Search

Since the implementation of a multicultural policy in the 1970s, religious diversity in Australia has increased. Research has demonstrated that intergroup contact is essential for managing diverse multicultural societies. This is because, given the right conditions, intergroup contact will reduce prejudice and build trust between groups. Given the importance of intergroup contact, policy makers and researchers have identified interfaith dialogue’s importance to the success of multicultural societies. However, there is very limited research that explores interfaith dialogue from the perspectives of adherents, in this case Christians and Muslims in the Australian context. This paper focuses on interfaith dialogue between Christians of the Uniting Church and Sunni Muslims of Adelaide, South Australia. It explores the factors that influence participants’ attitudes towards engaging in interfaith dialogue. Using a grounded theory methodology, the study involved seventeen (17) mixed gender Muslim participants over the age of eighteen, including everyday adherents and religious leaders. Some of the key findings demonstrate that theological perspectives and notions of multicultural citizenship are positive drivers for dialogue; Islamophobia and dehumanization of Muslims were inhibitors.

In Britain's highly politicised social climate in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings, Young British Muslims: Identity, Culture, Politics and the Media provides an in-depth understanding of British Muslim identity through the following social constructs: migration history, family settlement, socio-economic status, religion and culture, and the wider societal environment. The author, Nahid Afrose Kabir, has carried out extensive research on young Muslims' identity in Australia and the UK. For this book she conducted ethnographic fieldwork in the form of in-depth, semi-structured interviews of over 200 young Muslims in five British cities: London, Leicester, Bradford, Leeds and Cardiff. Kabir's careful analysis of interview responses offers insights into the hopes and aspirations of British Muslims from remarkably diverse ethnicities: Algerian, Bangladeshi, Egyptian, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Kenyan, Lebanese, Libyan, Malawi, Mauritian, Moroccan, Nigerian, Pakistani, Palestinian, Singaporean, Somali, Sudanese, Syrian, Ugandan, Yemeni, and English, Danish and Scottish converts. By emphasising the importance of biculturalism, the author conveys a realistic and hopeful vision for their successful integration into British society.

In our previous refereed ANZCA conference paper, presented in July 2007, we discussed what the British newspapers (four British broadsheets and four tabloids) said on the first anniversary of the London bombings. We discussed the pattern of reporting, whether it was “nationalistic”, and whether it was “discriminatory”. In this paper we examine the same newspapers and evaluate how they reported on the second anniversary of London bombing and what that says about the continuing development of the British response to this terrorist attack. In this paper we take our argument beyond perceptions of “nationalistic” and “discriminatory” to raise the issue of whether such coverage can be construed as inspiring terrorists to commit more violence for media publicity.

On 7 July 2005, three bombs exploded on London underground trains, with a fourth on a double-decker bus. Four British Muslims – Mohammed Siddique Khan (30 years), Shehzad Tanveer (22 years), Germaine Lindsay (19 years) and Hasib Mir Hussain (18 years) carried out the terrorist acts. Reports in the immediate aftermath confirmed that 52 people (including one Muslim girl, Shahara Akhtar Islam, 20 years) had been killed, and many more were injured. British Muslims claim the unacknowledged victims of this tragedy are the mainstream Muslim population who have borne the brunt of the repercussions and that, one year on, little has been done by the Blair government to combat the threat of terror or to build stronger bridges between the Muslim community and the wider British society (Chowdhury, 2006, p. 35). This paper examines in general terms what the print media in the UK say on the first anniversary of the 7/7 atrocity. It draws on four British broadsheets and four tabloids published on 7/7/2006. It is based on a snapshot analysis of the media’s reporting of the London bombings on the occasion of the first anniversary of the attack.

Recently, SBS TV presented a panel discussion on why people are fearful of Islam (‘Fear of Islam’, SBS, November 2010 ). Among the invited panelists were Reza Aslan, a religious scholar, and Nonie Darwish, a former Muslim – both from the United States. The Australian audience comprised Muslim and non-Muslim guests. Nonie Darwish was critical of the Quran and said, ‘Islamic doctrine promotes violence and hatred against non-Muslims. Sixty per cent of the Quran is dedicated to cursing and spreading hatred and violence against non-Muslims who are called “Kaffir’”. Reza Aslan responded that all religious scriptures, including the Bible, Torah and the Quran, talk about war and peace, love and hatred, compassion and bigotry. Aslan also said, ‘…it's kind of convenient to simply pick and choose whatever violent bits and pieces one finds in the Quran and ignore the equally important verses that talk about compassion and peace’. The Australian audience members were also divided in their views about the Quran and its interpretation (see ‘Fear of Islam’, SBS, November 2010 ).

Kabir N.A. (2019) Can Islamophobia in the Media Serve Islamic State Propaganda? The Australian Case, 2014–2015. In: Esposito J., Iner D. (eds) Islamophobia and Radicalization. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Available here