Australia's Largest Mosque Receives 'Kill Muslims' Threat Letters Ahead of Ramadan

Australian police have launched an investigation after three threatening letters were sent to Lakemba Mosque, the country’s largest mosque, just hours before the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

The letters sent to Lakemba Mosque contained hand-drawn images of pigs and threats to kill “the Muslim race,” according to local television station ABC News. The letters also included references to the man who carried out the Christchurch massacre.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon confirmed he had seen the letters. “We have received them and are investigating,” he said.

Police said the letters had been seized for forensic examination and that patrols around places of worship, including Lakemba Mosque, as well as community events, would continue.

Two previous letters sent to the mosque in recent weeks included one depicting the building engulfed in flames.

Community leaders said the latest development had left the community feeling uneasy, as several thousand worshippers attend prayers at the mosque during Ramadan.

“We have received so many enquiries about whether it is safe to go and pray,” said Gamel Kheir, secretary of the Lebanese Muslim Association, which manages the mosque, speaking to ABC News. “That is not a question any Australian should have to ask.”

Lakemba Mosque is expected to accommodate approximately 5,000 worshippers each evening during Ramadan. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, more than 60 per cent of residents in the Lakemba suburb identify as Muslim.

The incident comes amid broader concerns about rising racism and Islamophobia in Australia. A national study released earlier this month found that nearly 79 per cent of university staff and students had experienced racism on campus.

Community leaders said threats against the mosque could not be viewed in isolation. Tensions have remained high since the deadly attack at Bondi Beach late last year.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the threats, calling them “outrageous.”

“It is outrageous that people who are simply practising their faith, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims, are being targeted with this kind of intimidation,” he told ABC Radio, urging a reduction in heated political rhetoric.