Islamophobic incidents in Australia have doubled over the past two years, research suggests

Girls and women accounted for three quarters of all incidents and were more likely to be physically attacked than boys and men, the Islamophobia in Australia report states. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

Islamophobic incidents – including physical attacks, verbal harassment, people being spat on and rape threats – have more than doubled in the past two years, with girls and women bearing the brunt of hatred towards Muslims in Australia, new research shows.

The fifth Islamophobia in Australia report details 309 in-person incidents between January 2023 and December 2024 – a more than 2.5-fold increase from the previous reporting period. Verified online incidents more than tripled to 366.