New South Wales police have opened a formal investigation into a threatening letter delivered to Lakemba Mosque in western Sydney on Wednesday, the third such communication received by Australia’s largest mosque since late January. The letter, which contained a drawing of a pig alongside a written threat to kill the “Muslim race,” arrived hours before the start of Ramadan, the month-long fasting period observed by an estimated two billion Muslims worldwide.
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed at a media conference Thursday that officers had taken possession of the letter and commenced a formal investigation.
“We are providing significant support to the Muslim community at the time of Ramadan,” he said. The letter has been submitted for forensic analysis.
The sequence of threats has unfolded over less than four weeks. A 70-year-old man was arrested and charged in January in connection with a letter sent to the mosque on Australia Day, a letter that singled out Muslims, Middle Eastern communities, Indigenous people, and left-wing politicians. A second letter followed weeks later, reportedly depicting Muslim worshippers inside a burning mosque. Wednesday’s delivery was the third.
Lakemba, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area roughly 15 kilometres southwest of the Sydney central business district, is one of the most ethnically diverse communities in the country. According to the 2021 Census, 61 per cent of its residents identified as Muslim. The mosque itself is the largest in Australia. Up to 5,000 people are expected to attend each night during Ramadan for the Taraweeh prayer. The end-of-month Eid al-Fitr celebration draws considerably larger numbers.
The Lebanese Muslim Association, the body responsible for managing the mosque, has formally requested additional government support. Gamel Kheir, its secretary, said he had seen an “alarming increase” in people asking whether it would be safe to attend Lakemba Mosque during Ramadan. The association wrote to state authorities seeking funding for extra security personnel and expanded CCTV coverage around the site.
“Community members have contacted us expressing fear that something may happen, particularly given the current tensions in the broader environment,” the LMA said in a statement. “Families are anxious. Parents are worried about bringing their children to prayers. No community should feel this way in Australia.”
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Bilal El-Hayek, mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown, described the mood in the area as one of palpable unease. “I’ve heard first-hand from people saying that they won’t be sending their kids to practice this Ramadan because they’re very concerned about things that might happen in local mosques,” he said. He characterised the current climate as the worst he had witnessed. “There’s been a massive increase post-Bondi. Without a doubt, this is the worst I have ever seen it.”
El-Hayek’s reference was to a mass shooting at Bondi Beach on December 14 last year, when Australian authorities allege two gunmen inspired by Islamic State killed 15 people attending a Jewish Hanukkah celebration. The attack triggered a sharp escalation in reported anti-Muslim incidents nationally. The Islamophobia Register Australia documented a 740 per cent spike in reports in its aftermath, and its 2023–2024 report recorded the highest number of incidents since the register was established, encompassing physical assaults, verbal abuse, threats, and vandalism.
The broader trend predates December. A government-commissioned report found that anti-Muslim sentiment had been rising in Australia since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in late 2023.
Australia’s special envoy to combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, extended an invitation this week to One Nation senator Pauline Hanson to join him for an iftar meal during Ramadan, after Hanson faced public criticism following remarks she made on Sky News suggesting there are no “good” Muslims. She subsequently offered a partial and conditional apology.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the situation directly in a radio interview Thursday morning.
“It is outrageous that people just going about commemorating their faith, particularly during the holy month for Muslims of Ramadan, are subject to this sort of intimidation,” he told ABC radio. He called for a broader reduction in the temperature of political discourse, a message he said he had delivered repeatedly.
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NSW Police said it would deploy additional resources under Operation Shelter to religious and community sites throughout the Ramadan period, scaled to community needs and assessed risk levels. Uniformed patrols at Lakemba Mosque and surrounding areas are expected to continue through the month.
The LMA’s Imam, Yahya Safi, said the threats extended beyond a single congregation. “When a mosque such as Lakemba receives repeated threats on the eve of Ramadan, it does not just affect one congregation,” he said. “It sends a message to Muslim families across the country.”
Forensic examination of Wednesday’s letter is ongoing. Police have not indicated a timeline for results or whether the latest threat is believed to be connected to the January incident for which a man has already been charged. The case remains open.