Hate Pamphlets Target Queensland Muslims
“It's appalling... there's an emotional fear. There's emotion of disgust,” Logan mosque spokesman Ali Kabri told ABC on Sunday, September 14.
“There's emotion of threat to the Muslim community. Because we're afraid that for now there are pamphlets but it could lead to violence.
“We're afraid for our families and afraid for our children.”
Kabri’s angry comments followed the discovery of dozens of anti-Muslim pamphlets outside Logan mosque in South-east Queensland overnight on Saturday, September 13.
The abusive pamphlets read: “Terrorists born in Australia are not Australians. They're Muslims,” according to 9 News.
Saturday’s attack was not the first in Queensland. In an earlier attack, officials found photos for Makkah and a pig's head close by.
Moreover, Logan mosque was desecrated two months ago when vandals threw body parts of a pig inside the mosque.
The rise of the attack was coupled by Muslim concerns over the decision of Australian Security Intelligence Organization (Asio) chief David Irvine to raise the country's threat level from medium to high.
The decision, widely criticized by Muslims, followed the arrest of two men from Brisbane after Australian Federal Police raided an Islamic bookstore and seven homes in Brisbane.
The men were connected to the iQraa Islamic Centre and are alleged to have helped to recruit, fund and help people to travel to Syria to fight.
Condemning the anti-Muslim pamphlets found outside Logan mosque, Kabri, the mosque spokesman, deemed it a “silly” action that tarnishes the image of Australia's tolerant society.
“But I don't believe we're an intolerant society, we’re a tolerant society,” he said.
Muslims, who have been in Australia for more than 200 years, make up 1.7 percent of its 20-million population.
Islam is the country’s second largest religion after Christianity.
Australian far-rights have escalated their hate campaigns against the Muslim community recently.
Source: On Islam
