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AFIC Condemns Threats Against Bald Hills Mosque and Warns Anti-Muslim Hate Is Escalating
12/05/2026
(See translation in Arabic section)
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l: The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) strongly condemns the reported threats made against worshippers at Masjid Taqwa in Bald Hills, Brisbane, where a man allegedly entered the mosque grounds and told worshippers he had an AK-47 in his car.
This was a frightening incident for the congregation and must be treated with the seriousness it deserves. Places of worship must be safe spaces. No person should feel threatened, intimidated or unsafe while attending a mosque, church, synagogue, temple or any other place of prayer.
AFIC notes that this is not an isolated incident. It forms part of a disturbing national pattern of threats, intimidation and violence targeting Muslim communities and institutions. In recent months we have seen the arson attack on the proposed Kilmore Islamic and Community Centre in Victoria, repeated threats against Lakemba Mosque, suspicious packages and threats directed at Islamic institutions such as the Islamic Council of Victoria, and the alleged white supremacist terror plot in Western Australia that included Muslim places of worship among its targets.
What we are witnessing is not only an increase in the volume of Islamophobia, but a dangerous shift in its character. Anti-Muslim hatred is moving from online abuse and hostile rhetoric into physical threats, arson, intimidation and alleged acts of planned violence. And this is not happening in just some isolated locations but is now clearly a trend across the country.
“This incident should not be downplayed as random or isolated,” said AFIC President Dr Rateb Jneid. “When mosques are threatened, vandalised or attacked, and when worshippers are made to fear for their safety, we are dealing with a serious escalation in anti-Muslim hate.”
AFIC is deeply concerned that attacks and threats against Muslim communities are too often minimised, treated as disconnected incidents, or stripped of their broader context. This approach fails to acknowledge the reality being experienced by Muslim Australians across the country.
For years, public and political discourse has too often framed Muslims through suspicion, extremism and threat. That language has consequences. When anti-Muslim narratives are normalised, it emboldens those willing to act on them. We are now seeing more anti-Muslim, and generally anti-migrant, rhetoric surfacing. The debates in our political sphere on migration and racist ‘stunts’ by some politicians in our houses of parliament are part of this process and have real consequences.
AFIC calls on governments, police and political leaders to recognise the seriousness of this trend and to respond accordingly. That means treating threats against Muslim places of worship as matters of community safety and public order, ensuring proper protection for mosques and Islamic institutions, and publicly rejecting rhetoric that fuels fear and hostility.
Will it take another Christchurch before threats to our community are taken seriously?
The Muslim community is not asking for special treatment. It is asking that threats against its people and institutions be treated with the same seriousness afforded to any other community.
Australia must confront the trajectory it is on. If anti-Muslim hate continues to be minimised or dismissed, these incidents will escalate.
AFIC stands in solidarity with the Bald Hills community and with all Muslim communities who continue to worship, serve and contribute despite growing fear and hostility.
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AFIC, established in 1964, stands as the Peak Muslim Organisation in Australia, with 170 members including 9 State and Territory Councils. It has a rich history of pioneering numerous community services and actively advocating for the rights and representation of the Muslim community.
Authorised:
Dr Rateb Jneid, President |
