Can Australia ever be socially cohesive? Let’s talk about racism and Islamophobia

Can a multicultural nation like Australia ever be socially cohesive? Join us on 21 March, the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, when we explore how racism and Islamophobia impact Muslim communities across Australia.

Our guest speakers will be Mustafa AbuYusuf, the National Secretary and Director of the Victorian division of Ahlus Sunaah wal Jemah (ASWJ), and Noorah Bint AbuYusuf, who will be talking about her experience as a young Muslim woman attending school and university in Melbourne. They will be accompanied by Dr Clarke Jones, one of the research leads in the ANU Grand Challenge Australian Social Cohesion: Exploring New Directions (ASCEND).

Australia has a long history of racism and Islamophobia, a form of racism that involves the rejection of Islam, Muslim groups, and Muslim individuals based on prejudice and stereotypes. Dr Jones' ethnographic research at Hume Islamic Youth Centre (HIYC) shows that young Muslims associated with the centre often experience discrimination, stigmatisation, and exclusion. Islamophobia affects all areas of their lives, including employment, education, vocational training, access to services, and political participation. Yet, Islamophobia is not isolated to HIYC. It disrupts socio-cultural harmony and negatively affects the wider Australian Muslim community.

Counterterrorism or countering violent extremism (CVE) policies have had a detrimental impact on Muslim communities, particularly HIYC. Ethnic profiling, misinterpretations of Islam and Islamic practices, and arbitrary arrest of often innocent young Muslims have fuelled a sense of insecurity, injustice, and defiance toward authorities, making these security measures counterproductive in the long term.

Also disproportionately affected by Islamophobia are young Muslim women, especially those wearing religious clothing or symbols. They experience discrimination based on gender, religion, ethnicity, social class, or migration background.

In this seminar, we will talk about the challenges and ramifications of discrimination, stigmatisation, and marginalisation of Muslim youth at the HIYC and the experiences of those young people in school and higher education. We will examine the effect of the CVE industry on the Hume Muslim communities and explore ways to address Islamophobia. Join us when we debunk myths and stereotypes about Muslims and Muslim communities and discuss ways to improve participation of young Muslims in society.

About the speakers

Mustafa AbuYusuf

"I have played an active role in the Islamic community since 1985 and joined the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Association (ASWJ) in Australia as a Senior Advisor in 2000. I am currently the National Secretary and the Director for the state of Victoria. ASWJ, operates in three of the most populated states and has 11+ centres across Australia.

"I have decades of experience leading and managing community and law enforcement engagements together with other Australian and International Governmental agencies.

"I am also an innovative ICT management professional with over 36 years of expertise directing and managing the development of Information Communication Technology enabled portfolios, programs and projects. I have worked in complex environments for governments and private sectors, in multiple Australian states and within the Middle East, overseas.

"I have a bachelor's degree in Business, Information Processes and Systems."

Noorah Bint AbuYusuf

"I am 18 and a seventh-generation Australian on my mother's side. I have lived in Australia my whole life. I have had a religious upbringing that laid the foundation for my love of Islam.

"Since I was born, I have been involved in the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah and particularly the Hume Islamic Youth Centre. I have participated in events and, as I grew up, began to volunteer alongside my family to help benefit and enrich the lives of others within the Muslim and non Muslim community.

"My parents have always encouraged me to do things for the sake of Allah (God) and sincerely for goodness. As I have matured, my connection to Islam has strengthened, making me proud of who I am and my Muslim identity.

"I have been educated through the public school system by choice and finished year 12 last year.

"I am currently studying at university and continuing advocacy for the Muslim identity and Islamic rights."

Dr Clarke Jones

"I am a senior research fellow (criminology) based at the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Australian National University. I also currently work as a consultant in the Philippines correctional system for the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and other government funding bodies. My expertise includes youth interventions, community engagement, prison radicalisation, correctional reform, violent extremist offenders, and prison gangs. I have applied my research in two key areas: prison reform in the Philippines and, community-based work with Muslim communities in Australia.

"I have published extensively, including a book released by Routledge titled Inmate Radicalisation and Recruitment in Prisons.

"Before moving into academia in 2010, I worked for over 15 years in several areas of Australian national security, including police, military, and intelligence.

"In 2002, I was awarded the Chief of the Australian Defence Force Fellow and, based on this fellowship, completed a PhD at the University of New South Wales in 2010."

More information

This event is a special Harmony Week edition of our ANU Grand Challenge ASCEND seminar series. The seminar is covering a variety of social cohesion matters. Click here to learn more about ASCEND.

The seminar will start at 3 pm. We kindly ask all attendees to arrive a few minutes prior.

The Finkel Lecture Theatre is on the ground floor of The John Curtin School of Medical Research, next to the Vanilla Bean Cafe.

You can send us your questions for the guest speakers beforehand at ascend@anu.edu.au