Australia finally getting it on Iran
Granting asylum to Iranian footballers signals a growing recognition of the regime’s brutality and its dangers.
We applaud the government’s decision to grant asylum to members of the Iranian women’s football team.
It was the right thing to do. We have seen what happens to Iranian women who dare to defy the despotic regime in Tehran. Just ask the family of Mahsa Amini, who was brutally beaten to death after being arrested by Iran’s absurdly-named “morality police” for not wearing her hijab properly.
For that matter, we have seen what the evil Islamic Regime does to any Iranian who dares challenge it, such as the 30,000 citizens its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are alleged to have massacred in January.
As Jews, the plight of the Iranian people resonates strongly. We are natural allies. Israel and Iran enjoyed warm relations before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Iranians in Australia have stood staunchly by our side as antisemitism has run rampant since October 7, 2023. In turn, we have shown up for them in recent months in weeks, firstly in response to the nationwide protests and regime violence at the start on 2026 and more recently as the United States and Israel began their campaign against the Ayatollahs at the end of February.
The Albanese government’s support of that military action, together with it granting asylum status to the footballers, shows it is starting to “get it”. This follows Australia expelling the Iranian ambassador and listing the IRGC as a terrorist organisation following confirmation that Iran was behind the Adass Israel Synagogue and Lewis’ Continental Kitchen firebombings in 2024.
Post Bondi, the government and the prime minister are also starting to understand the real nature and dangers of antisemitism. It may be too little, too late for the 15 murdered at Bondi, but not for the approximately 110,000 Jews who remain in Australia, not to mention the soul of this country itself.
The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion will be essential to furthering that understanding. Which is why it is so important for as many members of our community as possible, who have been impacted by antisemitism, to share their experiences. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry’s guidelines will make it easier for more people to do just that.
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