Right-wing extremism, hate speech and Islamophobia are on the rise. The need to answer the threat to our multicultural democracy has been made more urgent by the recent devastating massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand. What can be done to answer this challenge and build cross-cultural empathy and understanding? And what is the role of the media?

On Wednesday 29 April 2019, The Melbourne Press Club and the Australian Intercultural Society co-hosted an iftar meal and forum discussion with:

• Tasneem Chopra, author, activist and chair of the Australian Muslim Women’s Centre for Human Rights
• Greg Barton, professor and Chair in Global Islamic Politics at Deakin University
• Ahmed Hassan, multicultural community worker and Youth Activating Youth director

The discussion was moderated by Sushi Das, author and chief of staff at RMIT ABC Fact Check.