The government's response to the Israel-Gaza war and rising Islamophobia has angered many Muslim Australians.
6 hours ago
Lana LamSydney
Australia's prime minister has been heckled during an event at a Sydney mosque marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Anthony Albanese and Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke were at Lakemba Mosque - one of the largest in Australia - after being invited by community leaders to attend Eid prayers on Friday morning, local time.
Several attendees accused the pair of being "genocide supporters", shouting "boo" and "get out of here" as a mosque leader gave a speech calling for the government to better engage with Muslim Australians.
There is deep upset within much of Australia's Muslim community over the government's response to the Israel-Gaza war and rising Islamophobia at home.
A man who was shouting at Albanese was removed from the mosque by police but later released without charge and told to move on, according to news agency Australian Associated Press.
After the speech finished, the prime minister made his way out of the mosque through the crowds and continued to be shouted at by several people, with one asking: "Why is he here? Get him out of here! It's a disgrace".
Shortly after the event finished, the Lebanese Muslim Association - which operates the mosque - released a statement saying Albanese was welcome at the prayers and that they would "continue to open" their doors.
"We understand that emotions are high, particularly given the ongoing suffering in Gaza and the devastation in Lebanon. These are not distant issues for our community," it said.
"But we also need to be clear. Choosing to engage with the elected leadership of this country is not a betrayal of those concerns. It is how we give them a voice."
Albanese later told media he was welcomed by most of the 30,000-plus crowd at the mosque - which has been the target of several threatening letters in recent months.
"Overwhelmingly the reception was incredibly positive," he said, according to the Guardian Australia.
He suggested the unrest from a few protestors may be over his government's recent moves to outlaw extremist organisations such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group which calls for a single Islamic government across the Muslim world and which has been accused of celebrating terrorism.
Earlier, Albanese had posted about the visit on social media, writing that it was "an honour" to join the prayers, alongside smiling photos of him greeting worshippers.
During his speech in the mosque, community leader Gamel Kheir told attendees that "we can neither totally disengage nor invite politicians for some cheap token photo opportunity".
The mosque also said, in a social media post, that Friday's event was the first time the prime minister had been invited to attend prayers since the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Community tensions - and reports of both antisemitism and Islamophobia - have been rising in Australia since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel's offensive in Gaza has led to more than 72,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Friday's incident is not the first time politicians have received mixed receptions at Eid events in recent years, with critics saying the religious celebrations should not involve politics.
During last year's federal election campaign, Jason Wood - from the conservative Liberal Party - had to be escorted out of an Eid event after he was heckled at a Melbourne mosque.
The Albanese government, which joined the UK and Canada in recognising a Palestinian state late last year, has been under fire for its response to the Gaza conflict and the Bondi mass shooting in December which killed 15 people at a Jewish event.
One gunman was shot dead at the scene and the other is currently facing court proceedings. Allegedly inspired by Islamic State ideology, it was Australia's worst mass shooting in almost three decades.
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