Aftab Malik appointed as Australia’s first Islamophobia envoy
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The news: Muslim scholar Aftab Malik has been appointed Australia’s first special envoy to counter Islamophobia.
The context: More than two months ago, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared the envoy would be announced shortly, but the search was delayed after a number of approaches fell through.
As exclusively revealed by Capital Brief on Monday, the government confirmed Malik had been selected to take up a three-year term and begin in the role on 14 October. He will report directly to Multicultural Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
UK-born Malik is recognised as a global expert on Muslim affairs at the UN Alliance of Civilisations. He has recently spent a decade working in the NSW Premier’s Department.
The appointment comes after Jillian Segal was unveiled as Australia’s first special envoy countering antisemitism in July.
Labor announced both roles would be created at the beginning of the year, amid fears for social cohesion during the Israel-Gaza conflict. It says the role will include engaging with the Muslim community, religious discrimination experts, and governments on countering Islamophobia.
What they said: “Anti-semitism and Islamophobia are not mutually exclusive: where there is one, you most likely will find the other, lurking. I don’t intend to use this role to advocate that one form of hatred is more important than another: both antisemitism and Islamophobia are unacceptable,” Malik said in a statement.
The source: Prime Minister’s statement
