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https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/sep/22/id-rather-be-bored-than-in-danger-muslim-women-change-how-they-behave-in-public-because-of-racist-attacks-ntwnfb>
"The train had just crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge when Sarah Alzoubi had a
nagging feeling to look up from her phone. Across her, on the empty train
carriage, a man unzipped his pants and placed his hands down his trousers. The
then 17-year-old university student quickly pulled off her headphones. As she
walked away, Alzoubi heard him mutter “Islam” and “Muslim.”
“I was so frazzled and disoriented,” she recalls.
“You’re processing, ‘Was that what I thought it was?’ In my mind, I was like,
‘Wait, did that actually just happen to me?’”
The incident in 2015 has had a lasting impact ever since on how Alzoubi
commutes on public transport.
“I don’t go on with my headphones, I don’t touch my phone, I’m completely aware
of my surroundings,” she says.
“I know it makes more boring trips, but I’d rather be bored than be in danger.”
Last week, a long-awaited report from the special envoy to combat Islamophobia
laid bare the persistence of anti-Muslim discrimination and a surge in
Islamophobic attacks since 7 October 2023 – similar to the intensification
after the September 11 attack.
Handing down the report, the special envoy, Aftab Malik, said Muslim women in
particular face “the rap” of these incidents. It is well-documented that Muslim
women are overwhelmingly targeted in Islamophobic attacks.
Since the Islamophobia Register Australia (IRA) launched in 2014, the
victim-survivors reporting to it have been predominantly women and girls. In
the IRA’s latest report, released in March, females accounted for 75% of
reports.
These include Muslim women having their hijabs pulled off and being spat on in
public.
The IRA’s executive director, Dr Nora Amath, says since 2014, reports from
women have not dropped below about 70% of all reports."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
