The Afghans Who Bring the Persecution of Hazaras to Australia
Here are the six individuals, along with some background, who co-authored the 2021 parliamentary submission (see page 3, document number 43) targeting the Hazara community—an inquiry widely criticized for its blatant racism, distortions, and falsehoods.
The submission resurfaced recently after The Guardian Australia revealed that one of its authors is none other than Atal Zahid Safi, also known as Zahid Safi, the current Liberal candidate for Bruce, an electorate with one of Australia's largest Hazara populations. The irony is hard to miss.
In their submission, the authors attempt to frame Hazaras as a national security threat to Australia (see page 14). At one point, they even write: “The Australian Government should work closely with key stakeholders from the Afghan Diaspora, including the authors of these submissions.” In other words, they’re positioning themselves as the authoritative voices of the community, people to be consulted, reconciled with, and trusted. The implications are as concerning as they are revealing.
1) Atal Zahid Safi
At the center of this controversy is Atal Zahid Safi, one of the authors of a 2021 parliamentary submission that vilified the Hazara community in Australia. When you read his biography and then look at his actions, you’re left asking: What exactly is going on in this man’s mind? Safi, born in 1987 in Laghman Province, Afghanistan, was an infant when his family fled to Pakistan. He spent his formative years there, growing up far removed from the lived realities of Afghanistan. At 16, he and his family sought asylum in Finland, where he learned Finnish, attended university, and built a life. A decade later, in 2013, he moved to Australia. He married a woman named Zinab Husseinkhil, and they have six children together. Fast forward to 2021, and Safi co-authored a submission to the Australian Parliament, an appalling document that paints Hazaras as a national security threat. In it, the authors claim Hazaras have never been persecuted in Afghanistan, dismissing years of documented violence, systemic discrimination, and the ongoing genocide against them. They had the audacity to tell Parliament: Don’t believe the Hazaras, they’re lying. And now, at age 36, Safi has nominated himself to run for Parliament, under the Liberal Party banner, no less, in the seat of Division of Bruce in the state of Victoria, one of the most Hazara-populated electorates in Australia. This is a man who publicly delegitimizes your trauma, denies your history, and casts your community as dangerous and as a threat to Australia. And now, he wants to represent you? What are we supposed to make of this? Is it hypocrisy? Opportunism? Deep-seated racism masked as political ambition? How does someone co-author a submission steeped in hatred and Hazara-phobia, and just three years later, ask for the votes of the very people he tried to harm? This is more than political irony. It’s a troubling contradiction, an oxymoronic dilemma that deserves answers. A man who has never seen what Afghanistan looks like, and is far removed from its reality, suddenly emerges to persecute Hazaras in the diaspora?
2) Tamkin Hakim
Tamkin Hakim, the sister of famous journalist and philanthropist Yalda Hakim, works as a mental health counselor with Allied Health Professionals. While Yalda is widely recognized for her advocacy for girls’ education and her commitment to humanitarian causes, including the recent launch of a foundation offering scholarships to Afghanistani girls, her sister appears to stand in stark contrast.
Recently, a submission co-authored by Tamkin Hakim and five others was presented to the Australian Parliament. The document reportedly downplays the ongoing genocide of the Hazara people, distorts findings from reputable sources like Human Rights Watch, and troublingly frames the Hazara community as a national security threat to Australia. Such a stance is not only factually flawed but also deeply harmful and discriminatory.
Understandably, this raises serious concerns. How can two siblings, raised in the same environment, hold such opposing views, one championing human rights, and the other seemingly undermining them? While Yalda Hakim cannot be held accountable for her sister’s actions, in times of rising hate, public figures must take clear stands. Where does Yalda stand on this issue, especially when her sister’s statements contribute to the trauma of an already persecuted community?
The Hazara people have endured systematic persecution since the 1890s. In search of safety and the chance to rebuild their lives, many sought refuge in Australia, a country that promised protection and opportunity. They have worked tirelessly to establish a sense of belonging in their new home. Yet, the recent submission to Parliament echoes the same dangerous narratives that once endangered and persecuted them in Afghanistan, this time, disturbingly, from fellow Afghans who, despite having grown up outside the country, are now perpetuating the persecution of Hazaras in Australia.
It is deeply troubling that someone in a mental health profession, someone entrusted with the well-being of others, would contribute to rhetoric that marginalizes a vulnerable group. What kind of mental health support can be expected from someone who spreads such hateful views? And what experiences shaped Tamkin Hakim's perspective, leading her to harbor such hostility toward the Hazara community?
These are not easy questions, but they are essential. Especially when hate is given a platform in the name of national security, we must question its origins, challenge its narratives, and seek the truth.
Arezo Zoe Safi is a lawyer and the founder of Safi Law Firm in Sydney. She is a close relative of Zahid Safi, and both are niece and nephew to Mohammad Masoom Stanekzai, a prominent Afghan politician who formerly led the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and later served as the acting Minister of Defense. During his tenure as head of the NDS, Stanekzai has been accused of overseeing the suppression of the Enlightenment Movement protests of the Hazara people. Arezo was apparently born and raised in Australia and, like Zahid Safi and Tamkin Hakimi, has been far removed from the realities in Afghanistan. So, where does her hatred toward the Hazara people come from? How did it form? She maintains a significant presence on social media platforms. I encourage people to search her background, business, online presence, write a review, and contact her clients about her disturbing behavior.
Australian Defense Force Former Interpreters - he worked as an interpreter with Australian troops in Afghanistan and was recently resettled with his family in Australia. He is currently a security officer at MSS Security and a gym maniac.
This individual has recently posted the following on their Facebook: “We stand by the accuracy and intent of our submission and remain committed to shedding light on the experiences of those affected by the events of that time.” This person blatantly spreads Hazaraphobia on Facebook with a whole crew of Safi families.
6) Naseer Shafaq
He is currently a Senior Technical Officer and Acting Team Leader at the Australian Taxation Office. For a while, he was jobless and went through recredentialization. He is an active member of his community and a pro-Pashtun ethnonationalist on both sides of the border.
- Start by researching these individuals:
- Where do they work?
- Do they own businesses?
- Are they active on social media?
- Are their businesses represented on social platforms?
- What kind of content or engagement are they involved in?
- Contact the organizations that employ them. Reach out to Human Resources departments or senior leadership.
- Raise your concerns respectfully but firmly. Provide clear, concrete evidence of the individual’s behavior, whether it's discriminatory, harmful, or rooted in misinformation.
- Let them know you’re deeply concerned about this person representing their company or working while promoting hate.
- If the individual works in the public sector or a government organization, contact those agencies directly and ask for transparency and accountability.
- Share the background and context: explain how these individuals are not just expressing hateful views, they’re perpetuating persecution and discrimination against the Hazara community, bringing dangerous ideologies from abroad into Australian public life.