Childcare worker Ealaf Al-Easawi had been grocery shopping on her lunch break when a woman allegedly came up to her, slapped her across the face and shoved her to the ground in an unprovoked attack.
Ms Al-Easawi, who was wearing a hijab, had never seen her alleged attacker before.
"I was shaking. I could barely talk and breathe," she said.
The same woman had allegedly attacked another Muslim woman 10 minutes earlier in an alleged Islamophobic incident at a Melbourne shopping centre in February.
"I've faced lots of racism and disrespect in shopping centres when I buy something or wait in line, but I don't report and just ignore it," Ms Al-Easawi said.
"But when it comes to getting physically assaulted, I can't keep quiet. I have to stand up for myself."
It left the 26-year-old traumatised and too scared to leave her home.
These alleged incidents of racial hatred are being highlighted on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on Saturday, which coincides with the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings where 51 Muslims were murdered in New Zealand by an Australian man.
Six years later and the fear, pain and trauma still reverberate among Australia's Muslim community, including the president of the Australian National Imams Council Shadi Alsuleiman.
"Families, communities and individuals who have always called this country home now face heightened suspicion, prejudice and hate," Imam Alsuleiman said.
He noted instances of massacre threats against mosques, bomb threats against Islamic schools and women targeted because of their hijabs and faith in the past month alone.
"This is not just a series of isolated incidents, it is a systemic issue that has been impacting our community for over two decades," he said.
Physical and verbal abuse of Muslims more than doubled in the past two years, including a 150 per cent spike in in-person incidents, according to an Islamophobia Register Australia study.
Islamophobia soared to unprecedented levels in Australia following the October 7 attack by Hamas on an Israeli music festival in 2023 that killed about 1200 Israelis with 250 taken hostage.
Israel's retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to the United Nations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the nation stands firm against any expression or act of hatred or hostility towards the Muslim community.
"We will not tolerate Islamophobia in any form," he said.
"It goes against all we are as a nation and all that we have built together over generations."
The issue has devastating impacts on victims and undermines social cohesion, said the federal government's special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik.
"Islamophobia breeds fear, mistrust and division, and undermines the principles of fairness and inclusivity foundational to our democracy," he said in a statement endorsed by 30 Islamic groups.
Mr Aftab said Islamophobia impacts all Australians, calling on political leaders and the media to stop sowing division and take attacks seriously.
Victorian Multicultural Affairs Minister Ingrid Stitt said the government was developing a guide with Muslim communities to build awareness and highlight support for Islamophobia victims amid an alarming rise in incidents against Muslims.
The NSW Faith Affairs Council condemned Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and all acts of hate directed at any groups, calling for people of all faiths and none to respect the diversity of beliefs.
"Each of us has a responsibility to build trust within our multicultural and multi-faith communities," it said.
