The burkini bans, now overturned by a French court, are selective and ridiculous. But controversy over women’s clothing, and competing cultural notions of appropriate garb, are nothing new.
Undertaking a Muslim education – coming to understand the faith’s teachings and its ideas about humanity – can have enormous value for anyone who wishes to tackle social conflicts.
The arrest on terrorism charges of a white ‘nationalist extremist’ from an avowedly right-wing organisation should alert Australians to the dangers of violence from that direction.
After a question from a Muslim audience member, Senator-elect Pauline Hanson said “your Grand Mufti won’t even come out and condemn the terrorist attacks that’s happened overseas”. Is that right?
Australians need to have a broad conversation about immigration. This must go beyond border security to discuss immigration’s broad functions, social impacts and the national interests it serves.
Dallas Rogers speaks with Rhonda Itaoui about her research into Islamophobia and navigating the city as a Muslim in the wake of public fear over terror attacks and a lack of understanding about Islam.
A frank debate about the causes of extremism and terrorism would acknowledge uncomfortable issues like the alienating impacts of racism, Islamophobia and Western military actions and foreign policy.
Reclaim Australia is not the first radical nationalist movement to emerge in Australia, and it has applied the lessons of past groups’ mistakes to attract a broader range of people to its rallies.
If Reclaim Australia were rallying Muslims, the liberal media would examine its religious inspirations. Yet the media treat its supporters as disgruntled individuals rather than Christian representatives.
Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University