Contemporary racism and Islamaphobia in Australia : de-racialising a religion

The majority of Australians Muslims are non-marginal, non-disaffected and non-radicalized. Muslims mostly lead everyday and ordinary lives. This is not to suggest, however, that these lives are not diverse, nor is it to make invisible the extraordinary achievements of many Australian Muslims. However, the data on the experience of racism do not paint a picture of ordinariness. The rates of experience of racism are high, and ought to be an urgent public policy issue. Nonetheless, an evidence base for the presumed negative effects of racism on belonging has not been empirically established. There is no compelling evidence that the experience of racism automatically converts to non-belonging in Australia (Nelson et al., 2011). The above are valuable conclusions and findings for educating non-Muslim Australians about Muslims. The data in this chapter are a potential counterweight to those discourses about disaffection and radicalization that swirl in public commentaries, and which undermine trust between non-Muslims and Muslims.