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Sharing the Stories of Australian Muslims (2021)

Race Discrimination
Two women wearing headscarves, one blue with a floral pattern and one olive green, sit side by side on a bench facing the water, with sunlight illuminating them from behind.

The Sharing the Stories of Australian Muslims project sought to learn about Australian Muslims’ concerns, priorities and experiences of hate, violence and negative public commentary in the wake of the tragic Christchurch mosque attack.

The project is also intended to give Australian Muslims an opportunity to share their stories of successful community initiatives, and ideas about how they can be supported to fully enjoy their human rights.

The project involved extensive consultations with Muslim communities throughout Australia. It also included an online survey, which was completed by more than 1,000 Australian Muslims in every state and territory.

Findings from the survey show Australia’s Muslim communities make significant economic, community and charitable contributions to Australian society, yet they experience widespread discrimination. One in four (23%) survey respondents said they felt unable to speak up or act when they experienced discrimination.

 

Infographics. Overview of the National Survey Findings. Three in four (74%) of Australian Muslims feel 'Australian'. 63% agreed Australia was a welcoming country. More than two in three (68%) respondents did not see any conflict between being a Muslim and being an Australian. Following the Christchurch Mosque shootings on March 15th 2019, 79% of Australian Muslims said this act of terror made them afraid for their community. One in four (23%) of Australian Muslims felt unable to speak up when they or someone they know experiences unfavourable treatment. Almost 80% of National Survey participants had experienced some form of unfavourable treatment based on their religion, race or ethnicity.

 

The report highlights community-identified solutions to the challenges raised in connection to each of its themes. These solutions build on the kinds of anti-racism and anti-discrimination strategies that have worked in the past for community members and articulate their vision for systemic change in the future.

Their solutions focus on centring engagement with Muslim communities, building an understanding of Islam through education and better media representation, and supporting greater inclusion through institutional changes across workplaces, wider networks of allyship and stronger legal protections.

These solutions underline the need for Australia to establish and implement a National Anti-Racism Framework to serve as a long-term, central reference point for anti-Islamophobia and social cohesion actions.

A National Anti-Racism Framework can play a significant role in Australia’s response to Islamophobia and its efforts to promote social cohesion by outlining a coordinated, shared vision to tackle racism including Islamophobia in Australia.

 

Community solutions poster. Effective engagement with the Muslim community One of the fundamental issues raised by the Muslim community was the lack of implementation of recommendations and initiatives that were the result of various community consultations. There was an urgent push for effective engagement. Australian Muslims not only want to be part of the conversation but they want their voices, stories and experiences to drive positive action. Public awareness education The Australian Muslim community noted that misconceptions about Islam and Muslims were all too common, and there was an urgent need for public awareness education. A better understanding of Islam and Muslims would equate to better intercultural relations. Early inter-faith education Australian Muslims noted that public awareness and education would be most effective if implemented in the school curriculum, as it would give students an opportunity to meet members of the Muslim community and foster an early understanding of Australia’s multicultural community. Increased representation of Australian Muslims in the media There was a consensus that greater positive representation of Australian Muslims within news and media meant more opportunities for the broader community to learn about and engage with Australian Muslims. Greater positive representation was also noted as key to the social inclusion of Australian Muslim youth. Strengthen media frameworks There was a strong sense among Australian Muslims that there needed to be stronger guidelines and frameworks in place. This would ensure that Muslim representation in Australian news and media was fair, balanced and accurately represented Muslim participation in Australian society, rather than reflectingot just negative stereotypes and Islamophobic narratives. More diversity and inclusion practices in the workplace Muslim communities expressed the view that there is not necessarily a lack of diversity measures, but rather a lack of implementation of diversity and inclusion practices