Sydney Islamic School Targeted In Online Bomb Threat

New South Wales police are investigating a bomb threat made against an Islamic school in Lakemba on Wednesday.

The threat was made underneath a TikTok from Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek, who attended the opening of Lakemba campus of Al-Faisal College earlier in the year. Although the video was posted in February, the Islamophobic comment wasn’t made until Wednesday, with a user posting “kaboom” alongside three bomb emojis.

El-Hayek reported the incident to police immediately, who visited the school swiftly.

In a press release posted on Friday, the Islamophobia Register said they had recorded a 551% increase in reported Islamophobic attacks since October 7, 2023.

“It is unacceptable that schools- places of learning and safety- are now being subjected to such vile intimidation. We call on both the Australian Government and tech companies to take immediate and decisive action to prevent that spread of hate speech and threats online,” said Executive Director of the Register, Dr Nora Amath, in a statement posted online.

“The failure of platforms to remove explicit threats only emboldens those who seek to incite violence against Australian Muslims. Stronger enforcement of anti-hate policies, stricter regulation of online platforms, and real consequences for those spreading Islamophobia are urgently needed.”

Investigations ongoing

In the statement posted online by the Register, El Hayek said that the messages were hateful and hurtful.

“What sort of person does this sort of thing?” he asked. “When I saw the comment, it made me feel sick that someone would spread fear to innocent children and the rest of the community.”

In a letter to parents on Thursday, Executive Principal of the College, Safia Khan Hassanein said that the school had full confidence in the police investigation, and reassured them that the wellbeing and safety of students and staff remained paramount.

“We have implemented all necessary security measures, and local police are conducting regular patrols around the school.”

NSW Police confirmed that officers at the Bankstown Police Area Command were conducting ongoing investigations.

The school is currently continuing to run as usual.

On the same day the threat was made, a Western Australian teenager was arrested and charged after writing “going to christ church 2.0 this joint” on the social media of an Edmondson Park mosque.