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Albanese taps Muslim leader Ali Kadri for Islamophobia envoy role

The government wants a high-profile Queensland Muslim leader to be Australia's first Islamophobia envoy, but the deal isn't sewn up.

Anthony Galloway and Finn McHugh
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Anthony Albanese's government has made an approach for the Islamophobia envoy role. AAP / Thomas Parrish.

The government has approached Ali Kadri, a high-profile Queensland Muslim leader, to be Australia's first envoy to counter Islamophobia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed last week that Jillian Segal will serve as Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism, saying an Islamophobia envoy would be unveiled shortly.

Multiple sources with an understanding of the process have told Capital Brief that Ali, chief executive of the Islamic College of Brisbane (ICB) and a well-known figure in Brisbane, has been approached for the role. That approach only took place in recent days, and he has not yet made a decision on taking the role.

Kadri escaped sectarian violence in his native India, arriving in Australia aged 21. Initially an international student studying a masters’ degree, he went on to become the youngest president of Brisbane’s Holland Park Mosque. As CEO of the ICB, Kadri has regularly taken part in media events designed to combat Islamophobia in Australia.