Biggles of 266
1st Level Red Feather
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2001
- Messages
- 1,126
- Points
- 36
By Linda Morris
February 19 2003
Australian Muslims have surpassed Asians as one of the country's most marginalised religious and ethnic groups, research indicates.
More than any other cultural or ethnic group, Muslims and people from the Middle East are thought to be unable to fit into Australia, with more than half of Australians preferring their relatives did not to marry into a Muslim family.
In a paper to be presented at a conference on immigration and integration tomorrow, Kevin Dunn, a Sydney academic, says Islamophobia is growing in Australia.
Dr Dunn writes that Australia has a "hard core of racists" and that some of the country's worst racism is found in working-class pockets of Sydney.
While there remains "persistent intolerance" to Aboriginal and Jewish Australians, anti-Muslim sentiment is "very strong".
Dr Dunn's paper is based on a survey of 5056 people in Queensland and NSW that was carried out in October and December 2001, immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Since then, the Bali bombing and the highly publicised conviction of Muslim youths for gang rapes in south western Sydney have provoked a further backlash.
Fifty-four per cent of those surveyed, mainly women, said they would be concerned if a relative of theirs married a Muslim. More than two-thirds believed humanity could be sorted into natural categories of races, and almost half thought Australia was weakened by people of different ethnic origins "sticking to their old ways".
Dr Dunn blamed Islamaphobia on media representations of Muslims and a heritage of Western antipathy to Islam. Muslims, he says in his paper, suffered "quite dramatically" from the stereotypes of Islamic misogyny and sexism.
Sixteen per cent of those surveyed - men more than women - reported having experienced racism in their workplace, in education, in housing or in their contact with police. But almost a quarter experienced "everyday racism" of name calling, lack of trust and disrespectful treatment in restaurants, in the streets and in sport.
Yet many Australians live in denial that racism exists or that Australians from a British background enjoy a privileged position in society.
More than 80 per cent of respondents recognised there was a problem with racism in Australia, but 8.5 per cent were "in denial". Older people and men were more likely than younger people and women to deny racism existed and that they were the racial "winners" in society. About 12 per cent admitted they were prejudiced.
Dr Dunn says racism reflects non-tertiary education and to a lesser extent those who did not speak another language other than English, and men.
His findings build on research he carried out with Amy McDonald that challenged the conventional wisdom that racism is more common in rural areas.
That research, based on surveys in 1994 and 1996, when Pauline Hanson's One Nation was in the ascendancy, found anti-Asian feeling to be high.
Racist attitudes were not necessarily more pronounced in rural areas and indeed many rural areas were less racist than parts of Sydney. Some of the most racist regions are located within Sydney and Brisbane, especially in more working-class suburbs.
THE FINDINGS
· Fifty-four per cent of those surveyed would be concerned if their relative married a Muslim.
· About 7 per cent are opposed to cultural diversity.
· Eighty-three per cent said there was a problem with racism in Australia.
· Forty-five per cent said some cultural groups did not belong in Australia.
· About 12 per cent admitted to being prejudiced.
February 19 2003
Australian Muslims have surpassed Asians as one of the country's most marginalised religious and ethnic groups, research indicates.
More than any other cultural or ethnic group, Muslims and people from the Middle East are thought to be unable to fit into Australia, with more than half of Australians preferring their relatives did not to marry into a Muslim family.
In a paper to be presented at a conference on immigration and integration tomorrow, Kevin Dunn, a Sydney academic, says Islamophobia is growing in Australia.
Dr Dunn writes that Australia has a "hard core of racists" and that some of the country's worst racism is found in working-class pockets of Sydney.
While there remains "persistent intolerance" to Aboriginal and Jewish Australians, anti-Muslim sentiment is "very strong".
Dr Dunn's paper is based on a survey of 5056 people in Queensland and NSW that was carried out in October and December 2001, immediately after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Since then, the Bali bombing and the highly publicised conviction of Muslim youths for gang rapes in south western Sydney have provoked a further backlash.
Fifty-four per cent of those surveyed, mainly women, said they would be concerned if a relative of theirs married a Muslim. More than two-thirds believed humanity could be sorted into natural categories of races, and almost half thought Australia was weakened by people of different ethnic origins "sticking to their old ways".
Dr Dunn blamed Islamaphobia on media representations of Muslims and a heritage of Western antipathy to Islam. Muslims, he says in his paper, suffered "quite dramatically" from the stereotypes of Islamic misogyny and sexism.
Sixteen per cent of those surveyed - men more than women - reported having experienced racism in their workplace, in education, in housing or in their contact with police. But almost a quarter experienced "everyday racism" of name calling, lack of trust and disrespectful treatment in restaurants, in the streets and in sport.
Yet many Australians live in denial that racism exists or that Australians from a British background enjoy a privileged position in society.
More than 80 per cent of respondents recognised there was a problem with racism in Australia, but 8.5 per cent were "in denial". Older people and men were more likely than younger people and women to deny racism existed and that they were the racial "winners" in society. About 12 per cent admitted they were prejudiced.
Dr Dunn says racism reflects non-tertiary education and to a lesser extent those who did not speak another language other than English, and men.
His findings build on research he carried out with Amy McDonald that challenged the conventional wisdom that racism is more common in rural areas.
That research, based on surveys in 1994 and 1996, when Pauline Hanson's One Nation was in the ascendancy, found anti-Asian feeling to be high.
Racist attitudes were not necessarily more pronounced in rural areas and indeed many rural areas were less racist than parts of Sydney. Some of the most racist regions are located within Sydney and Brisbane, especially in more working-class suburbs.
THE FINDINGS
· Fifty-four per cent of those surveyed would be concerned if their relative married a Muslim.
· About 7 per cent are opposed to cultural diversity.
· Eighty-three per cent said there was a problem with racism in Australia.
· Forty-five per cent said some cultural groups did not belong in Australia.
· About 12 per cent admitted to being prejudiced.
