'Dramatic surge' in Islamophobic incidents in Australia since Oct. 7, 2023 - report

Australia has seen a "dramatic surge" in Islamophobic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023 cross-border attacks by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel that ignited the Gaza war, with women and girls disproportionately targeted, local broadcaster SBS News reported Monday.

The report cited Nora Amath, executive director of the Islamophobia Register Australia, as saying that women and girls make up about 75% of victims, while most perpetrators are non-Muslim men.

Amath agreed that geopolitical events can serve as a catalyst for Islamophobia in Australia, but they are not the only contributing factor.

"Political rhetoric is very important to whether we see a rise or a decrease in incidents reported to us.

''We're talking about thousands and thousands of incidents...For many Muslim females who wear the headscarf, they feel that an incident of Islamophobia is what it means to be a Muslim here in Australia," she said.

In March, a report on Islamophobia in Australia found a steep increase in assaults, abuse and threats based on reports to the Islamophobia Register between January 2023 and November 2024.

Researchers from Monash and Deakin Universities analyzed more than 600 in-person and online incidents, finding Muslim women were overwhelmingly the victims.

At least 59,821 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 8,657 people and injured 32,810 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement with Hamas that took hold in January.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.