It was painted by the owner of the property, shop owner Sergio Redegalli who also, apparently, has a ban-the-burqa bumper sticker.Locals have complained and council officials have visited the owner to talk to him about removing but have said in a statement that legally their hands are tied. There's a pretty simple freedom of speech issue at play here: should it be painted over?
Redegalli told the local newspaper, The Inner West Courier: "This mural has come from frustration that political correctness has gone so far you can't say anything about Muslims without getting in trouble," he said.
"This is a stance on rights for ourselves, we can say something peacefully without having violence."
He finished the mural this week and it has been vandalised twice while in progress.
Clearly, Redegalli knows what he's getting himself into. In a box beside the mural are printed copies of an article from the New York Times by an Egyptian feminist who supports banning the burqa.
Also taped to the wall is an A4 page containing the Australian Human Rights Commission's definition of racial hatred.
In a statement to The Punch, the local authority, Marrickville Council, said that while it had no legal right under graffiti laws to remove the mural, it was "continuing to pursue other means of having the image/symbol removed."
The local mayor, Sam Iskandar, said: "I strongly condemn this action which goes against the values which the Marrickville community has believed in and practiced for generations. I believe this is an isolated incident which is not supported by the broader Marrickville community."