Arabic version: مبعوث يدين إساءة مزعومة بحق فتاة في حافلة بسيدني

According to ABC News, Australia’s Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, has condemned alleged verbal abuse directed at a 13-year-old girl on a Sydney bus last week. The girl, Janna, said the incident began when she stood up for another girl in a hijab who a man was allegedly photographing without her knowledge.

The 50-year-old man was arrested at a Greenacre home at about 2:20pm on Tuesday, NSW Police said. He was taken to Bankstown Police Station and charged with stalking and intimidation intending fear or physical harm. He was refused bail and is due to appear before Bankstown Local Court on Wednesday.

Videos obtained by the ABC showed the man allegedly calling Janna an “immigrant mutt” and a “terrorist”, and telling another girl, “I can’t wait until they kill all of you”. His comments appeared to be directed at Muslim women on the bus last Thursday.

Mr Malik said the alleged abuse reflected a wider problem, citing Islamophobia Register Australia figures showing average weekly reports of Islamophobic incidents had risen from 2.5 to 18 over the past three years, a 612 per cent increase. He invited Transport for NSW to work with his office on measures to protect Muslim school children wearing the hijab. Transport for NSW said it was aware of the incident, which the bus driver reported after it occurred, and said everyone had the right to feel safe on public transport.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said Muslim women and girls had the right to wear a hijab and travel without abuse or intimidation. Islamophobia Register Australia executive director Aishah Ali said the organisation had a backlog of 400 cases and that its government funding for youth education initiatives did not cover core operational work.