More than 40 attacks on Muslims in Sydney since Bali bombings

More than 40 attacks on Muslims in Sydney since Bali bombings

Associated Press
Sydney, Australia

Islamic clerics have been spat on, mosques vandalized and
Muslim girls have had their head scarves ripped off since
bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali killed nearly 200
people, many of them Australians.

There have been more than 40 anti-Islamic attacks in Sydney
alone since the Oct. 12 blasts, New South Wales state Police
Commissioner Ken Moroney said Monday.

"It's offensive, and it illustrates an element of ignorance
and arrogance on their (the attackers') part," he added.

Dozens of Australians died when a massive explosion ripped
through a nightclub popular with foreign tourists in the beach-
side Bali resort of Kuta.

The main suspect in the attack is Southeast Asian Islamic
extremist group Jamaah Islamiyah, which is believed to have links
with the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Moroney said even more attacks likely were going unreported,
particularly on Muslim women who feared retribution if they told
authorities.

"These Muslim women need to come forward without fear of
repercussions and talk to police so we can get a clear picture of
what is going on," Moroney said.

He did not give more details on the various anti-Islamic
attacks but last Tuesday, vandals smashed several windows and
walls of the King Abdul Aziz Islamic School in western Sydney.
The adjoining mosque and Muslim leader's residence also were
damaged.

Also last week, a mosque in the southern city of Melbourne was
firebombed.

Police have made no arrests in any of the attacks.
Muslims in Australia also faced abuse and attacks in the days
immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and
Washington. Mosques were torched, veiled Muslim girls abused and
a bus full of children going to an Islamic school was stoned.