HREOC Website: Isma - Listen: National consultations on eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australias
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Notes: 26 May 2003
Consultation hosted by Islamic
Council of Victoria, Melbourne, 26 May 2003
The meeting was attended and facilitated by Susanna Iuliano
(notes) and Omeima Sukkarieh from HREOC and by 9 invited participants
from the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV).
1. What are your experiences
of discrimination and vilification?
General
Participants felt that Muslims in Australia have been placed under much
greater public scrutiny. This has unjustly made identifiable Australian
law-abiding and peace-loving Muslims feel like they are being treated
like criminals by too many of the general Australian public, since 11
September 2001. As one participant explained, “You have to be
careful in public and watch what you say because you’re always being
stared at.” Participants described a general feeling of unease
and uncertainty about how the broader public perceives and relates to
Muslim Australians. They also talked more specifically about several areas
of discrimination and vilification in which they believed had intensified
in recent times. The main areas of concern were the media, schools, employment
and the criminal justice system.
At work
Discrimination against Muslims in the workplace was seen as an increasing
problem. The ICV has received isolated reports of people being sacked
because they were Muslim. For example, after the Bali bombing in October
2002, the ICV learned of a case where an employer (a supermarket) told
a Muslim employee that they were no longer needed at work. In dismissing
the employee, the manager said, “You’re a Muslim. We don’t
want your kind here.” While large companies are generally seen
as more fair and professional, the biggest problems were in small and
medium sized firms and trade workshops (one example given was a panel
beaters workshop). To address problems of discrimination in the workplace,
participants felt it is important to shift the focus away from the victim’s
experiences and redirect attention to the employers themselves who a responsible
for maintaining fair workplaces.
Aside from workplace issues relating to hiring and firing
of Muslims, one participant talked about more subtle kinds of prejudice
in the workplace. One participant described having begun her employment
with a large American firm as a western-looking woman who did not wear
the veil at work. After tiring of having to change in and out of her hijab
coming to and from work, she decided to wear the veil at work, a decision
which drew a cool reaction from her employer. After 11 September 2001,
as a veiled Muslim woman working in the reception of an American corporation,
she had to contend with more comments, jokes and negative attitudes about
her appearance and behaviour from colleagues. For example, people commented
on the fact that she had left her handtowel, used to wash before prayer,
in the staff toilets or made jokes about her ‘praying to the western
suburbs’.
“Maybe
I’m paranoid, but I just bothered people in the office –
that I dressed like this, that I would pray at lunch time.”
At school
Several participants explained that their children were in Islamic schools,
despite the considerable expense, so they could be protected from what
they would face in public schools. Participants were unanimous that their
decision to send their children to Islamic schools was more about having
their children educated in a safe, more respectful environment rather
than a specifically Islamic environment.
“We’re
not trying to create a ghetto by putting all our children in a safe
haven…they are part of the wider community - these children are
Australian Muslims. They are not being taught a particular path –
they get the same education but in a private school setting.”
“There
is a security issue – lots of parents don’t feel comfortable
exposing their children to the stress of being teased so it’s
more likely they’ll go to Islamic schools. A school shouldn’t
be like a boxing-arena where the kids have to learn to fight back –
we need to focus on education without having to justify our religion.”
“My
daughter spent years 1 and 2 in a public school. After we moved her
to a Muslim school she told her mother?, ‘Mummy I was afraid to
tell you this but I felt like we were ‘wrong’ cause all
the other kids were not Muslims – I was the only one’.”
“We
need to allow our children to focus on their education without being
distracted by the racism.”
Obtaining the best education possible for their children
was seen as particularly important to Muslim parents because they felt
their children needed to be extra qualified to compete with their non-Muslim
counterparts in the job market.
“Unless
our children are more highly educated than Australians they won’t
be able to get jobs. If an employer has to choose between a Muslim and
a non-Muslim ‘Aussie Joe’ or ‘Aussie Jane’ –
they will choose the Aussie because of the extra trouble and negative
baggage perceived in employing a Muslim.”
Parents also felt that high quality education may assist
their children to start their own businesses and become employers so they
could create their own employment opportunities and avoid discrimination
in the job market.
In addition to educating their children in safe environments,
participants felt it was important for Muslim parents to talk openly at
home with their children about discrimination and for them to be conscious
of the potential backlash their children may encounter “because
their name isn’t ‘John’ or ‘Mary’.”
In the media
Concern over media vilification of Australian Muslims was the major topic
of discussion in this consultation. Participants raised concerns about
various media including newspapers, the internet, television and talkback
radio. Many felt that the existing national and Victorian state anti-discrimination
laws do not provide effective protection against media vilification because
of exemptions in existing legislation. One participant argued, “the
media seems to have the exemption to vilify…”
Participants raised several specific examples of websites
or stories which they felt were particularly offensive. These included:
- The ‘Muslim
Terrorists’ website (http://www.muslimterrorists.com/)
allegedly posted by the One Nation party. One participant commented,
“I know there is existing legislation that deals with vilification,
but I’m really amazed that nobody has done anything about this
website.”
- Use of
background images of Muslim women in a black hijab (with a gun) during
Channel 9 news coverage of the war in Iraq and the use of Muslim women
in hijab as a background in negative general stories about airport security
and other stories.
- Various
comments by radio talkback hosts.
- An article
in the Herald-Sun entitled ‘Spy Force Monitoring Victoria’s
Radical Extremists’ which reported that police were monitoring
the Islamic community. The report was based on information that the
Herald-Sun had obtained under freedom of information from the
Victorian Police. The ICV met with the Victorian Police who clarified
that the newspaper had misinterpreted information from a December 2001
Victorian police report about police monitoring of attacks on the Iraqi
community by non-Muslims. The Herald-Sun had twisted the information
from the report to give the impression that police were monitoring the
Muslim community prior to the second Gulf war.
The media was seen to foment dissent - talkback radio
in particular. One participant suggested that most Muslims are reluctant
to call in for fear of being attacked or put on the spot. The few Muslims
who do make their voices heard on air sometimes make controversial statements
that further polarise opinion within communities and feed dissent.
“Many
times there are ‘Mohammed’s’ or ‘Ahmed’s
who will call up talkback radio, especially at the most sensitive times,
and say outrageous things about Islam or jihad inciting further fear
or hatred or repulsion. They aren’t challenged by the media –
it’s not an issue that they don’t know whether that person
is really a Muslim. I think it’s dangerous that there are third
parties who try to inflame issues which cause more damage in our community…”
The need for community spokespeople to keep their words
and emotions in check when speaking to the media particularly during sensitive
times was raised. One participant argued that community representatives
have to be careful and measured in their responses to media who approach
them for comment on overseas conflicts. Such media solicitation drives
communities to start taking positions so that international divisions
manifest themselves on a local level.
“Instead
of being part of a solution to bring harmony, they are the main perpetrators
in dividing communities…”
Participants stressed that it is also important for community
representatives to learn to speak up and participate more effectively
in public debate – not just in specific discussions about religion
or world politics, but in mainstream discussion about matters of general
public interest like health care or education. A community leader argued
that Muslims are only granted access to media when it’s a marginal
issue and this contributes to further community marginalisation.
“The
media only gives us access to the microphone when it’s something
that is shown as being an ‘other’ not mainstream –
that’s discrimination in itself.”
While one participant suggested that having better links
between media and community organisations would help fight media prejudice
and vilification, most felt powerless to influence change when responsibility
ultimately lay with big media empires, producers and editors, not just
individual journalists or talkback hosts. While all participants agreed
that the media played a large part in creating the right environment for
racism and discrimination, participants were divided on the subject of
the role and responsibilities of the media.
“The
role of the media should be to create harmony not division by putting
across negative views. The media often aims to stir up racial tensions
and discrimination against Muslims.”“The
media is a business – their consideration for the communities
are the last of their concerns. They can’t represent us positively
because nobody wants to read good stuff…”“They
should be reporting the news - not making it. Just because they’re
a business doesn’t justify what they do.”
Criminal justice system
Discrimination against Muslims in the court and prison systems was raised
by one participant, a Muslim prison chaplain who worked in the Victorian
prison system. He noted a dramatic increase in the Muslim prison population
and speculated that the number of Muslim prisoners in Victorian jails
was a conservative estimate because many prisoners do not declare they
are Muslim when admitted for fear of backlash.
“When
I first started in the chaplaincy almost two years ago there were 120
Muslim prisoners in the system. Now, there are 165 two years later.
I’m very worried about that dramatic increase…”
This speaker was unsure whether the increase in prisoner
numbers was related to Muslims in the broader community lashing out in
retaliation against people discriminating against them. Certainly there
was much distrust of police with prisoners alleging things like police
pulling veils off their wives during arrests or raids. Inside prisons,
it was difficult to assess claims of discrimination or preference because
such claims were rampant in prisons from all different ethnic or interest
groups. He described how, during Ramadan, other prisoners often accused
Muslims of getting ‘extra privileges’ because they receive
their evening meal after sundown - later than the other prisoners - and
have better food because they have forgone other meals during the day.
Only a very small proportion of Muslim prisoners had ever actively practiced
their religion.
Law
Participants were eager to find out more about the federal Racial Discrimination
Act and whether it covers religious discrimination. Participants were
disappointed that there is no clarity on whether Muslims are included
as an ‘ethnic group’ under the Act even though Jews and Sikhs
are covered.
“The
law isn’t just inconsistent in its treatment of us – it’s
discriminatory. Change your law – make sure that recommendation
is at the top of your list.”
2. What is being done to fight
anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice and discrimination?
Islamic Council Victoria (ICV)
The ICV is actively engaged in a number of different initiatives particularly
relating to media and policing issues. The ICV conducts media monitoring,
although the organisation finds it difficult to monitor radio. The ICV
also cultivates good relations with various media outlets and journalists.
However, friendly behind-the-scenes relations do not necessarily influence
the media to portray Muslims more positively.
The ICV has also cultivated good relations with the Victorian
Police. For example, the ICV women’s group held a luncheon inviting
speakers from the police to come and talk about the rights and responsibilities
of Muslim women. The ICV also runs a safety ‘helpline’ which
gathers information about incidents and refers people to the police in
the event of emergencies or serious criminal incidents. The process of
collecting and referring information from the helpline is still being
developed and the ICV is encouraging the helpline workers to identify
the main sites of discrimination and develop relationships with organisations
at those sites. Some of the teething problems with the helpline included
people using it to make inappropriate complaints and the reluctance of
many people to officially report incidents to the ICV or the police
Victorian Police
The President of the ICV was confident that police leaders are committed
to improving relations with the Islamic community in Victoria, however
much work still needs to be done to build bridges between the police and
the Muslim community. The issues that still need to be addressed are not
any specific police policies, but rather the attitudes of some individuals
among police and community members.
“There
is a whole body of the police and a whole body in the community who
don’t know much about each other and probably don’t trust
each other yet. Hopefully we can build those bridges – it will
take time.”
One example of how better communication with police can
bring about positive outcomes was in relation to the controversy sparked
by an article published in the Herald-Sun entitled ‘Spy Force Monitoring
Victoria’s Radical Extremists’. The police met with the ICV
and refuted the article’s allegations and set the rumours to rest.
“The
police have been helpful in putting things into perspective by making
themselves available to us…”
3. What more could be done
to fight anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice and discrimination?
Participants made suggestions and comments on ways to
achieve the six Isma objectives.
Promoting positive public awareness
Participants felt that more and better public education is needed to inform
Australians about Islam in order to counter negative stereotypes. One
of the challenges of a public education campaign about Islam identified
by one participant will be the different priority mainstream Australians
give to religion in their lives. Muslims need to be mindful that the mainstream
community does not prioritise religion and therefore Muslims need to adjust
their expectations of what the mainstream community would understand or
tolerate.
“Upholding
Islam is the essence of what our life is all about. But in the mainstream
Australian community it is not – it’s two different paradigms…So
we can’t expect them to give religious tolerance high importance
because it’s not a priority in their lives…”
Participants felt there is a particular need for better
education and cross-cultural training of police and the earlier this education
process is started, the better.
“Education
has to start before they get into the force at the academy level –
so they can challenge their prejudices earlier.”
Challenging stereotypes
“The
word ‘Islam’ is always attached somehow to a negative connotation
– ‘militant Islam’ – ‘Islamic terrorism’….
In order to effectively challenge stereotypes about Muslims
in the media, participants felt that Muslim community spokespeople need
more media training.
“Community
leaders who are untrained in the media fall over or try and express
themselves in a way that’s open to spin and interpretation and
it causes more conflict. It whips up media frenzy and puts the whole
community under further threat and creates bigger divisions.”
One participant felt that Muslim women have a particularly
important role to play as community spokespeople in order to counter media
stereotypes which often draw on negative images of Muslim women.
“There
needs to be more Muslim women spokespeople in the media, especially
veiled ones, because we’re the ones walking around with this great
big sign on our heads saying ‘I’m a Muslim’…
we need to express ourselves in a positive way because we are perceived
as being the symbol of Islam…”
All participants felt that it is important to have more
positive images of Islam in the media and they advocated different ways
to achieve this. One participant felt that it is up to the community to
be more proactive and provide the media with positive stories and photo
opportunities which show that Muslims engage in a range of activities
outside of Mosques, such as stories about Muslims playing sport. Using
sport to promote a positive public image of Muslims was seen as a particularly
effective strategy “because sport is Australia’s religion.”
Forging good relations with media and encouraging them to present positive
stories was seen as an important long term strategy. Encouraging Muslim
children to follow careers in journalism was also seen as an important
long term strategy to improve the media’s portrayal of Muslim Australians.
“Having
Muslims in the upper echelons of the media might change things. How
many Muslims are there in media today? ”
Facilitating access to alternative media channels was
also seen as vital to challenging negative perceptions of Muslims portrayed
via media. Participants relayed the frustration felt when the Islamic
Council of Victoria failed to secure a radio license in October 2001.
Providing community support
Participants felt that community organisations initially need better government
support and training to function effectively and service their communities.
“Organisations
like the ICV should not be run entirely by volunteers. It is completely
run by volunteers at the moment which impacts a huge amount on what
we can do and what support we can offer to the community.”
Participants felt that government has a responsibility
to more effectively inform communities about the kinds of funding grants
available and the processes for applying. One participant expressed his
frustration with the current ‘Living in Harmony’ grants system
arguing that despite all the difficult issues currently facing Muslims
in Australia, very few grants had been awarded to Muslim organisations.
Another participant also felt that the Islamic communities themselves
need to take some initiative in learning how to access resources from
the government.
“It’s
an education process for us as a community to understand what we need
to do to get these issues up on the government’s radar.”
Strengthening relationships between communities
Encouraging solidarity with other ethnic groups and creating a united
front to tackle racism was seen as the key to any effective anti-racism
strategies and preventing backlash or further targeting of Muslim Australians.
“If
we focus just on Muslims being attacked – they will say ‘Damn
Muslims we don’t care about them – let’s get rid of
the whole lot of them.’ If the Chinese community and others are
feeling things because of this general racism - then it becomes a bigger
issue… Let the government realise that there are multiple groups
in the community with discrimination problems…”
Informing communities about their rights
Finding effective mediums through which to communicate information about
rights and responsibilities to Muslim community members was seen as vital
in informing communities about complaints processes (and funding processes).
Over-reliance by government agencies on disseminating information through
the internet was seen as a particular problem as many community members
had no internet access. One participant felt the most effective way of
spreading information is through ethnic media (such as radio) or through
Mosques. To enlist the support of Sheikhs, it is vital to have information
available in a range of languages. The need to engage people locally in
their own communities, not necessarily through existing community organisations,
was also seen as vital. Any campaign to inform communities about their
rights needs to take into account the complex and diverse structure of
Islamic communities.
“Our
community don’t identify with the heads of their organisations.
They don’t identify themselves with the organisations….there
is a gap between the grassroots and organisations themselves. Unless
you go to small clubs where people are – you might not be able
to tell what people are thinking or what they want to do…”
Rather than the onus being just on informing communities
of their rights, participants stressed that key players like government
agencies or employers should be educated about their responsibilities
under anti-discrimination laws. Getting information out to employers was
seen as particularly important. While larger workplaces were judged to
be more professional in the way they understand and implement anti-discrimination
law, more work could be done to inform medium and small firms and trades
that employ Muslims. Participants were emphatic in stressing the need
to redirect the focus from the victims to the perpetrators or on both
equally at least so that the issue of discrimination can be addressed
in a balanced way.
Ensuring complaints are taken seriously
Participants felt that existing anti-discrimination legislation needs
to be clearer and stronger (particularly in relation to alleged vilification
by media) in order to encourage Muslims themselves to make use of complaints
systems.
“The
legislation in Victoria is a good start…But what we hate about
the legislation are the exemptions [for media]…”
On the subject of the existing federal anti-discrimination
law, (the Racial Discrimination Act 1975), participants were confused
as to why Muslims are not covered whereas Jews and Sikhs are.
“How
can Jewish and Sikh communities – being religions – be recognised
under law as ‘ethnic’? The law isn’t just inconsistent
in its treatment of us – it’s discriminatory.”“Make
sure that this recommendation is at the top of your list – change
your law.”
4. Other issues and suggestions
The ICV president offered to facilitate further feedback on issues raised
in the consultation through the Islamic Voice Radio station which reaches
a few thousand households.
