Category Archives: Australia

‘Go back to your f****** Muslim country’: Kiwi couple charged over Brisbane assault

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Kiwi couple who told a father and son to “go back to your f****** Muslim country” have been charged with assault in Australia.

Bronson Tamarama, 24, and Jayne Rikkiti, 25, allegedly punched a 15-year-old boy in the face during an fight at a local produce market in Brisbane in September. According to News Corporation, a father and his son were allegedly told by Tamarama to “go back to your own country…I will call my boys.”

Police said the victims were yelled at and sworn at by a carload of men. A punch was allegedly thrown at the father but missed and he fell back into a counter. Those who witnessed the attack and tried to intervene were also attacked.

Both Tamarama and Rikkiti have reportedly appeared in a Brisbane court and have been charged with two counts of assault occasioning bodily harm.

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Far-right ‘anti-burqa’ stunt at Australian parliament

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Australian parliament anti-burqa protestThree anti-burqa protesters have attempted to enter the Australian parliament dressed variously in a Ku Klux Klan hood, a motorbike helmet and a niqab.

The men, members of group called Faceless which has previously protested at other public buildings, cleared the front entrance security checkpoint on Monday, but were asked to remove their head coverings and stayed in the front hall area for only a short time.

Sergio Redegalli, Nick Folkes and Victor Waterson were trying to test parliamentary security rules in Canberra after the presiding officers – the Speaker, Bronwyn Bishop and the Senate president, Stephen Parry, revoked an earlier decision to segregate people with facial coverings in the public galleries.

The group called for a ban on the wearing of the burqa in Australia, claiming the garment was “contrary to women’s rights”.

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Melbourne: Muslim woman suffers broken arm in racist attack

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Abrar Ahmed with her motherA Muslim woman is nursing a broken arm after being pushed onto a road in an unprovoked racist attack in Melbourne’s north.

The attack occurred outside a Lalor shopping centre in the middle of a weekday earlier this month. The 48-year-old woman, who was wearing a hijab and a “long Islamic dress”, had been shopping at Lalor Plaza and was on her way home when she was attacked. The woman’s daughter, Abrar Ahmed, saw the incident unfold from her car.

“A man approached my mum and said, ‘You Muslims, go back to where you came from’,” Ms Ahmed said. “As my mum turned around to see who was yelling at her in such a disgusting way, she saw this really big guy. He pushed her on the ground, she landed in the middle of the road. When she fell on the ground she broke her arm. She heard her bone crack.”

Ms Ahmed, who organised a recent protest against racism in the CBD, said attacks like the one on her mother were not uncommon. “A lot of other Muslim women, they have been going through worse assaults, they are being attacked in very different ways and they don’t have the courage to speak out.”

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New South Wales: Muslim mum says racial abuse now worse than after September 11 and Bali bombings

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A mother who wears Islamic head coverings says local Muslims are now suffering more racist abuse than after the September 11 and Bali terrorist attacks.

Nahid Mohamed and her mother are Muslims and both wear a Niqab, where the body and face are covered except for the eyes. Both have lived at Killarney Vale for many decades. Ms Mohamed was born on the Central Coast and went to preschool, primary school and high school in the Killarney Vale district.

But still, it came as a shock when she and her mother were abused for speaking Arabic and wearing a Niqab in a doctor’s surgery last week. Ms Mohamed took the insults for as long as she could before defending herself and her mother.

“As soon as we walked into the surgery you could tell this guy was not happy,” Ms Mohamed said. “Mum started telling me about her trip away in Arabic and he started swearing at us, this went on for 10 or 15 minutes before I said, hello, is there a problem?

“He continued going on about how we should not be in the country and that we should speak English. The receptionist asked us both to be quiet, which was extremely insulting. We sat in silence and Mum whispered what’s happened in the last three weeks?”

ISIS has happened and just like after the September 11 attacks and the Bali bombings, Muslims like Ms Mohamed and her mother are targets again.

“It’s way worse, every media report affects us. I was horrified at the images I was seeing on television and I knew it had implications for every Muslim in Australia. I thought oh my God this is going to be disastrous and it was.”

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Australian cookie maker under fire for halal Anzac biscuits

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Byron Bay Anzac biscuitsByron Bay Cookies is seeking legal advice after being inundated with borderline racist remarks for making halal-certified Anzac biscuits.

Customers have left angry and borderline racist posts on the Aussie biscuit manufacturer’s Facebook page.

Many have claimed the decision to make such a biscuit was a “disgrace”, “disrespectful” and “un-Australian”, according to smartcompany. One customer wrote: “I was a big fan of the cookies but won’t ever buy them again now that they are Halal. Shocking.”

Another wrote: “I won’t be buying them either, why are you guys paying money to Islam just to satisfy a minority group? This isn’t being racist as if you were paying it to Jehovah’s I would say the same thing. Disappointed.”

While another customer wrote: “Not a fan of religious taxes so won’t be assisting you in paying a Halal ‘certification’ fee. Similarly wouldn’t pay a ‘Catholic’ tax or any other kind of religious tax.

“Might want to go check the definition of racism before crying to the media Byron Bay Cookies because the last time I checked religion was not defined as a race.”

Yet another wrote: “The power of social media and the unity of Australians will destroy your business!”

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Perth mosques, Islamic school vandalised in weekend attacks

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ban Islam graffiti

Two Perth mosques and an Islamic education centre have been vandalised in weekend attacks. Slogans including “ban Islam” and using profanities were spray painted on the walls of an Islamic school and mosque, and beer bottles were thrown at another mosque.

Muslim sheikh Burhaan Mehtar said these sorts of religious attacks were becoming more common. “Perhaps it’s better to ignore this minority group that are terrorising Australian Muslims, but there is a limit to what people can actually digest and they do become fearful at what happened,” he said.

“These type of things breed fear in the hearts of the innocent ladies and children, especially who want to perhaps ride around the worship centre or come by bike to the mosque. You do feel a bit stressed, anything can happen.”

He said the wider Australian Muslim community was very tolerant, but many were becoming sad and fearful over the perceived rise in anti-Islamic sentiment.

Police said they were investigating the graffiti attacks, but there had been no recent increase in racially-motivated crime. “Western Australia is a tolerant and inclusive state, and people should respect the diversity in our community,” a spokeswoman said.

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‘Burqa ban’: Bronwyn Bishop backs down on parliament segregation proposal

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The presiding officers of Australia’s parliament house have backed down from a controversial decision to segregate Muslim women wearing facial coverings such as burqas or niqabs in the public galleries.

The speaker, Bronwyn Bishop, and the Senate president, Stephen Parry, met on Sunday to reconsider the “interim access arrangements” announced just over two weeks ago.

Bishop and Parry faced criticism over the decision to force visitors wearing facial coverings to sit in a separate area of parliament’s public gallery shielded by glass panels. The prime minister, Tony Abbott, had called on the pair to rethink the segregation policy, noting that all members of the public in the galleries had already cleared airport-style security checkpoints.

In a new information circular issued to parliamentarians and staff on Monday morning, the Department of Parliamentary Services backed down on the most controversial element.

Explaining the new interim arrangements, the department said: “All visitors entering Parliament House will be required to temporarily remove any coverings that prevent the recognition of facial features. This will enable DPS security staff to identify any person who may have been banned from entering Parliament House or who may be known, or discovered, to be a security risk. Once this process has taken place, visitors are free to move about the public spaces of the building, including all chamber galleries, with facial coverings in place.”

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Hundreds visit Queensland mosque open day

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Building on years of mutual trust with the community, a Newcastle mosque received more than 400 visitors in its open day event on Sunday, October 19, offering guests food and a chance to view Islam in a clearer way.

“We were very grateful to them for coming out and getting to know us and allowing us to get to know them,” Diana Rah, spokesperson of Newcastle Muslim Association, told The Herald.

The Newcastle mosque in Wallsend has opened its doors on Sunday, using conversation and clarity to fight misconceptions about Islam. The event attracted more than 400 visitors who listened to Grand Mufti of Australia Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohamed and attended an exhibition about Islam.

Moreover, attendants were offered a chance to try traditional Islamic dress, have a mosque tour and attend a question and answer session. Visitors were also invited to enjoy a barbecue, traditional homemade sweets and Saudi chai tea.

“Our mosque has always had relationships with church and community groups, but we have noticed in recent times some negative reporting about Muslims and an escalation of verbal attacks on Islamic women, of eggs, coffees and milkshakes being thrown at them from car windows,” Rah said.

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Anti-Islamophobia rally in Perth confronted by small far-right counter-protest

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Perth anti-Islamophobia rallyA peaceful anti-Islamophobia rally in Perth has been confronted by counter-protesters, some wearing masks and waving the Australian flag.

The group of about 20 people, who denied they were members of the far-right Australian Defence League, singled out controversial Perth Muslim preacher Junaid Thorne. They held anti-Islamic banners and chanted “Junaid Thorne, terrorist scum”, “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” and “this is Australia for Australians”.

Mr Thorne, a self-declared Sheik, said: “You can tell from the language these people use they are uneducated bogans.” The 25-year-old, who has gained national attention for his lectures, said he was showing his support for a “united community”. He would not answer questions about Islamic State terrorists and said his social media posts were just commentary, adding: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”

Most of the counter-protesters, some of whom wore Australian flag bandannas and T-shirts emblazoned with ‘This is Australia”, refused to speak to The Sunday Times. One of the group, Wayne White, 55, said: “We want to see Australia stay as Australia, what our forefathers fought for. We are just guys that are scared about the way our country is going. If they bring in Sharia Law we would be finished.”

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Newcastle Muslim Association thanks skaters for standing up to bigotry

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Newcastle Mosque welcomes anti-racist skatersThe men who took a stand against an alleged act of bigotry last week in Newcastle have been formally thanked by members of the city’s Muslim association.

Patrick Burgess and Justin Lanz visited Newcastle Mosque on Saturday where they were also invited to a community open day that will be held at the mosque, which is located in Wallsend, this upcoming Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

The men were skating with four other friends last Monday when they came to the aid of a Muslim mother and daughter who were being attacked in an alleged bigoted tirade on Smith Street, in Newcastle West.

The incident occurred at a time of increasing community unrest and concern Australia’s mission against Islamic State in Iraq is fuelling attacks on Muslims in Australia. On Saturday a man was charged for allegedly shouting offensive comments and throwing cement bags at a mosque in Sydney’s south-west.

Newcastle Muslim Association vice-president Diana Rah said the group’s “quick response” was appreciated. “It took a lot of courage to do what they did,” she said. “We will be giving them a certificate on Wednesday when all six of them can visit us.

“For the open day we’re having a sausage sizzle, we’ve got an exhibition on Islam and Muslims and we’ve got a lot of different fun things planned. Everyone is invited; it’s about people getting to know us and us them.”

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