Police are investigating if two alleged assaults in Melbourne were Islamophobic incidents after women in hijabs were attacked during the day.
Victoria police said two women, a 26-year-old from Wollert and a 30-year-old from Lalor, were allegedly attacked by the same assailant at Epping shopping centre on High Street between 1.10pm and 1.20pm on Thursday.
Investigators said both victims were attacked by a woman who then left on foot with a man.
Police said investigations were ongoing – including “whether these were prejudice-motivated assaults”.
“There is absolutely no place in our society for discriminatory, racist or hate-based behaviour and such activity will not be tolerated,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Ealaf Al-Esawie, who wears a hijab, said she had been living in fear since the alleged attack. The 26-year-old said she was randomly hit in the face and then pushed to the ground.
“I am terrified to go out, I am terrified to leave these four walls of my house, something I never thought I would say,” she told Guardian Australia on Monday.
“My mental and physical health is at zero, even below zero. Every day, it gets worse for me, it was so random it has traumatised me.”
She said she believed it was an Islamophobic attack.
“It is 100% because I am Muslim. I am born here, this is my country. Where do I go when I am attacked in my own country?”
The other victim who also wears a hijab is pregnant. Both women were taken to Northern hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) said in a statement: “The … council vehemently condemns the heinous and barbaric attacks on two Muslim women at Epping shopping centre in Victoria.
“These attacks represent a horrifying escalation of Islamophobic violence targeted at innocent people in our communities simply because of their faith. We demand justice for the victims and assert that no act of hate should be minimised or ignored. It is imperative to ensure the safety and dignity of every individual, regardless of faith.”
No charges have been laid over the incidents.
ANIC also posted on social media on Sunday about Islamophobic graffiti in Sefton in Sydney’s west.
A picture of the graffiti suggested it stated: “RasulAllah is a dead Pedo.” RasulAllah is a name given to the prophet Muhammad – or “prophet of God”.
The graffiti was reported to Action Against Islamophobia by a local who had been walking on the footpath.
The ANIC and the Alliance of Australians for Muslims in a joint statement “strongly condemned” the graffiti which they said was a “reprehensible act”.
“This latest incident marks yet another attack in an area home to a significant Muslim community,” the groups said.
“The offensive graffiti, sprayed in black across a popular local footpath, is not just a personal affront but a stark symbol of the escalating hatred and bigotry manifesting in Australian neighbourhoods.”
They said that despite a spate of Islamophobic incidents there was “a troubling lack of adequate response or acknowledgement from political leaders, law enforcement and media”.
Islamophobic graffiti was spotted in an underpass in western Sydney late last year with the NSW premier, Chris Minns, labelling the vandalism “disgusting.”
