Diana Abdel-Rahman OAM, winner of Lifetime Achiever of the Year,  Australian Muslim Achievement Awards 2020.

The Muslim community is reeling after a violent and racially motivated assault on Sunday 13 April 2025 in the heart of Canberra on respected multicultural advocate and community leader, Diana Abdel-Rahman OAM.

 

The attack has been widely condemned by community groups and advocacy organisations as yet another alarming sign of rising Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence specially against Muslim women.

Ms Abdel-Rahman, President of Australian Muslim Voice and an Executive Committee member of both the Canberra Islamic Centre (CIC) and Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF), was returning from a peaceful Palm Sunday rally in support of refugee rights and Palestinian solidarity when she was allegedly attacked.

According to reports, she was walking through the Canberra city bus interchange with a friend, holding a flagpole displaying Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and eating ice cream, when an unknown man violently struck her from behind.

He reportedly hit her in the head and body, forcibly ripped the flagpole from her hands, and threw it to the ground before fleeing the scene leaving the victim injured and shaken.

In a telephone interview with AMUST, Ms Abdel-Rahman recounted the incident, saying that although she did not get long term physical injuries, she was shaken to the core emotionally that this could happen to her in the capital of Australia.

“It was an unprovoked senseless attack, simply for holding a pole with both the Palestinian and Lebanese flags. I have provided police a statement and they will look into the CCTV footage and hopefully be able to identify the assailant and prosecute him, she said.

On a positive note, she expressed her feeling of great support from many diverse Australians of all background and faiths who overwhelmed her with emails, phone calls and statements of support from far and wide within Canberra and beyond.

“It was a horrible, unprovoked attack that shocked me. The coward hit me violently from behind — it all happened so fast,” Ms Abdel-Rahman said in a statement to the Islamophobia Register Australia. “It was a deliberate hit-and-run to rip that flagpole from my hand.”

The Islamophobia Register, which has documented a 568% increase in Islamophobic incidents since October 2023, strongly condemned the assault, calling it a “calculated” and “targeted” attack on a visibly Muslim woman expressing peaceful solidarity.

“This was not a random act,” said Dr Nora Amath, Executive Director of the Register. “It appears to be a calculated assault — an attempt to intimidate and silence a Muslim woman who was visibly expressing solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese communities.”

As Australia grapples with the consequences of rising bigotry and intolerance, the assault on Diana Abdel-Rahman serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for solidarity, justice, and the reaffirmation of the values that underpin a truly inclusive society.

The CMCF, representing over 100 multicultural communities in the ACT, issued a forceful statement condemning the attack.

“This was not simply an act of random violence,” said CMCF Secretary Chin Wong. “It was a targeted and hateful attack on a woman who dared to express support for displaced communities and human rights. It was an attack on freedom of expression, human dignity, and the values we hold dear as Australians.”

Echoing these concerns, Canberra Islamic Centre President Azra Khan stated,

“This was clearly not a random attack. It appears Ms Abdel-Rahman was followed and targeted deliberately. The normalisation of hate remains a significant issue.”

Ms Abdel-Rahman, a recipient of multiple awards including the Order of Australia Medal, is widely respected for her lifelong dedication to social cohesion, anti-racism, and interfaith collaboration.

The incident has sparked a broader call to action:

Community and Organisational Calls:

  • ACT Police are urged to fully investigate the assault as a hate crime and bring the perpetrator to justice.

  • Political leaders are called upon to publicly condemn the attack and actively combat Islamophobia and racial violence at all levels—individual, institutional, and structural.

  • The public is encouraged to stand united against all forms of hate.

“The multicultural community will not be silenced. We will not be intimidated. And we will not allow hate to define who we are,” said the CMCF in its statement.

As Australia grapples with the consequences of rising bigotry and intolerance, the assault on Diana Abdel-Rahman serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for solidarity, justice, and the reaffirmation of the values that underpin a truly inclusive society.

Statements of Support for Ms Diana Abdel-Rahman OAM

David Smith MP – Member for Bean

“It is particularly distressing that an executive member (of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum) was violently assaulted after a peaceful rally in support of refugees. It is clear that this was deliberate and targetted. We must stand against such acts of hate and recommit to work together in the spirit of respect, unity and compassion for all. This should be a foundation stone for all MPs and is a set of principles that will continue to guide me in my work in the community and parliament.”

Alicia Payne MP – Member for Canberra

“I am deeply saddened to hear that an Executive Member of the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum (CMCF) Inc, a respected community leader, was subject to a violent attack in Civic after attending the peaceful Palm Sunday rally for refugees on Sunday. This is not the Canberra we know and love. I condemn this attack along with all forms of racism and violence in the strongest terms. Multiculturalism is a strength of our community and should be celebrated always and respect for one another is the foundation of a peaceful society.”

Sanzida Akhter| Executive Branch Manager – Women, Youth and Multicultural Affairs, Community Services Directorate, ACT Government

“I am deeply disappointed to hear that this has taken place in our community. I would like to assure the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum and broader multicultural community of Canberra that acts of violence, particularly those against women, are not tolerated.

The diversity of our city is one of our greatest strengths and we will continue to promote the importance of multiculturalism, diversity and anti-racism through our work.”

Canberra Noticeboard FB – Anna Smyth

“Canberra loves you! Canberra needs you. Canberra is a better place with you in it. We’re so terribly sorry you’ve had to endure this awful attack.”

APAN

“The Palestine Action Group Canberra stands shoulder to shoulder with Diana Abdel-Rahman and condemns the cowardly attack on this leading figure in the multicultural community and the Palestinian solidarity movement in the ACT.

Attacks like this are authorised by actions and inactions of powerful people, governments and institutions who since at least October 2023 have been complicit in genocide and encouraging anti-Palestinian racism.”