In January 2026, the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV) released a report that stopped many people short.
In just two months — October to December 2025 — 10,563 online Islamophobic incidents were documented across Victoria. That represents a 550% increase compared to preceding months. Since 2020, 120 incidents have been formally reported to the ICV's Islamophobia Support Service. And those are only the ones that were reported.
The reality, as the ICV has consistently noted, is that what gets reported is only a small part of what people are actually experiencing.
Regional communities like Gippsland are part of this broader trend.
What Is Islamophobia?
Islamophobia is hostility, prejudice, or discrimination directed at Muslims — or at people perceived to be Muslim. It can take many forms, from the obvious to the everyday.
The Victorian Government describes Islamophobia as ranging from overt acts of violence and harassment to more subtle forms of exclusion, stereotyping, and discrimination. It includes:
- Verbal abuse and slurs in public
- Online harassment and hate speech
- Social exclusion and avoidance
- Discrimination in employment, housing, and services
- Threats and intimidation
- Physical attacks
Not all Islamophobia is loud. Much of it happens quietly — in a comment made at a school gate, in the way someone is treated at a shop, in the hostility that builds up across small interactions over time. This "everyday" Islamophobia is just as damaging, because it affects whether people feel safe and able to participate fully in community life.
What Is Happening in Regional Victoria
One of the challenges in places like Gippsland is that localised data is limited. There is no comprehensive record of anti-Muslim incidents specific to Baw Baw Shire or the wider region.
But the ICV is clear: the absence of data should not be mistaken for the absence of incidents.
Islamophobia is significantly underreported — particularly in regional areas. The reasons are well-documented:
- Many people don't know where or how to report
- There is often a lack of confidence that reporting will lead to any outcome
- Everyday incidents become normalised over time, to the point where people stop seeing them as worth reporting
What the ICV is hearing, both formally and informally, reflects national and state-wide patterns. In Gippsland and communities like ours, this shows up as verbal abuse, social exclusion, and online hostility. And a consistent pattern runs through all of it: people who are visibly Muslim — particularly women who wear the hijab — are disproportionately targeted.
For Muslim families in smaller communities, the impact can be felt more widely. When a community is close-knit, an incident that affects one person ripples outward. It affects who feels comfortable attending the mosque, who lets their children walk to school, who feels welcome at the local footy club or the Saturday market.
Why This Matters Here
Warragul Mosque opened in 2024. It was the first mosque within 45 kilometres of Warragul — a milestone for a community that had long been practising their faith without a local home.
With a permanent place of worship comes greater visibility. And with greater visibility, unfortunately, can come greater exposure to prejudice.
We say this not to alarm, but because it is important to be honest. The Muslim community in Baw Baw Shire is small, it is diverse, and it is growing. Many of its members have lived here for years — quietly contributing to local schools, businesses, sporting clubs, and civic life. They are our neighbours, our colleagues, our children's classmates.
They deserve to live here without fear.
What the Victorian Government Says
The Victorian Government has made clear that Islamophobia is a form of racism and that it has no place in Victoria. The state's framework for combatting Islamophobia recognises that:
- Religious discrimination causes real harm to individuals and communities
- Building awareness is key to prevention
- Respectful, informed community conversations play an important role in reducing prejudice
- Bystander action — when people speak up or intervene — can make a real difference
You can read the Victorian Government's full guide on combatting Islamophobia at vic.gov.au.
What You Can Do
Whether you are Muslim or not, there are concrete steps you can take.
If you experience Islamophobia:
Report it to the ICV's Islamophobia Support Service. Reporting does two things: it connects you with support, and it helps build a clearer picture of what is actually happening across our communities. Under-reporting keeps the problem invisible.
📋 Report online: icv.org.au/islamophobia-support
If you witness Islamophobia:
You don't need to confront anyone aggressively. Sometimes the most powerful thing a bystander can do is acknowledge the person who was targeted — check in with them, sit with them, make clear they are not alone. If it is safe to do so, you can also calmly challenge what was said.
If you want to understand more:
Start with your own curiosity. Ask questions. Read. The mosque at 72 Victoria Street is open to visitors, and the community here genuinely welcomes conversations — with no pressure, no expectation, just openness.
If you are a local institution — a school, a sporting club, a council body:
Consider whether your policies, practices, and culture are genuinely inclusive of Muslim community members. Are your events and timings accessible? Do your staff know how to respond to a complaint of religious discrimination? Small changes in how institutions operate can have a significant effect on whether people feel they belong.
A Note to Our Community
If you have experienced Islamophobia in Gippsland — recently or in the past — we see you, and we are sorry that this is part of your experience of living here.
You are not imagining it. You are not overreacting. And you do not have to carry it alone.
Warragul Mosque exists to be a home — not just a place of prayer, but a place of community, support, and belonging. If something has happened and you want to talk about it, privately and without any pressure, please reach out.
📩 Email: hello@binai.org.au 📞 Phone: 0457 643 672
Warragul Mosque 72 Victoria Street, Warragul VIC 3820
Operated by BawBaw Islamic Network Australia Inc. (BINAI), a registered charity. ABN: 16 723 284 175.
Statistics and talking points sourced from the Islamic Council of Victoria's Anti-Muslim Racism VIC: January 2026 report and ICV Islamophobia in Gippsland Media Briefing. Victorian Government framework from vic.gov.au/combatting-islamophobia-guide-what-islamophobia.