At the Islamic College of Brisbane (ICB) yesterday, students returned to school for the first time since a bomb threat was emailed to staff last Friday.
About 500 students were absent and opted to complete their studies from home, college CEO Ali Kadri said.
Waqas Zia Chaudhry has three daughters enrolled at ICB, one in grade 12, another in grade 10, and the youngest in grade three.
All three girls attended in person yesterday (Monday, 8 September) and again today despite feeling shaken and confused – feelings their parents share.
“They still have that fear; all three of them were reluctant to go to school,” Mr Chaudhry said.
“It will take some time to absorb that, but I think that they’ve done exceptionally well and better than I expected.”
Mr Chaudhry said he hadn’t expected anything like this to happen at the school.
“As soon as we could, we rushed towards the school to pick them up, but we didn’t know exactly what was happening, which added to the anxiety,” he said.
His daughters asked Mr Chaudhry how a threat like this could happen to a school in Australia and why it had happened to them.
“Their questions were like, how could this happen in Australia, how could this happen to a school, and why us?” he said.
Mr Kadri said the threat was targeted and Islamophobic, made clear by the profanities against Muslims included in the email.
Mr Kadri also said he thought Islamaphobia had increased recently, particularly in the wake of anti-immigration rallies held in late August.
“Migrants and immigrants are being demonised and sometimes by political voices, but the counter voices are not strong enough,” he said.
“The most important thing is to have a conversation about Islamaphobia and racism and speak out loudly when we have divisive rhetoric in our community, and not try to excuse it.”
Mr Chaudhry said his family and the wider Muslim community were well acquainted with verbal and physical racist attacks due to the colour of their skin or their religious garments.
Since the August rallies, he said the abuse has gotten worse.
“We have been subject to this sort of Islamophobic behavior, slurs and everything, for quite a long time,” he said.
“I think that it’s always been there, but after the late August rallies, it has come to the surface.”
It’s difficult to explain racism to his kids, Mr Chaudhry said, especially his youngest.
“We haven’t done anything, why are we getting this behaviour? And it’s sometimes difficult to explain to them, because they are too young.”
About six months ago, Mr Chaudhry said his wife and children were driving home after being out.
A group of teenage girls walking along the footpath beside the Chaudhry family car began to chase after them.
When the Chaudhry family, still in their car, eventually stopped at a red traffic light, the teenage girls approached the car and struck Mrs Chaudhry in the face through her open window.
Mr Chaudhry said it was the worst example of Islamaphobia he and his family had experienced.
Despite this discrimination, Mr Chaudhry said the Muslim community didn’t need to live in fear.
“Every one of us is Australian, we are as much Australian as any other person, and we don’t need to live in fear of the broader community,” he said.
“It’s our collective responsibility to actually call these things out and condemn them openly, so that the people behind these things realise that the community is together.”
Rankin MP and federal treasurer Jim Chalmers said the bomb threat against ICB was a cowardly act and one that he strongly condemned.
“There’s no place in our community or our country for threats of violence, bigotry or xenophobia of any kind,” Dr Chalmers said.
“We’re privileged to have a vibrant and active Islamic community in our area, and this school plays an important part in that.”
Local leaders, including those from the Islamic community, have also condemned the threats and called for unity.
Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), a council of Muslim community leaders, said they were deeply alarmed by the threat.
“When hate is left unchecked, it threatens every community, every place of worship, and every school across Australia,” the ANIC statement said.
Queensland Muslims Inc. called upon the federal and state police forces to investigate the “vile racist bomb” threat immediately.
“This act is designed to instill fear and division, and it represents an attack not just on a single institution, but on the entire QLD community,” Queensland Muslims Inc. said.
Police investigations into the threat and where it came from are ongoing.
