Dr Gordon Moyes asks “Is Islamophobia the new ‘White Australia’?”
Islam and its place in Australian society has been the subject of much public debate, yet there is still a great deal of misunderstanding about Australia’s Muslim communities.
Parliamentary Leader of Family First NSW Gordon Moyes believes that the controversy surrounding the introduction of the ‘Summary Offences Amendment (Full-face Coverings Prohibition) Bill’ is fuelling the rise of racial intolerance in Australia. He said, “Australia projects itself as tolerant, welcoming and a fair go country, however, Islamophobia is becoming an increasing part of the Australia psyche. If we continue to fuel an intolerant society, we risk being labelled the new ‘White Australia’.”
A project by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission called استمع- Listen: National consultations on eliminating prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australians found that participants identifiable as Arab or Muslim by their dress, language, name or appearance, told of having been abused, threatened, spat on, assailed with eggs, bottles, cans and rocks, punched and even bitten.
“Islamophobia is growing rapidly in Australia in that it is not uncommon to see white Australians insulting and harassing Muslim women for wearing a head-dress, but we find no criminal offence, in fact it is considered a mission of ‘liberating’ Muslim women.” said Dr Moyes.
Dr Moyes advises the issue is made more serious as evidence surfaces of Arab and Muslim Australians being “run off the road, and pedestrians run down on footpaths and in car parks. People reported being fired from their jobs or refused employment or promotion because of their race or religion. Children have been bullied in school yards. Women have been stalked, abused and assaulted in shopping centres. Private homes, places of worship and schools were vandalised and burned. Profanities were used to torment these people, and Arab and Muslim Australians were told to ‘go back to your own country’, even though over a third (35 per cent) of Muslim Australians are actually Australian born, and their families have been in Australia for many generations. Perhaps even more troubling and unsettling is the fact that Arab and Muslim Australians expressed feelings of fear and isolation, and not belonging to Australia… Is this the Australia we want?”
“Recently while a guest of the Australian Muslim Women’s Association, I was horrified to hear Australian women speaking of their experiences in the streets from complete strangers. This is the ugly side of Australians who cannot cope with others different from themselves. We saw it in history with antagonism towards the Chinese, German and Italian immigrants, and latterly with refugees from South East Asia and Africa. The problem lies not with the new settlers, but with those who cannot cope with confronting customs, dress and colour. We name it for what it is: racism!” stated Dr Gordon Moyes.
Dr Moyes concludes, “We need to confront the fears and uncertainties that have become a part of our everyday lives, and guard against prejudice and intolerance, not just towards Arab and Muslim Australians, but also against other culturally and linguistically diverse communities. We need to protect our multicultural society, and ensure all Australians have the opportunity to feel they belong.”
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Contact: Rev Dr Gordon Moyes AC MLC – (02) 4389 1860 or (02) 9230 3340