Search
SearchToday in Islamophobia: In Australia, social media users accused “Islamists” of celebrating the Bondi Beach mass shooting at a Sydney suburb, sharing a video of fireworks going off, which officials later said was for Christmas celebrations. In Palestine, scores of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In the U.S., the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said a man accused of launching an anti-Muslim attack at the Dar Al Nur Community Center in Fairfax County should face hate crime prosecution after allegedly targeting Somali-American worshippers for the second time. Our recommended read of the day is by Adnan Hmidan for The Middle East Monitor on how international media networks have framed the horrid attacks on the Jewish community at Bondi Beach with a focus on condemning pro-Palestine protests and erasing the heroism of Ahmad Al-Ahmad, a Australian Muslim civilian who intervened to fight the attackers and prevented further bloodshed. This and more below:
Australia
Bondi Beach attack: How the media smears pro-Palestine protests while erasing a Muslim hero | Recommended Read
Where Al-Ahmad was mentioned at all, key details were conspicuously absent: his Syrian origin, his Arab identity, and his Muslim faith. These facts were quietly erased from much of the reporting. The contrast is stark and instructive. Had the attacker been Arab or Muslim, those identifiers would almost certainly have dominated headlines, endlessly recycled as supposed evidence of a broader cultural or political threat. This selective naming — and selective silence — is not accidental. It reflects a media culture that readily racialises and politicises violence when it serves a particular narrative, but avoids doing so when it disrupts deeply ingrained stereotypes. A Muslim man saving Jewish lives does not sit comfortably within the dominant frame; his identity therefore becomes inconvenient. read the complete article
Bondi Beach, anti-Muslim hatred, and the selective politics of violence
Within hours of the attack, online spaces—particularly platforms such as X—were already awash with speculation, insinuation, and outright accusations directed at Muslims. Posts linking the violence to Islam, migration, or “Muslim extremism” spread rapidly, despite the absence of verified evidence. Some social media users even shared videos of Christmas-linked fireworks to claim that “Islamists” were celebrating the killing of Jews in Bondi Beach. Some of the misinformation verged on the ludicrous. In Western political discourse, violence is rarely treated neutrally. When an attacker is Muslim—or even perceived to be—such incidents are quickly framed as civilisational threats. Calls for heightened surveillance, restrictions on religious expression, and harsher immigration policies tend to follow. read the complete article
Pig heads placed on Muslim graves at cemetery in disturbing act of retribution following Bondi Beach terror attack
Pig heads have been thrown onto Muslim graves at a western Sydney cemetery in a disturbing act of retribution following the Bondi Beach terror attack. Prominent Muslim undertaker Ahmad Hraichie condemned the act at Narellan Cemetery in Camden as senseless and hateful. 'To whoever did this: you have proven nothing except hatred. You are not a solution to any problem - you are part of the problem,' he said. 'This is pure stupidity. It achieves nothing. It only fuels anger, pain, and division. We do not need more people being revved up and amped up by cowardly actions like this. 'These people in those graves were dead long before what happened yesterday. They have nothing to do with current events. 'Graves are places of rest, dignity, and respect - across all faiths and all humanity. read the complete article
Fake news accusing Muslims of celebrating Australia beach shooting spreads on social media
Australian social media users accused "Islamists" of celebrating the Bondi Beach mass shooting at a Sydney suburb, sharing a video of fireworks going off, which officials said was in fact for Christmas celebrations. The footage is among several threads of misinformation that have emerged online in the aftermath of Sunday's shooting at Australia's most famous surf beach, which authorities have labelled as an anti-Semitic terrorist attack on a Jewish festival. The gunmen targeted an annual celebration that drew more than 1,000 people to the beach to mark the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, authorities said, killing 15 people and wounding 42. read the complete article
Palestine
Police Arrest Four Jaffa Muslim Leaders, 10 Others Over Protest Against Assault
The Israeli police arrested 14 people in Jaffa on Sunday night, including four local leaders, after a protest over a recent attack on a Jaffa resident and her family. The four men are elected members of the Jaffa Muslim Council, including its deputy chairman, Sheikh Issam Setel. A Tel Aviv Court ordered that Setel be released on Monday. Police said they are suspected of disturbing the peace and engaging in conduct likely to breach public order. According to the police, Sunday's protest included calls, "Tell the Shin Bet dogs that we're not afraid of a confrontation" and, "By spirit and fire we will redeem Jaffa." Jaffa Muslim Council chairman Abed Abu Shehadeh, a former member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa city council, called for a general strike at businesses and schools in Jaffa for Monday, urging Jaffa's Jewish residents to join in. read the complete article
Illegal Israeli settlers storm Al Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate Jewish holiday
Scores of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Illegal settlers performed Talmudic rituals at the flashpoint site under the protection of Israeli police, according to an Anadolu correspondent on Monday. The eight-day Hanukkah holiday is marked from December 14 to 22. Al Aqsa Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. read the complete article