The nation’s Imams and other Muslim leaders will pressure Labor to implement Islamophobia envoy Aftab Malik’s report in full, after Anthony Albanese rejected his calls for an overhaul of counter-terror laws.
More than 10 months after the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia filed his report into anti-Muslim prejudice in Australia, Labor has said it would boost security for mosques and address racial and religious hate in schools and universities.
But Anthony Albanese did not back Mr Malik’s recommendation for a commission of inquiry into the “silencing” of pro-Palestinian views in society, or the removal of religious or ideological motives from the definition of terrorism.
The Prime Minister in Sydney said he operated terror laws on “national security” advice and the relevant agencies got those definitions right. The Coalition, security experts and the Jewish community have strongly opposed removing the definitions.
Standing next to Mr Albanese as 35 of his 53 recommendations were accepted, Mr Malik said he would continue to advocate for the rest of his report to be implemented.
The Australian National Imams Council at the weekend backed Mr Malik’s wanting to see the rest of the report adopted by Labor.
“AAM (Alliance of Australian Muslims) and ANIC are committed to working constructively with the Australian government and the Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia to navigate the complexities and existing hurdles associated with progressing the recommendations that have not yet received a formal response,” the imams’ statement said.
“Australian Muslims must be able to see and experience real improvements in their safety, protection, inclusion and ability to participate fully in Australian society without fear of discrimination or hostility.”
Mr Albanese on Saturday said he would commission a review of the national curriculum to act against racial and religious prejudice.
The anti-racism push in schools coincides with concerns that Labor’s promises to boost Holocaust education are faltering because of the reluctance of teachers to address the mass slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis in classrooms.
Labor would also provide funds through the Multicultural Grants Program to support promotion of Muslim history though a new Islamic Australian research institute.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has also committed to significantly boosting federal police community liaison teams to help their work with the Muslim community.
Gamel Kheir, secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, accused the government of political cowardice and questioned the gap between Saturday’s announcement and Labor’s full adoption of special envoy Jillian Segal’s report on antisemitism in December.
“I’m disappointed, but not surprised,” Mr Kheir told The Australian. “Aftab’s recommendations are far more inclusive of all migrant communities than Jillian Segal’s were. Yet somehow they’ve adopted every single recommendation of the antisemitism envoy, and then just window-dressed Aftab’s recommendations.
“This is not an attack on this government. This is an attack on all governments … since the Cronulla riots.”
Labor’s response to Mr Malik’s report follows months of questions about the need for an Islamophobia envoy in Australia, with critics saying that the issue is not as intense as the two-year domestic surge of antisemitism.
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