By: M. Dinata*)
Masjid Ibrahim Islamic Mosque, in Southern River, Perth, has been vandalized by anti-Muslim extremists on Saturday, 14 February 2015. This is the fourth time in the past six months vandalism happened in this mosque.
This latest vandalism happened at around 1:30 am, when alarm in the mosque went off and the security camera showed some teenagers running away. After that, “KKK” letters that refers to the “Ku Klux Klan” founded on the glass doors and walls with black paint.
Mosque secretary, Talha Patel, said that there was 12 report to the police about these kind of incidents in this past 12 months, but still no one had been arrested or charged. “The behaviour of these individuals, it is just un-Australian in my view and it is only getting worse for us,” he said.
The incidents have happened since the beginning of mosque construction in late 2013. The building was damaged often in order to postpone the opening. Paintings like Neo-nazi slogans and symbols, and the logos of other extremist groups, were showed very often on the walls or at the carparks. In last November, a pig’s head was dumped outside the mosque’s doors. Even in the late December, someone throwed molotov cocktails at the building.
Many incidents happened to this mosque left frightened and unsafe feeling to the muslims in Australia. Imam Burhaan Mehtar says, “These incidents are a manifestation of intolerance and distrust towards Australian Muslims.” As a part of Australia’s society for over 200 years and make up 1.7 percent of its 20-million population, they need to feel safe. “As every other member of society, Australian Muslims equally have the right – it’s a privilege that Australia has given to all of us – that we feel safe,” imam Mehtar said.
In order to prevent more damages and vandalism, the mosque intend to install more high security systems, like electric fences and also motion sensing laser-based alarm systems that would detect intruders as soon as they entered the grounds.
*) The Author Is Brunei Darussalam Contributors.
