Islamophobia envoy condemns alleged verbal attack against 13-year-old girl on Sydney bus
Posted Tue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:13pmTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:13pmTue 15 Sep 2026 at 7:13pm
In short:
Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia has condemned an alleged racist attack against a 13-year-old girl on a Sydney bus.
The Islamophobia Register Australia has reported a 612 per cent jump in reported attacks in the last three years.
What’s next?
A 50-year-old man has been arrested and charged over the incident, and is expected to appear before court on Wednesday.
The Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia has condemned verbal abuse hurled at a 13-year-old girl, who was allegedly called an “immigrant mutt” and a “terrorist” on a Sydney bus last week.
The 50-year-old man, who was charged on Tuesday, appeared in videos of the incident obtained by the ABC allegedly telling another girl, “I can’t wait until they kill all of you”.
His comments appeared to be directed to Muslim women on the bus last Thursday.
According to the 13-year-old, Janna, the incident began when she stood up for another girl in a hijab who the man was allegedly taking photos of without her knowledge.
NSW Police said he was arrested at a Greenacre home about 2:20pm on Tuesday.
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He was taken to Bankstown Police Station and charged with stalking and intimidation intending fear or physical harm.
Australia’s special envoy, Aftab Malik, said the alleged abuse was not unheard of.
“Unfortunately, the Islamophobia victim pool is getting younger, according to the Islamophobia Register Australia,”
he said.
“Islamophobia does not require spectacular violence to cause serious harm to people.
“The spread of hateful stereotypes, the normalisation of online abuse, the offline threats, and physical attacks to individuals and institutions, all degrade Muslim Australians.”
‘Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling’
Mr Malik said he invited Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to work directly with his office to take active steps to ensure the safety of Muslim school children wearing the hijab.
TfNSW said it was aware of the incident which was reported by the bus driver after the fact.
A spokesperson for the department said it was serious about improving safety across the network.
“We welcome engagement with the Office of the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia and are willing to meet to discuss any concerns raised,” they said.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling on the public transport network, and Transport for NSW works closely with operators, police and community stakeholders to support customer safety and respond to incidents when they occur.”
NSW Premier Chris Minns said he was deeply concerned by the increase in Islamophobia.
“Muslim women and girls have every right to wear a hijab, catch a bus, go to school, or walk down the street without being abused or intimidated,” he said.
“What happened to this young girl was disgusting, and she should never have had to defend her right to belong in her own country.
“Everyone, no matter your background or religion, deserves to feel safe and respected in New South Wales.”
Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism Mark Coure described the incident as “deeply distressing”.
“There is no place for Islamophobia in our community. Racism and religious hatred have no place in our society,”
he said.
‘We have a right’
There has been a 612 per cent jump in reported Islamophobic attacks across Australia in the last three years, according to Islamophobia Register Australia.
The figure is based on an increase of average weekly reported incidents, which has risen from 2.5 reports per week to 18.
The organisation has a backlog of 400 cases like Janna’s.
Executive director Aishah Ali said government funding had dried up.
“We’re going to be relying on community fundraising to actually stay operational,”
she said.
“We’ve increased our volunteer team, but it’s unsustainable for the breadth and the severity of the work to being encapsulated in a volunteer capacity, and nor should it be, because we have a right to equal safety, protection, remedy and recourse.”
The register received $1.2 million in funding from Multicultural NSW for youth education initiatives, which Ms Ali said did not cover their core operational work.
The department has also delivered $15 million to support safety and security at places of worship, including mosques, since February 2023.
‘It’s their choice’
Janna’s mother Roula said some politicians were to blame for the unprecedented levels of Islamophobia.
“I think some of the politicians have … a lot to do with this,” she said.
“They have views about Islam, that we’re oppressed … us women, but we’re not.
“The biggest example is me not being a hijabi, and my daughter is. And it’s a choice.”
Roula said the government should support what women want to wear.
“It’s their choice. You want to walk out naked or want to walk out dressed up, your choice,” she said.
The man charged over the incident was refused bail to appear before Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday.