The Bondi shooting and the rise of Islamophobia in Australia.
ABC News – Australia added that the Bondi shooting has sparked anti-Muslim sentiment in Australian society, with reports of increased harassment of veiled women in the country.
The Australian news network also reported that the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) said that hostility towards Australian Muslims has increased significantly since the Bondi Beach terror attack on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.
Meanwhile, the National Indian Muslim Centre (ANAC) has recorded a nearly 200 percent increase in hate incidents against Muslims since the attack, including vandalism of Islamic institutions, online abuse, and physical intimidation.
During the shooting incident on December 14, 2025, on Bondi Beach in the suburbs of Sydney during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, 16 people were killed, and 40 were injured. Navid Akram, 24, faced 59 charges, including 15 counts of murder and one count of a terrorist act. His father, Sajid Akram, was also shot dead by police.
The Australian outlet added: There have also been reports that women wearing headscarves have witnessed a “horrific” wave of Islamophobia since the Bondi terror attack, with hate incidents increasing by almost 200 percent.
ABC Australia reported: The Australian National Council of Imams (ANIC) said the incident had led to a rise in anti-Islam sentiment, including acts of vandalism against Islamic institutions, harassment, physical intimidation, and hate speech.
Several mosques and Islamic centers have also been vandalized or have been subject to serious security incidents that have been reported to the police.
In response to the Islamophobic attacks in the Australian community, ANIC has set up a helpline for victims of Islamophobia, which has recorded an increase of almost 200 percent in hate incidents against Muslims since the Bondi Beach shooting. Specifically, since December 14, 62 incidents have been officially reported to the ANIC helpline.
Bilal Rauf, senior adviser to ANIC, said a large proportion of the abuse in Australian society had been directed at (Muslim) women across the country, particularly in Sydney.
He told the Australian media outlet that in the weeks since the Bundy murders, reports of hate incidents against Muslims had reached hundreds.
Rauf said there had been several incidents of young (hijabi) girls being “spat on” and, in one case, their hijabs had been pulled off, and many other offensive remarks had been made towards (Muslim) women.
ABC Australia’s website continued the report by saying that Rauf said anti-Islam sentiment was deeply challenging for members of the Muslim community.
“It’s very difficult for the Australian Muslim community to come to terms with this and to confront such hatred, because unfortunately part of it comes from divisive rhetoric, emanating from some politicians and statements from some (Australian) media,” he said.