Thousands of people lined the streets surrounding Lakemba Mosque in Sydney's west on Friday morning as the Prime Minister was booed and heckled at Australia's biggest mosque on one of the most important dates on the Islamic calendar. Anthony Albanese had been invited to meet with community leaders for Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of Ramadan, but his arrival quickly drew condemnation from locals.
One man was dragged out by police after booing Mr Albanese, but was released without charge after being given a move-on direction. Others were heard yelling phrases including "disgrace", "shame" and "genocide supporters", though the prime minister remained calm and sat listening as Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir read out a statement panning Australia's involvement in the Middle East war.
The reception underscores the depth of feeling within Sydney's Muslim community about Australian government positions on Middle East conflicts. The event is expected to be even more significant this year with the spectre of conflict in the Middle East looming over much of the Australian Muslim community.
For mosque leadership, the Prime Minister's visit presented an opportunity to speak directly to government. For Mr Kheir, it was important the prime ministerial visit not be used as a mere photo opportunity. "This is a time to call him out and to say to him vividly what is happening to this community, and the pressure that it's under cannot be sustained anymore," he told AAP.
The incident comes against the backdrop of mounting anxiety within Muslim communities across Australia. The Lebanese Muslim Association, which oversees Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney, said it had received a third threat on the eve of Ramadan. Bilal El-Hayek, mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown council, where Lakemba is located, said the community was feeling "very anxious". "I've heard first-hand from people saying that they won't be sending their kids to practice this Ramadan because they're very concerned about things that might happen in local mosques," he said.
Anti-Muslim sentiment has been growing in Australia since the war in Gaza that began in late 2023, according to a recent report commissioned by the government. This tension manifests in both external threats to institutions and internal frustration with government policy responses. The scene at Lakemba on Friday crystallised both aspects of the crisis facing the Australian Muslim community.