Mob attacks Islamic centres in Australia

Islamic officials in Australia believe an attack on a school and the home of a Muslim leader was vengeance for the deaths in …

Islamic officials in Australia believe an attack on a school and the home of a Muslim leader was vengeance for the deaths in the bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Several windows and walls of the King Abdul Aziz Islamic School and the adjoining mosque and Muslim leader's residence in western Sydney were damaged.

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Without a shadow of a doubt this attack was motivated by hate, probably of religion more than race
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Mr Kuranda Seyit, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils spokesman

Police say the attack, believed to have been carried out by two men, is not being treated as a hate crime.

But the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils says it believes the attack was motivated by religious intolerance, and was carried out by people seeking retribution for the deaths of Australians in Bali.

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Australia is expected to have the highest number of victims in the explosion that killed at least 180 people in a nightclub popular with foreign tourists in the beachside resort of Kuta on Saturday.

Australian government officials say 30 of its nationals have been confirmed among the dead and more than 180 remain unaccounted for.

"Without a shadow of a doubt this attack (in Sydney) was motivated by hate, probably of religion more than race," Australian Federation of Islamic Councils spokesman Mr Kuranda Seyit said.

"This is what we call the backlash that tends to happen after every world event involving allegations that Muslims were involved."

Mr Seyit also says more than 20 men had attacked the buildings with poles, broken chairs and beer bottles. He says officials expect the backlash to continue and that mosques and Islamic schools in Australia are taking additional security precautions.

AP