Three arrested after imam allegedly assaulted, threatened in racially motivated attack
A Melbourne Islamic leader and his wife were allegedly driven off the road and racially abused, prompting calls for greater action on Islamophobia.
Three arrested after imam allegedly assaulted, threatened in racially motivated attack
Three people have been arrested after a Muslim leader and his wife were allegedly driven off the road and racially abused in Melbourne’s south-east, prompting calls from religious organisations for stronger action on Islamophobia.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina Islamic Society in Noble Park said its leader, Imam Ismet Purdic, had experienced profound trauma after he and his wife were targeted with Islamophobic slurs and threats, including a stabbing threat, on Saturday.
Imam Ismet Purdic and his wife were allegdely racially attacked at the weekend. Credit: Facebook
Police said the imam and his wife were driving along the Gippsland Highway in Dandenong South about 7.40pm on Saturday when they were targeted with racial abuse from the occupants of a nearby black hatchback.
The hatchback is said to have blocked the imam’s vehicle, forcing him off the road and into a nearby service station before the occupants got out of their car and damaged the couple’s car.
The Australian National Imams Council said the imam was also punched and objects were hurled at his car.
Police said: “Good Samaritans intervened before the offenders allegedly returned to their vehicle and fled. The trio was arrested in Dandenong South yesterday.”
Brendan Nicholls, a 23-year-old man from Cranbourne North, was charged alongside a 22-year-old man from Cranbourne East. The pair have been charged with criminal damage and common law assault.
Nicholls was remanded in custody to appear in the Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Monday. The Cranbourne East man was released on bail to appear in court in May.
An 18-year-old woman from Dandenong South was also arrested, but released pending summons.
In a post on Facebook after the attack, Purdic said: “Thank you everyone for the prayers, calls, texts. I can’t get a hold of everyone. Me and my wife are doing fine and so are the kids, thank you all.”
Premier Jacinta Allan said she spoke with Purdic and his wife on Monday, describing the attack as a “terrible” instance of Islamophobia.
“I want to say very clearly to the Muslim community, but particularly to Muslim women, that I will fight and support your right every single day to live freely in this state, free from hate, and also fight for your right to move around our community safely and with dignity,” Allan said.