When a Lawyer Spreads Harm: Arezo Zoe Safi’s hostile rhetoric against the Hazara community

In my earlier post, I forgot to mention an important point: Arezo Zoe Safi is actively spreading hatred and hostility toward the Hazara community in Australia. Arezo, who was born and raised in Australia and has likely only visited Afghanistan briefly, has no direct lived experience of the country’s ethnic tensions, yet she chooses to vilify Hazara advocates speaking out against systemic violence. She is the niece of 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. 

On her Facebook page in 2023, she, while unemotionally controlled, launched a disturbing attack against Sitarah Mohammadi, a respected Hazara lawyer and activist, questioning why Sitarah should be allowed to speak about the ongoing genocidal violence targeting the Hazara people. Arezo appears particularly outraged at any suggestion that Pashtun groups, among others, bear responsibility for these atrocities. In her post, she dismissively refers to Sitarah as “an amateur advocate,” despite Sitarah’s impressive credentials: a provost scholar at the University of Oxford (2019), a BA in International Relations and Human Rights from Monash University, and a Juris Doctor from Monash Law School. Sitarah has also published several academic articles. Also, read the comments below her post and see how she engages with commentators by spreading lies and hatred.

A screenshot from Arezo Zoe Safi's Facebook page

A quick search of Arezo Zoe Safi reveals not much about professional achievement, only a pattern of inflammatory and divisive rhetoric. So, where does her virulent attitude and false confidence come from? It appears rooted in a sense of ethnic privilege. Arezo, as a member of the Pashtun ethnic group, seems to leverage her identity to perpetuate a dangerous sense of ethnic superiority, even from within Australia. This privilege emboldens her to attack Hazara individuals and silence their voices.

The most disturbing aspect of Arezo's conduct is her misuse of legal language to legitimize her claims. She notably uses the hashtags #hatespeech and #racialdiscrimination, terms that, under the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (RDA) in Australia, are associated with serious legal implications. Ironically, the very rhetoric she employs against the Hazara community appears to violate the principles outlined in the RDA. In the 2021 submission, Arezo is listed as a solicitor, and it is evident that much of the inflammatory language can be attributed to her and it appears that she is the primary person responsible for the submission. 

This makes her actions not only deeply offensive but also potentially unlawful. The Hazara community in Australia has grounds to pursue legal recourse under the RDA, potentially holding Arezo and her collaborators accountable for hate speech and racial discrimination.

At its core, Arezo's message is clear: Hazara people should stay silent about the historical and ongoing pain they have endured under Pashtun-dominated rule. Rather than offering empathy or seeking understanding, she chooses to attack the victims. This is not only cruel, it is dangerous.

Ignored warnings, predictable fallout: Lessons for the Liberal Party

The guy got trounced. I’m talking about Zahid Safi, the same man who attempted to enter the Australian Parliament under false pretenses. He allegedly faked his MA degree, misled people about his business record, and has a troubling history of hostility toward the Hazara community. Most recently, he tried to win support from Bruce through fear and intimidation. But the residents saw through the facade and rejected him, sending a clear message: he is dangerous and unfit for public office.

Earlier, I unintentionally predicted the outcome of the election in the Division of Bruce in one of my blog posts titled “Fake it to break it,” referring to a candidate whose credibility was questionable due to a pattern of deception.

The Liberal Party's decision to endorse him was flawed from the beginning. Now, some within the party are calling for a “serious review” of what went wrong. But the core issue is already clear: you didn’t listen to the people.

Members of the Hazara community in Bruce raised serious concerns about Zahid Safi’s candidacy, concerns that were brought directly to party leadership. Those warnings were ignored.

So what went wrong? The answer is obvious: a failure to hear and respect the voices of those most affected.

Reflecting on missteps isn’t dwelling on the past, it’s a necessary step toward doing better. Both the Liberal and Labor parties should take note.

Here’s how you move forward and do better in the future:

1) Conduct thorough background checks on candidates. That includes verifying academic credentials, investigating business dealings, and uncovering any history of illegal or unethical behavior.
2) Understand a candidate’s ties to the community. Know their ethnic background and how they relate to the broader diaspora in the area. 
3) Consult with community leaders and organizers. Learn what other ethnic or immigrant communities live in the division, and ask for their perspective on the candidate. Their input is essential to making informed decisions.

If parties want to represent multicultural Australia with integrity and responsibility, they must start by listening, especially when communities speak out in good faith and with genuine concern.

The echoes of Hazara persecution in Australia

In my previous post, when I wrote that Afghans brought the persecution of the Hazaras to Australia, there was a reason. Clear signs of this persecution have emerged. Just yesterday, The Guardian Australia reported that Zahid Safi's campaign team has escalated their tactics. According to journalist Henry Belot, the team is now pressuring members of the Hazara diaspora, claiming that voting for anyone other than the Liberal Party constitutes a betrayal of Abdur Rahman Khan, often referred to as "Afghanistan's Hitler." Zahid campaign volunteers, mostly made up of Pashtuns, have told the Hazaras that we have to resurrect Abdur Rahman Khan. 

Labor alleges the volunteer told people that a vote for anyone other than the Liberals would betray Khan, and called for him to be “brought back”. Khan is linked to the Hazara genocide in the late 1800s.

“I am concerned that the reason Liberal volunteers are invoking Abdur Rahman Khan’s name is to harass and intimidate members of the local Hazara community,” said the letter to the commission from Jett Fogarty, an Australian Labor party official.

This is deeply concerning. For members of the Hazara community in Australia, such rhetoric must be profoundly distressing and potentially retraumatizing. It raises serious questions about what protective mechanisms are in place to support targeted communities in situations like this. The political parties and representatives have a responsibility to address and counteract this kind of vicious rhetoric and to ensure Hazaras feel safe. 

You can’t fake your way into parliament

Afghans, and more precisely, in this case, a small number of Pashtuns residents of Bruce, are now rallying to support Zahid Safi. His campaign has already taken a hit: the manager has stepped down following backlash over offensive online remarks, and notably, there’s no Australian presence within Safi's team. In Bruce, the Safi clan, a large network of families sharing the same last names, has stepped in. Wearing matching blue, round-necked T-shirts and covering their paunches with bold “SAFI” lettering, they pose with forced smiles for the cameras.

It may look like a campaign gaining momentum, but beyond appearances, what’s missing is substance, brain power, integrity, and a genuine understanding of basic responsibilities, such as not lying, not discriminating against people based on their ethnicity or race. Someone should tell this guy to go to the community and apologize for your blatant racism and take down the submission. Learn some decency. Someone needs to say it plainly: dude, you can't fake your way into parliament. This isn't Afghanistan. Your fakery for all sorts of glorification is obsolete here.