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In Sydney, authorities are currently probing a disturbing threat aimed at a local mosque, which has sparked heightened concerns among Muslim Australians about their safety. The threat arrived in the form of a chilling letter featuring a hand-drawn image depicting a mosque engulfed in flames, with worshippers trapped inside, accompanied by racially charged language.
This unsettling communication was delivered to Lakemba Mosque, situated in the culturally vibrant western Sydney area, on Wednesday evening. Alarmingly, this is the second such threat the mosque has encountered within a mere ten days. In late January, a 70-year-old man faced charges related to sending documents that threatened death or severe injury.
In response to these incidents, the Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns, emphatically stated that “there is no place for hatred or intimidation in New South Wales.” His remarks underscore the broader message that such acts of intimidation will not be tolerated in the community.
It’s the second threatening letter allegedly sent to the mosque in 10 days, after a 70-year-old man was charged in late January with sending documents threatening death or grievous bodily harm.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said there was “no place for hatred or intimidation in New South Wales”.
Minns said he had spoken with the Lebanese Muslim Association — which is based at Lakemba Mosque — to express his support following the threats to the mosque.
“People should be able to attend and pray without fear or intimidation. This matter has been referred to NSW Police and is being investigated,” Minns said in a statement on Wednesday night.
A police spokesperson said the letter had been seized by detectives and would undergo forensic examination.
Treasurer Daniel Mookhey told reporters on Thursday the letter was an “outrageous act” that was “un-Australian”, and the government was taking the threat seriously.
Not an isolated incident
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir said the threat was not an isolated incident.
“This is the second one we’ve got [in 10 days]. Several mosques have already been targeted. We had pig heads thrown at a cemetery,” Kheir told SBS Arabic.
“So it’s not isolated, and more concerning for us is the fact that there’s a rising number of community members contacting us saying that they don’t feel safe sending their kids alone to school anymore. They don’t feel safe walking to the shopping centres or going shopping on their own.
“That’s alarming because this is not the usual Australia that we love, where we’re tolerant and accepting of others.”
Community tensions have been high since the Bondi terror attack on 14 December, when 15 people were killed during a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.
The alleged gunmen were father and son Sajid and Naveed Akram. Sajid was killed during the shootout, while Naveed faces dozens of charges, including murder and terrorism charges.
Late last year, the Australian National Imams Council said Muslim communities were being “unfairly scrutinised and implicitly linked to acts of violence they categorically reject” in the wake of the attack.
Cases of Islamophobia following the Bondi attack have surged by 740 per cent, according to the Islamophobia Register Australia.
— This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Arabic.
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