Background
Religion has always
been a part of Australia’s unique diversity and the history of Muslims residing
in this country dates back over one hundred years. However in a post 9/11 world, it
seems that there exists a growing anti-sentiment in the minds of some in the
west. Horrifying terrorist activity by a few Islamic extremists have spilled
blood on the television screens over the world, which in turn plants the seed
of hatred and fear inside the hearts of the people, especially those which have
had very little contact with other religions and cultures. In Australia at the
moment there appears to be an uprising of the movement called ‘Reclaim
Australia’, with its followers recently holding large rallies around the
country. Their ideology is one that rejects
the Islamic religion entirely, calling for the end of Halal certification on
food products in Australian supermarkets and the outlawing Muslim women’s
attire which covers some of the body (hijab, niqab or burqa). In essence, this
group wants to eradicate Islam and forbid Muslims from practising their faith
here in Australia.
At the demonstrations held in Brisbane, I was
shocked to witness a large group of mostly anglo-saxon Australians who were
donning the national flag and speaking about the need to ‘reclaim Australia back
from the evils of Islam’ in addition to other vulgar and inherently racist
chants. This sparked a concern deep inside me, as history has shown the way in
which hatred and fear can breed among people so easily in order to mobilise
them to fight against a perceived national threat. Frighteningly, the Ku Klux
Klan and Nazi Germany sprang to mind and this inspired me to investigate further
into the rise of Islamaphobia in this country. My story will aim to understand
the reasons behind the growing anti-Islamic sentiments felt be some non-Muslims
in Australia and to discover what the future may hold for Muslims in Australia.
Research
For my investigation
I thought it would be important to begin locally and see whether there had been
any other cases of anti-Muslim sentiment which had occurred in Brisbane,
besides the recent rallies of ‘Reclaim Australia’ in King George Square. Through
my research I uncovered the details of a few disturbing incidents that had happened
in Brisbane late last year. What was even more deplorable was that these abuses
were directly aimed at Muslim women, presumably because of their Islamic attire.
This article by the Brisbane Times details how one man was charged with threatening
to light a woman’s headscarf on fire in Windsor, while in Toowong two young
Malaysian women who are studying at the University of Queensland were tormented
by a passing car who yelled racial slurs at them and cheered each other as they
threw ham sandwiches at them.
Another article by
the ABC writes about an incident that occurred in Rocklea, in which an Islamic
faith centre used by Indonesian Muslims was callously spray painted with the words ‘die’ and ‘Muslims are evil and
have no respect for our ways’.
Social media is
often used as a platform for mobilising and connecting people, with Facebook
being an attractive place for groups to spread their message and gain
followers. Upon research I discovered two Facebook pages which are fundamentally
anti-Islam, the first being ‘BAN THE BURQA’ which has 39,000 supporters while
another called ‘Boycott Halal Certification in Australia’ has 27,000 followers
so far.
These are two
very newsworthy angles as the process of Halal certification and the wearing of
the Burqa and other face concealing Muslim dresses seem to be quite controversial
issues in Australia at the moment, especially on social media.
For further
analysis on Islamaphobia in Australia, I also looked at research projects done
on the subject of racism. One particular study conducted in 2012 found that
almost half (48.6%) of all of Australians hold anti-Muslim sentiments (Marceau,
2012). Another federal inquiry uncovered that the nation’s biggest obstacle to
multiculturalism is an overwhelming fear of Muslims (Karvelas, 2012).
Treatment
I feel that as
this is a rather controversial and emotionally laden topic, the best way to
convey my story to the public would be through a documentary style video. It
would be important to be able to truly connect to the viewer through sound, vision
and storytelling abilities in order to evoke a passionate response. This is why
I want to really choose the right sources for my story. I have contacted the
Holland Park mosque and have been put in touch with Ali Kadri, who is the
president of the Holland Park mosque and is the spokesperson of Islamic council
of Queensland. I have also reached out to the Muslim student association at the
University of Queensland to see if they will be able to link me up with anyone
who would like to be involved in my story.
I thought it may be a good idea to
get in touch with the Islamic women’s association of Queensland as they are
very involved in the community and it would be helpful to get their unique
insight into this situation, seeing as Muslim women are often easy targets for
racial abuse. I also feel that to involve the readers I may be able to gain
some opinions on the topic through social media sites such as Facebook and
connect with different people who are interested in this topic or who have
experienced it in some way.
I want this story to uncover the truth about the
rise of Islamaphobia in Australia and take a raw look at the affects it has on
our people and on the future of this nation. I aim to create a hard hitting
documentary that encompasses all aspects of the debate, in hope that it may get
more people than ever to think about this issue.
Reference List
Article:
Artfield (2014) ‘Attacks on Muslim women a sad indictment in
Brisbane’. http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/attacks-on-muslim-women-a-sad-indictment-on-brisbane-20141007-10rkyz.html
Karvelas (2012). ‘Were a land of racists’
http://www.news.com.au/national/were-a-land-of-racists-survey-shows/story-e6frfkvr-1226010436251
http://www.news.com.au/national/were-a-land-of-racists-survey-shows/story-e6frfkvr-1226010436251
Marceau (2012). ‘Fear of Muslims’.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/inquiry-exposes-fear-of-muslims/story-fn9hm1gu-1226409557512
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/immigration/inquiry-exposes-fear-of-muslims/story-fn9hm1gu-1226409557512
Tapim (2014). ‘Mosque vandalised: 'Brainless' Brisbane
anti-Islam criminals left behind evidence, police say’. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-25/police-condemn-brainless-anti-islam-attack-on-brisbane-mosque/5767572
Video:
ABC News. (2015). Reclaim Australia protestors and opposing
rallies in Melbourne.
[YouTube].
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-04/police-divide-melbourne-rallies/6371090
Buyout Footage Historic HD Film Arvhive. (2014). HD Historic
Archival Stock Footage WWII Nazi Plan Rise of the NSDAP 1921-1933. [YouTube].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omUzzY4k6Kw
Elite NOW Agenda. (2015). AUSTRALIA ANTI-ISLAM PROTESTS -
Anti-Islamic Protests Around Australia Spark Stand-Offs. [YouTube].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjVX6S3mJc8
Iinffynite. (2011).
Slow Chill Gangsta Beat - Get Ya Rep Up [YouTube].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkFeOTDdOSk
National Georgraphic. (2008). The KKK, then and now.
[YouTube].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CTG58jIlNA
7News. (2015). Punches thrown as rival rallies meet.
[YouTube].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maeuzBChENs
No Author. Beautiful Mosque Wallpaper.
http://pixshark.com/beautiful-mosque-inside-wallpaper.htm
