<
https://theconversation.com/pauline-hansons-no-good-muslims-comment-shows-how-normalised-islamophobia-has-become-in-australia-276639>
"One Nation leader Pauline Hanson made headlines last week following an
interview with
Sky News in which she suggested there are no “good” Muslims.
The comment was outrageous by any measure, but the response relatively muted,
reflecting a broader shift in political discourse.
Hanson’s comments have been reported to police – whether anything comes of this
remains to be seen. But this broader shift allows for sweeping generalisations
about an entire faith community to be voiced without triggering the same level
of backlash or the invocation of hate speech laws that similar remarks about
other minorities would likely provoke.
For Australian Muslims, the political atmosphere in the wake of the Bondi
terrorist attack is febrile. Mosques are receiving threats during Ramadan.
Muslim men performing their prayers, during a protest, are being roughly
handled by NSW police in public without serious consequences.
Islamophobic incidents routinely spike in response to events thousands of
kilometres away.
The question is no longer whether Islamophobia exists in Australia. The
question is whether it has become normalised, tolerated in ways other forms of
discrimination are not, and what this means for the country’s commitment to
multiculturalism and liberal democracy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
