Racism, prejudice and discrimination

Andrew  Markus  (2001)  has  charted  the  continuing  role  of  racism  in  Australia.  While  Islam  is  a
religion,  and  Muslims  form  a  religious  community,  the  concept  of  racism  is  often  used  to
encompass  the  structuring  of  prejudice  towards  Muslims.  However,  for  some  in  the  Muslim
communities  it  is  doubtful  that  racial  vilification  laws  and  protections  are  likely  to  provide
adequate protection from discrimination and vilification on the basis of religious belief, affiliation
or  practice.  Some  young  people  experience  ‘prejudice’  as  ‘racism’,  and  sometimes  it  may  be
difficult to differentiate what is racism, and what is religious prejudice. Racism as such has been
used as a surrogate category for prejudice based on ‘religious’ identification and practice, even
though  it  does  not  account  for  all  the  different  forms  of  discrimination  and  vilification
experienced. 

Young Muslim Australians can detail the sense of exclusion, the harassment and the vilification
they have experienced. We know from the quantitative survey that discrimination and prejudice
was experienced by a large number of young Muslims Australians within the school setting and
by Muslim youth of all ages in public areas such as streets, shopping centres and similar places.
Indeed  two  thirds  of  young  people  surveyed  reported  experiencing  discrimination  within  the
public sphere at least one or more occasions.
They know about discrimination in the labour market, where Muslim names close off avenues to
employers. A stakeholder reports:
Quote:


One man talked about how prejudice had affected him as he was growing up and the effects he
sees now on his Australian born children. He thinks that Muslim young people need to develop
an  attitude  where  they  are  able  to  speak  for  themselves  and  defend  themselves  against  such
attacks.  Of  course  this  raises  the  very  important  issue  of  intergenerational  experiences  of
discrimination.

Quote:


Young  Muslim  Australians  noticed  a  shift  in  the  public  perception  of  Muslims  since  9/11,  the
Gang Rapes and political debate over the wearing of the hijab and the burqa (Poynting et al 2004;
Poynting  2006).  In  addition  to  the  hijab,  other  areas  identified  in  the  survey  that  were  seen  as
contributing  to  misunderstandings  between  Muslims  and  non‐Muslims  included:  the  issue  of
‘terrorism’,  the  Cronulla  riots;  and  the  media  (traditional  media,  TV,  radio,  newspapers)  and
Internet information (Internet news sites, Internet forums etc) about Muslims and Islam. Almost
a  quarter  of  young  Muslim  Australian  women  surveyed  regarded  the  scarf  or  hijab  to  be
misunderstood  within  society.  Some  young  women  reported  having  been  verbally  or  physically
assaulted  because  of  their  wearing  of  the  hijab.  For  some  this  discrimination  was  regularly
endured and in public places. The response of some young women to such instances of ‘everyday
racism’ is to refrain from defending themselves because they would come out of any conflict as
‘the terrorist’ or the ‘typical Muslim’. Some respond with a smile and walk away determined to
keep  going,  for  others  such  experiences  can  be  humiliating  and  deeply  hurtful.  One  young
woman speaks about how fortunate she is living in Australia in spite of experiencing racism. She
explains:

One issue that has arisen in cities like Darwin where there are both Indigenous people and newly
arrived African refugees is the irregular incidence of violence between local Indigenous youth and
migrants of African background. Darwin Somali community leaders and young people, and local
community  workers,  have  expressed  concern  about  such  events.  Some  stakeholders  have
described  the  situation  as  local  youth  feeling  threatened  by  the  appearance  of  a  new  ‘Black’
(rather than Muslim) group in their locality, and some street clashes have occurred.  Even so a
local Muslim youth notes:
Quote:

Muslims, like everyone else, must take responsibility for their reputation.

You ring for a job with a French or German or Spanish name and they will give you a hearing. If they are suspicious of a Mohammed, it is because every time something is blown up, it's more likely than not that a Mohammed is involved, either as a perpetrator or a victim, often both.

Racial or religious prejudice is like climate science - it is based on statistical averages.  You wouldn't rubbish climate science just because it i based on averages and stats, would you?

Soren wrote on Dec 7^th, 2013 at 7:41pm:


Applying that logic then, the rest of Australian society must be in deep pooh if we consider you, Soren.   

Yadda wrote on Dec 7^th, 2013 at 7:49pm:




You're honest, I will admit, you openly wear your bigotry on your sleeve, for all to see.

However, the question arises, do you understand why you're going against your own claimed religious beliefs on so many levels?  Therefore, why should we accept anything that such a hypocrite posts as being of any value?  Mmmm?   

The Koran doesn't even come close to these extremist passages.


Kill Nonbelievers

    They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.  (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)


Kill the Entire Town if One Person Worships Another God

    Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods.  In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully.  If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock.  Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it.  Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God.  That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt.  Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction.  Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you.  He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors.  "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him."  (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)


Kill Followers of Other Religions.

    1) If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him.  Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you.  You shall stone him to death, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.  And all Israel, hearing of this, shall fear and never do such evil as this in your midst.  (Deuteronomy 13:7-12 NAB)



    2) Suppose a man or woman among you, in one of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, has done evil in the sight of the LORD your God and has violated the covenant by serving other gods or by worshiping the sun, the moon, or any of the forces of heaven, which I have strictly forbidden.  When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then that man or woman must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death.  (Deuteronomy 17:2-5 NLT)

Brian Ross wrote on Dec 7^th, 2013 at 7:45pm:



Yeah, the place is full of people like me and it's so crappy, boat people want to get here even at the risk of drowning.