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Muslims Attacked in Australia
JAKARTA, Sept 13 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A school bus packed with Muslim children was stoned and vandals attempted to set fire to a Lebanese church in apparent acts of retaliation for the attacks in the United States, officials in Australia said Thursday.
Queensland state Islamic Council chairman Sultan Deen said stones and bottles damaged the side of the bus, which was targeted Wednesday in the northeastern city of Brisbane. Nobody was injured.
"The children are quite shaken up," Deen said.
Three Australians are confirmed dead and a further 85 are missing in the wake of the attacks in the United States, the Australian government said Thursday.
Muslims have been the target of attacks, rape and other harassment in Australia since the beginning of the campaign against the presence of Asians and other aliens [non-whites] on Australian soil.
A month ago an Australian who allegedly committed the crime on a racial basis raped a Muslim girl. There have been other incidents of attacks against Asians but were underplayed by the press, sources said.
Tuesday's attack has increased the level of intolerance against Islam and Muslims, particularly those wearing the hijab, or the traditional Malay "tudung", or scarf.
In Queensland, Deen said public outrage over the attacks in U.S. also led to abusive phone calls to mosques.
"It is very disturbing. They are saying things like, 'You will be held responsible' and 'We'll get you,'" Deen said.
In Sydney overnight, vandals attempted to set fire to the St. Mary's Antiochian Orthodox church - which has a Lebanese congregation - and racist slurs and swastikas were scrawled on the walls of another Lebanese church, said police inspector Norm Russell.
Meanwhile, pro-Islamic slogans were smeared on a building in Melbourne's central business district overnight, police said.
Australia's Islamic community condemned the attacks in the U.S. and offered prayers of support for victims.
The Chairman of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Yasser Soliman, said the Muslim community was shocked and appalled by the attacks.
"Terrorism, the killing of innocent people, is a crime against God and against humanity," Soliman said in a statement.
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