Political discourse and what have been described as irresponsible media narratives are actively contributing to violence against Muslims in Australia, a leading Islamic body has warned, following a targeted attack on an imam and his wife in Melbourne, according to reporting by The Klaxon.
The Australian National Imams Council stated that falsely linking peaceful pro-Palestinian advocacy to the Bondi terror attacks has directly fuelled a sharp rise in Islamophobic abuse, threats, and physical assaults against Muslim Australians.
The warning came after three individuals were arrested in connection with an attack on Imam Dr Ismet Purdic and his wife on Saturday night in Melbourne’s southeast. Police said the couple were subjected to racial abuse before being forced off the road in Dandenong South.
According to Victoria Police, the incident occurred on the South Gippsland Highway, where the occupants of a small black hatchback allegedly shouted racist abuse at the couple before deliberately driving them off the road and into a service station. The assailants then exited their vehicle, continued verbally abusing the victims, damaged their car, and physically assaulted Dr Purdic.
A 23-year-old man from Cranbourne North and a 22-year-old man from Cranbourne East were arrested on Sunday and charged with criminal damage and common law assault. An 18-year-old woman from Dandenong South was released pending summons.
Dr Purdic is the leader of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Islamic Society in Melbourne’s south east.
In a formal statement, the Australian National Imams Council said the attackers displayed behaviour and language consistent with white supremacist and extremist hate ideologies. The council warned that inflammatory political messaging and reckless media commentary are playing a direct role in enabling such violence, particularly through what it described as the dangerous and false equivalence between peaceful political expression in support of Palestine and acts of terrorism.
ANIC called for urgent and stronger national measures to confront Islamophobia, far-right extremism, and hate-driven violence across Australia. The council stressed that all Australians should be able to go about their daily lives without fear of abuse, intimidation, or physical harm.
The statement follows earlier warnings issued by ANIC in late December, when the council cautioned that divisive rhetoric and harmful media framing in the aftermath of the Bondi attack were generating an escalating backlash against Muslim communities nationwide.
At the time, ANIC reported a surge in hate-motivated incidents, including Islamophobic graffiti at the Islamic College of Melbourne, acts of desecration at a Muslim cemetery in Narellan in New South Wales, and Muslim women being spat on, verbally abused, and threatened in Perth.
The council reiterated its concern that political rhetoric and irresponsible media coverage continue to stigmatise Muslim communities, reinforce harmful stereotypes, and create an environment in which racism and abuse are normalised and emboldened.
ANIC also condemned what it described as selective outrage, warning that condemning some forms of racism while minimising or ignoring others deepens social division and undermines public trust. The council stressed that collective punishment of an entire community for the actions of a few individuals is both unjustified and dangerous.
