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cultural diversity; migration; Islam; international relations;
The Persistence of Objectification and Stereotyping in Public Debates about 'Islam and Muslims' in Australia
Increasing cultural and religious diversity does not and should not have a detrimental effect on social cohesion. Diversity should not be linked to a loss of a sense of collective action, but rather to a stronger community bonding and mutual trust. And under no circumstances, should cultural diversity be invoked to justify infringements on domestic laws and accepted norms of human rights. Indeed, cultural diversity should be employed as a key lever to engendering intercultural understanding in our increasingly multicultural society. Yet this is not always the case as recent events have shown.
The Protests over the Anti-Islam 'Video': Race-Relations and International Politics in a Globalised World
Much has already been said and written about the wave of protests about the anti-Islam trashy trailer ‘The Innocence of Muslims’. So as expected, many so-called Muslim ‘leaders’ have sprung up to explain, contextualise, restrain and advise. Some are even offering apologies to the wider society about the actions of the radical few who as always succeed in making Islam itself the subject of scrutiny here and not the amateurish, poorly produced ‘video’ that most of them have not even seen. And an equal number of so-called experts and commentators have also offered, to everyone and anyone who cares to receive, their well-informed nuanced and sophisticated analyses. After all, this is ‘Islam’ and ‘Muslims’ we are talking about, and no matter how simple or complex the issue is the same banal analysis can always somehow do the trick.