The Dec. 14 shooting at Bondi Beach, in which two gunmen inspired by Islamic State allegedly targeted a Jewish celebration, has left many Indonesian Muslims in Australia feeling anxious about leaving their homes amid a surge in reported Islamophobic incidents.
Neti (not her real name), a 46-year-old student at the University of New South Wales, said the days following the attack were filled with fear. Her campus in Kensington, roughly 8 kilometers from Bondi Beach, felt closer to danger than ever after father-and-son duo Sajid and Naveed Akram allegedly killed 15 people during a Hanukkah event.
Sajid Akram, an Indian national, was shot dead by police during the attack, while his Australian-born son Naveed faces 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of committing a terrorist act. The pair reportedly traveled to the southern Philippines weeks before the shooting, raising concerns about potential links to regional extremists. Australian authorities, however, maintain that the attack was carried out independently.
Neti, who wears a hijab, said she feared taking public transport or accompanying her three daughters to school. “I was afraid to go out… Especially since we all wear hijab and are easily identifiable,” she told Indonesian media on Dec. 16. “I even thought about skipping school and cancelling a clinic appointment. But I went anyway.”
Thousands of kilometers away in Perth, Hani Noor Ilahi, 36, a University of Western Australia student, described a similar unease. While she said her campus remains welcoming, she noted that police have started guarding mosques in city areas, particularly during Friday prayers, after attacks on Muslim places of worship.
Incidents have included the defacement of Bald Hills Mosque in Brisbane with swastikas and hate graffiti on Dec. 18. Similar attacks were reported at mosques and Islamic centers across Australia. The Australian National Imams Council reported that nine Islamic institutions had experienced vandalism or security incidents requiring police intervention in the weeks following the Bondi attack.
Muslim women have also faced direct harassment, with reports of spitting, verbal abuse, and threats in cities such as Perth. Community organizations tracking hate crimes, including the Islamophobia Register Australia, documented 126 incidents in the week after the shooting—ten times the number reported during the preceding fortnight.
Experts warn that misinformation about Muslims has surged alongside these attacks. Sara Cheikh Husain, an Australia-based scholar on Islamophobia, said old footage from a 2023 protest, showing demonstrators chanting “Allahu Akbar,” circulated widely after the Bondi attack, often misrepresented as evidence of Muslim support for violence.
“The reposts of this video and similar content of pro-Palestinian gatherings framed Muslims as violent, angry, and celebratory of the attack,” said Sara, author of The Politics of Anti-Islamophobia in Australia: The Case of Muslim Community Organisations.
Ridlwan Habib, a terrorism and intelligence observer at the University of Indonesia, noted that while Islamophobia in Australia predates the Bondi attack, the event has amplified existing prejudices. “Posts after the shooting targeted visible Muslim identities, immigration, and security issues. Multiple, distinct fears have been conflated into one narrative of threat,” he said.
Sara echoed this, describing a pattern of linking three narratives—Muslims, pro-Palestinians, and refugees—to create a broad “Islamic threat” framework. She emphasized that even moderate Islamic voices, such as Ahmed Al-Ahmed, the Syrian fruit vendor who disarmed one of the attackers, are often overlooked in mainstream discourse. “His bravery should have countered Islamophobic narratives, yet misinformation continues to demonize Muslims,” she said.
Authorities and community organizations are working to provide guidance and reassurance. The Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney issued advisories urging Indonesians to stay calm but remain vigilant. Universities, including UNSW and UWA, have also circulated security updates, offering support to students affected by the attack.
Neti and Hani have been following these advisories closely. “Support emails from my university included contact information for students impacted by the incident,” Hani said. Neti also cited messages from non-profit organizations shared via WhatsApp to help those in need of guidance or emotional support.
Both women hope that communities across Australia can regain a sense of safety while retaining the freedom to express their identities. “I hope people with visible identities—those wearing hijabs, turbans, or robes—feel safe expressing themselves,” Hani said.
“My first impression of Australia was a country where multicultural communities coexist peacefully,” Neti added. “I hope it stays that way.”
While the Bondi Beach attack has prompted fear and anxiety among Indonesian Muslims and other communities, experts argue that consistent advocacy, accurate reporting, and solidarity among multicultural groups are key to preventing the spread of Islamophobia.
