Chris Minns’ Ramdan Letter

Some thoughts regarding the Ramadan letter Chris Minns posted to the Muslim Community.

Chris Minns writes:

Ramadan is not a seasonal greeting to be deployed in a moment of political damage control. If you invoke Ramadan, then understand what it represents: justice, consideration and reflection before God.

Then perhaps the timing should cause some reflection. Because the events of Monday, the 9th of February, are not abstract “difficult moments.” Peaceful protesters, young and old, including Muslims in prayer, were assaulted by the NSW Police Force. Ramadan does not wash that away.

Which leaders?

Names matter. Representation matters. The Muslim community is not a photo opportunity nor a small circle of repeat invitees who appear whenever a press statement is needed or during a crisis. Who exactly did you meet with? Who authorised them to meet with you, as a first point, and then speak on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Muslims across NSW?

Difficult for whom?

For those who were aggressively restrained, punched, pepper-sprayed, and physically thrown during prayer, that was not a “difficult conversation.” That was a real experience. Let’s not reframe community hurt as a political inconvenience.

What people witnessed by the NSW Police Force was not simply an operational error. It was confirmation of what many already believed: that, for certain communities, restraint is secondary and force instinctive. Further, for the past two years, you have not even pretended to conceal your posture toward this community. The escalation, the rhetoric, and the reflexive defence of force have been consistent. Please do not now pivot to language of innocence when the pattern is plain.

Before we talk about “next steps,” the first step is simple: publicly accept responsibility for what happened. Then, let’s talk about those who were struck and physically harmed. Their justice does not sit in some future reform package. It sits in honest investigation and consequence. You cannot skip over the injured and move straight to messaging about improvement. Let’s be clear. The community did not create the conditions that led the police to commit their actions.

If that were truly the guiding principle, your leadership would look very different.

Cohesion is not compatible with threat narratives that are later revealed to be fake. It is not compatible with framing protesters as inherently dangerous. It is not compatible with language that positions certain communities as risks to be surveilled. Over the past two years, your sympathy, actions, laws and energy have been for Israel, not NSW. It has not been bridging. It has been partisan, combative, and alarmist.

It is difficult to accept declarations of concern from someone who allowed a weapons expo in his state, allowing the presence of companies with weapons testing in Gaza on children, heightened policing, dismissive rhetoric, and political framing that paints standing for justice as a threat. Young people are perceptive. They notice patterns.

Tadabbur is not a word to decorate a post. It means to deeply reflect, to examine consequences, to confront truth beyond surface explanations. The real audacity lies in invoking values you have not demonstrated. You cannot speak of reflection while deflecting responsibility. You cannot speak of cohesion while presiding over deep division. Language without lived consistency is not leadership, it is branding.

The communities of NSW  do not need empty words or carefully drafted assurances. It needs leadership that is measured and capable of representing all of New South Wales. The community requires space from you, Premier.