A proposal to build the 1200-student Al Amanah Islamic College in the semi-rural Sydney suburb of Camden has seen an escalation of organised racism not seen in the Sydney area since the 2005 Cronulla riots.
December 19, 2007 saw 800 people from groups — including the far-right Australia First Party, various right-wing Christian organisations such as Christian Democratic Party and the NSW Knights of the Southern Cross — attend a public meeting opposed to the development of the Islamic school. The Camden Civic Centre was guarded by police after the venue had reached its capacity crowd of 600, and riot police were on standby.
Fred Nile, a member of the NSW state Upper House and leader of the Christian Democratic Party, was condemned by the president of the Uniting Church, Reverend Gregor Henderson for comments Nile made at the meeting which he told ABC Radio National on December 21. Henderson said the comments were "bordering on religious extremism". At the public meeting, Nile had reportedly said "Let's celebrate Christmas and celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, which is condemned in the Qur'an, which is a textbook of Islamic schools". Henderson told ABC Radio National "I think Fred is running the danger of inciting prejudice and distress in the community when there is no need for such fear".
According to ABC News Online on December 21, the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel, has invited Nile to have a coffee with him and learn about Islam. He also pointed out that Jesus Christ is a prophet of Islam.
In an earlier attack, which has been labelled as a "display of hatred" by the NSW Community Relations Committee, two pigs heads were impaled on metal stakes and an Australian flag draped over them at the proposed site of the school. Anti-discrimination groups and churches across the state have been outraged, as have some young residents of Camden.
Nicholas Ryan, a Christian and resident of the Camden area who has set up a Facebook group, People Against Racism in Camden, told the Camden Advertiser on January 9 "I don't believe in Islam, but I do believe Islamic Australians have as much right to teach and preach as anyone else. It's a shame Camden is quickly becoming synonymous with racism. I hope to represent an alternate view of a peace-loving, cohesive and tolerant Camden".
Conservative columnist Piers Ackerman tried in his January 15 Daily Telegraph column to bait PM Kevin Rudd to declare his position on the Camden proposal and the broader issue: "the Labor government owes it to the electors to tell them where it stands on multiculturalism, the Camden issue would be a good place to start". Piers had not done his research properly, as during the election campaign Rudd announced he opposed the proposed Islamic College on "planning grounds".
Racist provocations in Camden have not ended yet, with the Camden Advertiser suggesting on January 10, that the Australia First Party is planning to hijack Australia Day celebrations in Camden. Jim Saleam, state secretary of Australia First — convicted of involvement in an attack on an anti-apartheid activist in the late 80s — has denied that the group are planning this.
The racism and fear being exposed in the community of Camden is indicative of the link between "the war on terror" and increased racism and discrimination against the Islamic community within Australia and in the western world.