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The Islamic Council of Victoria has reported an increase in Islamophobia, warning that the actual number of victims is likely far higher than reported.
On Saturday, the council held its first conference on Islamophobia, with politicians, police, religious leaders and academics among those in attendance at the event in Melbourne.
In a report released to coincide with the conference, it estimated more than 85% of Islamophobia incidents were not reported.
The council received 96 individual case reports from people affected by Islamophobia since 2021, but 26 of these had come in only six months, from January to July this year, the council said.
The majority of the reports related to verbal abuse or mockery, followed by workplace discrimination.
Islamophobia incidents that were not directly reported by a victim – but could include occurrences of anti-Muslim racism such as online “hate comments”, emails sent to Muslim organisations, “hostile phone calls” and other material including “dehumanising media commentary” – had also increased, the council said.
It reported 3,254 such incidents between January and July.
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The council said many Muslims did not report Islamophobia because they feared not being taken seriously and had a distrust of police and government bodies.
“Underreporting makes it easier for institutions to deny the scale of the problem,” the ICV found. “It also means many victims never access the support, validation or justice they deserve.”
Reports of Islamophobia and antisemitism have increased amid a backdrop of the war in Gaza.
On Friday, in New South Wales the Minns government announced a $1m program to combat anti-Muslim hate, including establishing a support hotline for victims and a program to build awareness of Islamophobia.
The initiative will fund a support hotline for those experiencing Islamophobia and a case management system for victims of abuse so authorities and the community have better information about what behaviours are being experienced.
The Action Against Islamophobia program, which will administer the grant, is run by the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC).
The ANIC president, Imam Shadi Alsuleiman, previously told Guardian Australia there had been a rise in anti-Muslim hate, which had left many anxious about engaging in daily religious activities, such as praying in mosques or leaving the house wearing the hijab.
“Islamophobia manifests itself in the community in several different ways, and we’ve seen an increase in micro aggressions that are often brushed off as ignorance or rude behaviour.
“Understanding how Muslims experience Islamophobia will help guide our approach to combating the issue on a holistic level.”
