The Islamic Council of Victoria’s inaugural Summit on Islamophobia introduced collectively neighborhood leaders, lecturers, and advocates on 16 August 2025 to handle what audio system characterised as systemic anti-Muslim racism embedded in Australian establishments, media, and society.

The summit’s strongest second got here from former Guardian journalist Antoun Issa, co-founder of DeepCut Information, who detailed how mainstream media organisations systematically silenced Arab and Muslim journalists throughout protection of the Gaza battle.

“I used to be instructed that I used to be too passionate, I used to be instructed from so many phrases that my proximity to the battle meant that I couldn’t sufficiently distance myself to do my job as a journalist,” Issa instructed attendees. “My information and my years of expertise had been dismissed as ardour associated to my id.”

Issa, who resigned from The Guardian after what he described as being repeatedly sidelined regardless of his intensive Center East reporting expertise, argued that media protection suffered exactly due to this exclusion. “Audiences can see this disconnect between the fact on the bottom and information organisations doing their finest to obscure that actuality,” he stated.

His presentation shaped a part of a complete day-long program inspecting numerous facets of anti-Muslim discrimination, from healthcare to universities to geopolitical impacts on diaspora communities.

Management Requires Direct Motion

ICV President Dr Mohamed Mohideen OAM opened proceedings by reframing the dialogue, describing Islamophobia as “Anti Muslim Racism” – what he referred to as “a extra direct reference to the particular form of discrimination it’s.” Drawing from private expertise and neighborhood testimonies, Dr Mohideen highlighted the actual focusing on of Muslim girls by seen markers of their religion.

Minister for Multicultural Affairs Hon. Ingrid Stitt emphasised the significance of belonging and feeling valued, whereas Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece shared a private account of visiting a younger Muslim girl who had been racially abused, had her hijab grabbed, and been spat upon.

Educational and Healthcare Views

The summit featured complete tutorial evaluation, with Professor Dr Aziz Rahman from Federation College presenting findings from his analysis on “Islamophobia: Expertise of Muslim and non-Muslim healthcare professionals in Australia,” revealing discrimination throughout the healthcare system.

Dr Yassir Morsi from La Trobe College delivered what attendees described as a “poetic and highly effective presentation” on the language of Islamophobia and id politics. His handle notably linked native discrimination to world conflicts, significantly Gaza, expressing his incapability to take part in celebrations of multiculturalism whereas “so a lot of his brothers and sisters in religion are being starved, maimed and murdered.”

Dr Morsi distinguished between systemic structural Islamophobia throughout politics and media (the “massive I”) and on a regular basis informal racism (the “small i”), arguing that the latter finds legitimacy underneath safety of the previous.

College Discrimination Revealed

A very confronting panel featured pupil representatives from the College of Melbourne, RMIT College, Swinburne College of Expertise, Monash College, and Victoria College, moderated by former ICV President Adel Salman. Pupil leaders detailed particular situations of institutional discrimination, describing how they and their Muslim collectives had been “let down, humiliated, and seen as much less deserving of respect than different teams.”

One pupil’s remark significantly resonated with attendees: “Worse than the incidents of racism, was the hope, that they may truly change one thing, do one thing, that will make folks see.” The unstated implication was the psychological value of repeatedly crushed expectations for institutional change.

Complete Workshop Program

The summit included three concurrent workshops addressing totally different facets of anti-Muslim discrimination:

• Islamophobia & Gender – facilitated by ICV Board Member Arfa Sarfaraz Khan, specializing in the disproportionate influence on Muslim girls
• Drivers of Islamophobia – led by Affiliate Professor Mario Peucker from Victoria College’s Institute for Sustainable Industries & Habitable Cities, inspecting the roots of discriminatory attitudes together with misinformation and social media manipulation
• Political Voice and Energy – facilitated by Ghaith Krayem, Nationwide Spokesperson for Muslim Votes Matter, addressing methods for claiming political house

Systemic Reporting Challenges

A panel on “Understanding the System – Reporting and Escalating Incidents” introduced collectively Lauren Matthews from VEOHRC, Maha Sukkar from Victoria Police, Emma Antonetti from Whittlesea Group Connections, and Nancy Higazy from Islamophobia Register Australia, moderated by Nina Springle.

The day concluded with a panel inspecting “The Impression of Geo-Political Pressure on the Islamic Diaspora,” that includes representatives from Somali, Palestinian, Rohingya, Syrian and Kashmiri communities alongside Maria Dimopoulos, CEO of Settlement Council of Australia.

Media Panorama Transformation

Issa’s presentation highlighted broader implications for Australian media, citing a latest Gipps Corridor ballot displaying viewers quantity drops throughout mainstream information websites, with The Guardian experiencing a 21% decline. He argued this represented penalties of failing to embrace genuine numerous views.

“The final two years have shattered the phantasm of range and inclusion within the media,” Issa stated. “They wished our faces as long as we remained in junior positions. They wished our names as long as we adhered to their worldview.”

Name for Broader Coalition

Summit participant Nandini Sen Mehra from Hindus for Human Rights mirrored on the broader implications of the discussions. “Usually within the work that we do, in bridging throughout borders, in combating ethnonationalism and anti minority sentiment inside our personal communities, we too lose sight of the inherent humanity of these affected, and the large human value of racism,” she instructed NRI Affairs.

“The Summit was well timed and significant, and strengthened the necessity to work collaboratively, prolong our solidarity past our personal pursuits, and achieve the arrogance to face as much as racism, to xenophobia, and the detrimental stereotyping that’s more and more being normalised,” Sen Mehra stated.

She emphasised that “the following step from this might be to incorporate different voices in opposition to Islamophobia from throughout the Anglo-Australian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, and Christian communities. As we hear, dialogue, have tough and trustworthy conversations, we will discover a collective path ahead, not solely in opposition to Anti Muslim Racism however in opposition to all types of bigotry, hate and othering.”

The occasion additionally marked the launch of “Islamophobia in Victoria: Developments, Impression, Motion” – a complete report by ICV Islamophobia Lead Radhiya Fanham outlining knowledge and strategic responses to anti-Muslim discrimination throughout the state.

Summit Coordinator Nina Springle closed proceedings by emphasising the necessity for collaborative motion, extending solidarity past particular person neighborhood pursuits, and constructing confidence to face in opposition to all types of racism and xenophobia.

The total-day summit, held at Melbourne’s Multicultural Hub, drew members from throughout Victoria’s numerous communities, tutorial establishments, and civil society organisations, signalling rising momentum for coordinated responses to institutional discrimination in opposition to Muslim Australians.