Muslim women are often not just about their religion but also [about] control and degradation,” she says.
In the IRA’s March report, all incidents of spitting were reported by women. In Melbourne’s north, Imam Alaa Elzokm says women in the Elsedeaq mosque community are afraid to walk or shop alone.
Their fear intensified after an Islamophobic incident at a shopping center in February and graffiti reading “Fuck off home” on the mosque in May.
Elzokm says the mosque hosts events like interfaith Iftar dinners and open days to build community understanding. “We share a meal together, we’ll talk about those activities that are raising more awareness about who we are,” he says.
Dr. Amath adds that Muslim women are often stereotyped as oppressed and voiceless, which may fuel hatred. “Some attackers feel justified in harassing them under the misguided belief that they’re helping liberate them,” she says.
“By attacking their headscarf or the hijab, the perpetrator may have that misguided belief that they’re actually liberating them.”
Although IRA reports rising Islamophobia, Amath says under-reporting means the numbers are a “gross under-estimation.” Only 18% of victims report incidents to police or agencies like the Australian Human Rights Commission, often due to mistrust and fear of authority.
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