A Muslim group has filed an “islamophobia” complaint against the Hindu Council of Australia to the Australian Human Rights Commission for a series of alleged social media posts.
The complaint by the Alliance Against Islamophobia (AAI), an advocacy group formed in 2022 in response to “anti-Muslim hate speech from far-right Hindu extremist rhetoric in Australia”, makes accusations against the peak body Hindu organisation, its president Sai Paravastu, and his wife and head of media and marketing Neelima Paravastu.
The AAI complaint focuses on posts made on X and Instagram between May 2024 and July 2025, including some in Hindi, that allegedly impugn Indian, Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslims, The Guardian reported.
Other posts highlighted in the complaint are allegedly critical of the burqa and Muslim New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and the complaint covers comments allegedly made by Mr Paravastu calling for the removal of Muslim prayer rooms from schools.
The complaint also alleged the HCA was “islamophobic” by sharing posts made by Charlie Kirk and Tommy Robinson, one of which from Kirk allegedly reads: “Islam is not compatible with the West. Importing millions of Muslims is suicidal.”
Robinson’s post allegedly reads: “I’ve been warning America of the problems Islam brings for many years, hoping they’re not blind-sided like we in Europe were.”
The AAI alleges that the posts and comments carry the imputation that Muslims are “inherently criminal, dangerous, violent or evil by nature”, “prey upon children, the aged and the vulnerable” and “homogeneously pose a powerful threat or menace”.
The complaint alleges that the posts violate Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act – which makes it unlawful to “offend, insult, humiliate or intimidate” a person on the basis of their “race, colour or national or ethnic origin” – and amount to unlawful discrimination under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act.
The AAI is seeking compensation for “harm and distress caused”, a formal public apology, the removal of the alleged material, and an enforceable undertaking to cease further alleged vilifying conduct.
According to AAI legal representatives Birchgrove Legal, the AHRC accepted the complaint on September 6.
The AAI last year filed an “islamophobia” complaint against then-Opposition leader Peter Dutton with the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board for a comment he made about Afghan immigrant Muslim senator Fatima Payman, who holds her position despite not renouncing her Afghanistan citizenship.
“The prime minister, if he’s in a minority government in the next term of parliament, it will include the Greens, it’ll include Green-Teals, it’ll include Muslim candidates from Western Sydney. It will be a disaster,” Mr Dutton said.
The AAI’s complaint alleged that Mr Dutton’s remarks reinforced “harmful stereotypes about the Muslim community” and contributed to a “hostile environment for Muslim Australians”.
The complaint comes after Australia’s first “Envoy to Combat Islamophobia” demanded a new censorship regime be put in place to protect Muslims, and the HCA demanded its own “hinduphobia” envoy after a Melbourne temple was graffitied.
Header image: President Sai Paravastu at an HCA event in July (HCA).
