Huge Report Into Islamophobia Backs What Muslims Have Been Saying For Yrs

It found that women wearing an Islamic head covering were at a higher risk of copping this abuse, as 79% of women – who remember, make up the majority – were wearing a head covering at the time. One in three women had their children with them at the time of the incident.

“Her voice got louder so I’m not sure if they started to follow me on foot, but once I entered the medical centre on Pitt Street, I didn’t hear or see anything else from them,” said one woman. “I am 19 weeks pregnant and have never felt so afraid/vulnerable in my life … I thought they were going to physically try harming my daughter and I. There were lots of passers-by who didn’t come to my aid …”

And shockingly but actually not-at-all-shockingly, perpetrators were three times more likely to be male, and were overwhelmingly white (98%, to be exact).

It also found that the victims of these attacks were often left to fend for themselves. Despite most incidences happening in crowded places, bystanders intervened only 25% of the time.

“I was walking with my head down and a group of young males yelled out ‘ISIS BITCH’, ‘go back to where you came from’ and snickered and said ‘shh or she’ll behead you’,” another person said. “And followed me down the street. None of the train staff helped me out or stopped them.”

Christ, Australia. Do better.

So what is the cause of this Islamophobia? Not Islamic terrorism, as was previously thought. Instead, it’s the very presence of Muslim people living in Australia in the first place.

“Muslims have been raising the issue of Islamophobia consistently, especially in the aftermath of 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq,” the report said. “The reaction has often been the attitude – Australians always pick on the latest arrivals, it seems it is the Muslims’ turn, it will soon go away as it did for others in the past. The problem is it is not going away: it is increasing.”

It even warned that there would be likely attempts to whitewash the report, out of fear that a recognition of Islamophobia would be interpreted as an admission of something wrong with Australian society. I mean, the right-wing commentators and various lunatics in the government have already driven one young Muslim woman out of this country. Our issue with Islamophobia should be obvious as hell to anyone not performing Olympic-level gymnastics to ignore it. 

The report concluded by imploring the government to instead take the it seriously, and facilitate discussions on how to counter it.

“Minorities do not always have a voice in politics or media, and can often find themselves overwhelmed by negative perceptions and antagonism,” it said. “Ignoring Islamophobia will only entrench the problem more deeply.”

Source: The Conversation.

Photo: Daniel Munoz / Getty.