Islamic community calls out ‘anti-Muslim hate’ after suspicious fire at site of new Victorian mosque | Victoria

Islamic communities have called out a rise in “anti-Muslim hate” after a church that was being converted into a mosque was allegedly set alight in what Victoria police are treating as a “suspicious” fire.

In a statement, Victoria police said the abandoned church in Kilmore, north of Melbourne, was set alight at about 1.50pm on Tuesday, causing “significant damage” to the building. No one was inside at the time and the fire was believed to have been started in the rear of the building.

“The fire is being treated as suspicious at this stage,” police said. “The investigation is ongoing but at this stage this fire is not being linked to any other fires and is not believed to be targeted.”

The Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) said the alleged arson occurred amid an “ongoing rise in anti-Muslim hate across Victoria and Australia, including a sharp rise in incidents of vandalism, threats and violence against Muslim individuals and places of worship in recent months”.

“We are also aware of reports that a local ice-cream shop owned by a member of the Iraqi community was similarly targeted,” the ICV said in a statement.

“The ICV is concerned that such patterns reflect an environment in which Islamophobia is becoming increasingly normalised.”

The heritage-listed church building was being repurposed as the Kilmore Islamic and Community Centre, to operate as a Muslim place of worship.

The Kilmore Islamic and Community Centre’s president, Ekrem Fuldagli, said the community was “devastated” by the alleged firebombing of the 168-year-old building.

“We are profoundly grateful that no one was on site, and that this attack did not result in serious injury or loss of life,” he said.

“We believe it should be treated as a hate crime. This attack did not occur in a vacuum – anti-Muslim hatred is rising … and too many people now feel emboldened to act on that hate.

“When Islamophobic rhetoric is normalised, including by some political voices, incidents like this become more likely, and we call on all leaders to condemn the forces that seek division and hate in our society and communities without hesitation.”

The president of the Australian National Imams Council (Anic), Imam Shadi Alsuleiman, said there had been a “concerning rise in Islamophobic incidents and anti-Muslim hate”.

He pointed to a Ramadan Iftar gathering in Ballarat earlier this month, which was disrupted when a man forced his way into the gathering, allegedly threatened children and directed hateful and racist language towards those inside.

Police opted not to immediately arrest the man, who was interviewed at the scene and then given a direction to move on.

Iftar is observed by Muslims at sunset in Ramadan, a holy month of fasting in Islam.

On 6 March, the community was again placed on high alert after the ICV’s mosque in West Melbourne was temporarily closed following the discovery of a suspicious package that had been delivered to its premises. Victoria police were contacted and attendees were evacuated.

Alsuleiman said there had also been reports of a planned terrorist attack in Western Australia with Muslim places of worship among its intended targets.

“Many mosques across Australia have received threatening letters and messages, some referencing a so-called ‘Christchurch 2.0’ and others containing explicit threats of violence,” he said.

“There is a growing concern within the Muslim community that such matters are not being treated with the same seriousness or urgency, which contributes to a perception that Muslim Australians are not treated fairly or equally.”

In September last year, the special envoy to combat Islamophobia released a long-awaited report that found Islamophobic incidents had skyrocketed in Australia since 7 October 2023. It made 54 recommendations, including updating the Racial Discrimination Act to protect religious groups.