Islamophobia in Australia

Definition

Islamophobia in Australia is understood as a set of negative beliefs concerning the Ideology of Islam, as well as a contemporary outlet for general public anger and resentment towards migration and multiculturalism.

Theories

Anti-Muslim prejudices are thought to be sourced from a lack of integration among Muslim migrants, and reconfiguration of community and ethnic politics.

As part of Islamophobia, Muslims were reduced to caricatures of misogynists and oppressed women; violent men were thought as inclined to terrorism. The Australian media is noted for presenting portrayals of Muslim immigrants in a negative manner, although in comparison to other Western countries, Australian media exhibits less bias as a result of its coverage of the everyday life of Australian Muslims.

According to some scholars, public discourse rectifying negative images of Islamic culture result in an unfounded fear of actual Muslims; public discourse focusing on the Western values of women's rights enabled Islam and Islamic clerics to be portrayed as misogynist and oppressive towards women.

Some theorists maintain that, increasingly since 11 September 2001, the Australian public has attributed Australian Muslims with a sense of "otherness," using social constructions and generic misrepresentations of Muslims as a way to regain existential control in a post-9/11 world.

Some scholars have argued that the rise of militant Islam in Australia has led to the increase in Islamophobia and undone efforts by Muslims to foster positive relations with the Australian public.

Incidence

Estimates of the prevalence of anti-Muslim sentiment in Australia differ. A large-scale poll published in 2011 found that 48.6 percent of Australians had a negative opinion of Islam. Another survey published in 2014 found that a quarter of Australians held anti-Muslim views; this incidence was five times higher than that for any other religion. The latter survey also found that 27 percent of Muslim Australians have experienced discrimination, which was also the highest of any of the religions covered in the study. A poll conducted by the University of South Australia's International Centre for Muslim and non-Muslim Understanding released in 2016 found that 10 per cent of Australians have hostile attitudes towards Muslims. Older people, those who had not completed year 12 and people outside the workforce were more likely to report anti-Muslim attitudes in this poll. The accompanying report concluded that the poll shows that "most Australians display low levels of Islamophobia".

First Gulf War (1990s)

During the First Gulf War, the Muslims experienced a number of racist attacks, in some cases these incidents turned to violence against Arabs and Muslims. These incidents included attacks on Arabs or Muslims and Arab or Muslim property; Arab-owned shops were looted and vandalised and Islamic institutions received bomb threats. People with the surname "Hussein" received harassment calls. The Muslim community also dealt with stigmatisation as a result of ASIO's anti-terror efforts. The Australian media had reported that based on ASIO intelligence, New South Wales would be the target of a terrorist attack. In a counterterrorism effort, a number of Arabs and Muslims, including a number if political activists were visited by ASIO personnel; ASIO also conducted a number of wiretaps on Arab and Muslim Australians. No such attack did occur, although, the Jewish community experienced a number of racist attacks. Initially, Muslims were blamed for the attacks on the Jewish institutions, however, the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board concluded that there was insufficient evidence that Muslims were behind the attack.

Opposition to Halal certification (2014)

In 2014 anti-Islam groups campaigned against Australian food companies in an attempt to discourage them from having their food certified as being halal. The groups argued that the cost of certification increases the prices of food to all consumers, and that the fees charged for certification are used to fund terrorism. In November 2014 Fleurieu Milk & Yoghurt Company decided to stop producing halal products after being targeted by campaigners, and a number of other large and small companies were also reported to have been targeted. Keysar Trad from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils told a journalist in July 2014 that these groups were attempting to exploit anti-Muslim sentiments. In 2015 Senator Sam Dastyari said, "Some [halal] certifiers are nothing more than scammers."

Responses

In 2014, filmmaker Kamal Saleh orchestrated a social experiment to test how Australians would react if they witnessed a Muslim person being abused. In one scene a woman in a hijab is being harassed by a young man; in another it is a young boy who is the target of the discriminatory abuse. Saleh's film showed the non-Muslim Australians standing up to the abuse and defending the Muslim victim.

Following the 2014 Martin Place siege where an Iranian-Australian gunman took 17 hostages resulting in his death and the deaths of two hostages, a social media campaign in support of Australian Muslims was launched using the hashtag "#illridewithyou" to assist Muslims who may feel intimidated to use public transportation.

In 2015, academic researcher Susie Latham and Professor Linda Briskman created the Voices against Bigotry website and network, which aim to raise an opposing voice against Islamophobia by encouraging ordinary people and community leaders, particularly politicians, to speak out on the issue. The Voices against Bigotry network has active members across Australia who write articles for the media and academic journals and make public comment. The website acts as a clearing house on anti-Muslim bigotry, advertising events and centralising research and information.

Legislation

Discriminatory acts against Muslims is prohibited under Australian law, both on a state and federal level. Some acts of legislation include:

Critics maintain that legislation concerning islamophobia and have been too restrictive in their development, and the state's response to discriminatory practices against Arabs and Muslims have been too slow.

Protesters have been critical of discrimination in the workforce by Muslims in circumstances that relate to religious based employment positions. However all states provide for exceptions to their respective laws regarding discrimination where discrimination occurs for religious purposes.

Criticism of term and use

The term and its use, is criticised. Professor of Psychology, Nick Haslam from the University of Melbourne says the use of this type of word, "brushes aside opinions we dislike by invalidating the people who hold them ... and closes the door on dialogue".

Professor of Sociology, Clive Kessler from the University of New South Wales has said the term Islamophobia is used to dismiss criticism and is used a rhetorical device, as a “moral bludgeon" where,

"The term Islamophobia is made to serve as a silencing device, and barrier to necessary public democratic discussion, because, once you term it a “phobia”, then those at whom its use is directed, together with their views as well as their basic motivation and intentions, are simply “sick” . . . . You can make political capital, to advance you own cause, on the basis of their imputed moral unacceptability, their evil character. You don’t ever have to argue your own case and position. You just declare and brand your adversaries morally “benighted”. Economically. With one powerful word or slogan".

Brian McNair, Professor of Journalism, Media and Communication at Queensland University of Technology writing in The Conversation in support of, "legitimate and increasingly necessary" open discussion about Islam says, "critiquing Islam [is not] Islamophobia [or] racism [nor is it] anti-Muslim."