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Muslim voters with foreign policy in mind

Farid FaridAAP
Islamic Council of Victoria president Adel Salman outlines some voter concerns from his community.
Camera IconIslamic Council of Victoria president Adel Salman outlines some voter concerns from his community. Credit: AAP

Far-right extremism and Islamophobia are among the concerns of a majority of Australia's Muslim voters.

In the countdown to Saturday's federal election, a survey of 200 people conducted by the Islamic Council of Victoria found more than half had foreign policy front of mind, especially the treatment of Palestinians by Israel and the beleaguered Muslim Uighur minority.

The survey and electoral scorecard, collated via social media and a website called My Vote Matters, listed issues deemed important to Muslim Australians such as Islamophobia, religious freedom, economy, foreign affairs and refugees and where the major political parties stood.

Almost half of voters surveyed across different age groups said they were extremely concerned about far-right extremism.

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Council president Adel Salman said there was a feeling of disenchantment in his community, stemming from the federal government's stance on Islamophobic attacks following the Christchurch massacre.

"The Muslim community has not felt the government has taken the concern of anti-Muslim sentiment and the threat of far-right extremism seriously," he told AAP.

"We know that Islamophobia kills but also restricts people's ability to live their lives because they're afraid they'll be attacked, vilified or insulted when they go out".

Muslims make up more than 2.5 per cent, or about 600,000, of Australia's population.

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