Islamaphobia Kills By Jonathan Glenning
Immigration and its accompanying ethnic, religious, and cultural heterogeneity are the building blocks of modern Australian society. Australia’s democratic political system has provided the vital and enduring framework for its development as a prosperous, politically inclusive and socially cohesive society which leads the world on many aspects of social development. For this reason, many choose Australia as their final destination when seeking a better life, one often free from oppression and ostracisation. In the past two decades, the Muslim population has increased significantly due to immigration and natural increase. According to the 2011 census, there were 476,290 Muslims in Australia – of whom about 40% were born here, with the rest coming from 183 different countries, making them one of the most ethically and nationally heterogeneous religious communities. With 2.2% of the Australian population, Islam is now the third largest religion in Australia. However, they face increasing adversity and disadvantage due to the widespread fear and vitriol that has become a large part of the modern discourse on their place in society. This Islamophobia has reached a new high in
the aftermath of the Christchurch Massacre, despite the fact that the Massacre was perpetrated by a Caucasian Australian man against unarmed Muslims as they prayed. What has led our society to this point where we increasingly shun an ever-prominent subsection of our community? Since the terror attacks that felled the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York City on 11 September 2001, the idea of ‘Islamic terrorists’ has become a mainstream concept in both the media and in national politics. This term has been used to smear the majority of Muslims and associate them and their way of life with murder, suicide bombings and other outrageous atrocities in various parts of the world. Despite the widespread condemnation by Islamic organisations, they are still widely held complicit in these acts that they have no connection with. This extensive coverage has been a large driving factor in the increased activity of far-right, ‘white supremacist’ terrorists committing foul acts of violence against innocent Muslim communities to seed and spread fear and chaos. The atrocity that occurred in Christchurch on 15 March high-
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