A special envoy appointed to address growing Islamophobia in the Australian community has vowed to fight hate as the war in the Middle East continues.
Muslim affairs expert Aftab Malik was announced on Monday afternoon as special envoy to combat Islamophobia in Australia by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
In early July, the government appointed respected business leader and lawyer Jillian Segal as Australia’s first special envoy to combat antisemitism.
The appointment of an Islamophobia envoy was supposed to be announced alongside the anti-Semitism envoy, but Albanese said at the time that finding a suitable candidate had “proved to be more of a challenge”.
This led some members of the Muslim community to feel that the government did not treat them equally.
Recognized as a global expert on Muslim affairs by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, Malik has spent almost a decade working in the New South Wales premier’s department, fighting hate and extremism.
You will listen to and work with the Muslim community, religious discrimination experts and the government on the best ways to address prejudice.
Muslim affairs expert Aftab Malik has been announced as special envoy to combat Islamophobia in Australia.
Tensions in Australia have escalated following a prolonged conflict in the Middle East following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas.
The fighting has spread beyond Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to Yemen and Lebanon, raising fears that a conflict will affect the entire region.
Malik said promoting social cohesion and “fighting hate” in Australia was more important today than ever.
“I have no intention of using this role to argue that one form of hate is more important than another: both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are unacceptable,” he said.
‘Each of us can help ensure that violence and hate have no place in our communities.
“We can do this by valuing and strengthening the bonds between us and by calling out discrimination and being allies to those who experience it.”
Australian Palestine Advocacy Network president Nasser Mashni said both special envoy roles risked inflaming community tensions “by suggesting that the experiences of some racialized groups are more significant than others”.
“Anti-Palestinian racism is not about religion, but about colonialism and the systemic oppression of Palestinians as an indigenous people whose lands have been stolen and illegally occupied,” he said.
Malik said he looked forward to working with his counterpart, Ms Segal, to “strengthen” social cohesion and unite communities “rooted in dignity for all”.
More than 1,200 Israelis were killed in the Hamas attack and hundreds were taken hostage.
Nearly 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel declared war on Hamas, officials there say.
Home Secretary Tony Burke said intolerance was always wrong and had no place in Australia.
“You should be able to live safely and freely in Australia, regardless of who you are or what you believe,” he said.
Malik will begin his three-year term in mid-October and will report to the prime minister and Burke.
The government has spent $90 million on the ongoing impacts of the conflict on Australian communities.