Abstract
The overt expression of anti-Muslim sentiment is a relatively new phenomenon in Australia. It builds upon racism embedded in history, “clash of civilisations” ideologies and constructs of border-terrorism. Denigration of Muslims, commonly termed Islamophobia, is overtly evident in the official sphere, media reporting and increasing popular rejection of Islamic amenities such as schools and mosques. Connected but more insidious is the Islamophobia of the ‘white savior rescue’ movement, in which Muslim men and Islam are positioned as perpetrators of oppression and harm toward Muslim women, requiring non-Muslim intervention. Varied forms of Islamophobia and their impacts are discussed.
Highlights
This paper discusses how Muslims in Australia are increasingly being moved to the margins of society through a public campaign of misinformation and contempt, a paradox in an isolated nation that has prided itself on giving all a ‘fair go’
We posit that a confluence of factors has created a nation that is threatened by the ‘racialised other’ and in doing so we point to collusion within politics and media to shape discourses
As an explanatory framework we first provide an overview of a trilogy of influence: ‘raced’ history, border-terror reasoning and clash of values ideologies
Summary
This paper discusses how Muslims in Australia are increasingly being moved to the margins of society through a public campaign of misinformation and contempt, a paradox in an isolated nation that has prided itself on giving all a ‘fair go’. As an explanatory framework we first provide an overview of a trilogy of influence: ‘raced’ history, border-terror reasoning and clash of values ideologies. We discuss how these converging factors exclude the racialised Muslim from Australian identity, which privileges Anglo-Saxon paradigms and Judeo-Christian schools of thought. We discuss two major Islamophobic discourses – that of the oppressed Muslim woman and that of the Muslim terrorist These interlinking foundations segue into defining, shaming and criminalising Muslims, who are depicted as a threat to Australian society. In linking these sections, we draw on the work of Sherene Razack (2007) on the interconnection of the tropes of ‘dangerous’ Muslim men, imperilled Muslim women and the ‘civilised’ European. Anti-Muslim fervor as it exists today would not be tolerated if such vitriol were targeted at other groups
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