The global community remains in a state of profound shock and mourning following a devastating antisemitic attack in Sydney, Australia. On December 14, 2025, a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach left at least 15 people dead and 40 others hospitalized. Among the victims was a 10-year-old girl, the youngest life tragically cut short.
A Predictable Tragedy in a Rising Tide of Hate
While the brutality of the assault sent waves of horror around the world, for many observers, it was a grimly predictable event. Author and activist Raheel Raza argues this attack is part of a dangerous pattern of antisemitic violence that has escalated since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and even before. She states that warnings about the rise of a radical Islamist ideology, issued for decades, were often dismissed as fearmongering. Raza contends that Western liberal leaders have, in her view, inadvertently enabled this extremist ideology to fester.
Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism Proposes Concrete Steps
In response to the massacre, the Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism (CMAA), a group dedicated to combating Jew-hatred, issued a powerful statement. They declared that thoughts and prayers are insufficient; proactive measures are urgently required, especially in Canada where antisemitism has been normalized and is rising at an alarming rate.
The organization has put forward a series of specific recommendations for Canadian authorities:
• Political Solidarity: Muslim and Arab Members of Parliament and Senators should publicly declare solidarity with the Jewish community and unequivocally condemn the Bondi Beach attack.
• Ban Extremist Groups: Canada must follow the lead of jurisdictions like Florida and Texas and ban the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliated networks.
• Accountability for Places of Worship: Any religious institution that wilfully promotes hatred against any community must be investigated for legal violations and should lose its status as a religious institution. This suggestion comes amid ongoing debate over religious exemptions in Bill C-9, Canada's proposed anti-hate legislation.
• Enforce Existing Laws: Law enforcement must actively use the full range of existing hate-related offences in the Criminal Code, including inciting hate, to arrest and prosecute offenders.
Legislative Action and Protest Boundaries
• Support for Bill C-9: Parliamentarians are urged to support Bill C-9 in a non-partisan manner, with amendments. This includes creating a new offence for the wilful promotion of terror groups and terrorist activities, as proposed by Conservative MP Roman Baber in a private member's bill.
• Regulating Protests: While affirming that protest is integral to democracy, the CMAA argues it is unacceptable when participants hide their faces and glorify entities officially designated as terrorist organizations by the Canadian government.
Raheel Raza's call to action is a plea for spiritually-awakened Muslims and all people of conscience to stand united against the venom of antisemitism. She emphasizes that the time for warnings has passed; the Bondi Beach massacre is a horrific testament to the cost of inaction, and concrete steps must be taken now to prevent further bloodshed and hatred.
