Australian Muslims' Conceptions of Integration
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Australian Muslims’ Conceptions of Integration Author Hersi, Abdi Mohamud Published 2016 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/3513 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367708 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Australian Muslims’ Conceptions of Integration Abdi Mohamud Hersi Master of Arts in International Studies A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science Griffith University April 2015 Abstract Currently, the scholarly literature does not address the possibility of the existence of a counter narrative of what integration might mean to the immigrant communities who are the subjects of the integration debate. In the case of Muslim immigrants in Australia, their perspectives on what integration means is absent from this debate. This study therefore attempts to examine the meanings of integration from the perspective of the Muslim people themselves. Over the course of 2010 and 2011, four focus group discussions were conducted with Muslims in the South East Queensland region of Australia. Concerning the issues of their integration into Australian society, Muslim participants were asked to define what integration means and also to state what activities and behaviours they would attach to the meaning of integration. Qualitative data analysis employing NVIVO software was used to categorise particular interpretations of integration into themes. The study found that the meanings Muslims give to the term “integration” are by and large similar to those prevalent in the scholarly literature on integration. In general, Muslims ascribe to the term meanings relating to participation, belonging and contributing to the wider society. Noticeably, they conceptualise integration in socio- economic terms rather than in cultural terms. However, the study concludes that the meanings that integration has for Muslims are generally influenced by their faith. For example, Muslims expressly reject activities and behaviours they perceive to compromise their faith, and evidently make a distinction between integration and assimilation. Overall, this thesis argues that an understanding of how Muslims define integration may help policy makers, academics and settlement service providers appreciate how culture and faith influence the meanings that religiously and culturally diverse groups give to certain generally accepted terms, such as integration. This thesis contributes new and unique knowledge to the general debate about migrant integration, specifically within the sphere of the integration of Muslim immigrants. The use of empirical data to investigate this important topic and the ways in which Muslims in Australia conceptualise integration highlights a significant dimension of integration. This study examines this concept in light of all of the interpretations of international migration expressed more broadly in the literature. This is a new approach, as an i examination of whether or not the broader interpretations of the concept match those within the Muslim community in Australia is absent in the extant literature. In using this approach, this thesis uncovers, through its extensive review of international migration literature, the fact that Muslim interpretations of integration are absent from the large body of citizenship, integration and multiculturalism literature. This research provides the first empirical study which examines how a single migrant group perceives and interprets the concept of integration. This thesis draws upon research undertaken with Australian Muslims living in a variety of backgrounds in the South East Queensland region of Australia. It attempts to make an important contribution to the field of international migration, and the wider political discourses about the place of Islam and Muslims in Australia, by broadening the debates about integration from general conceptual discussions to a practical, policy relevant theory. In this regard, the thesis discusses the subject of Muslim migrant integration beyond mere definitional terms, instead adopting a more sensible and contextual framework by applying a plausible cognitive psychology theory of schema. This in- depth examination allows the researcher to tap into not only what Muslims perceive integration to mean, but also the cognitive processes they employ to come to an understanding of that meaning. ii Statement of originality This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself. Signed: ………………………………..………………..………… Abdi Hersi April 2015 iii Contents Abstract .........................................................................................................................i Statement of originality ................................................................................................. iii List of appendices ......................................................................................................... vii List of tables .................................................................................................................. vii List of figures ................................................................................................................ vii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... viii Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................ix Acknowledgement of published and unpublished papers included in this thesis ...... x Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the problem “gap” in research ............................................................... 3 Research scope and limitation .................................................................................... 4 Rationale and significance .......................................................................................... 5 Aims of the research ................................................................................................... 8 Research questions ..................................................................................................... 8 Overview of research methodology............................................................................ 8 Theoretical and conceptual framework ...................................................................... 9 Outline of the research—thesis plan......................................................................... 13 Chapter 1. Migration, integration and the polarisation of the debate ...................... 17 1.1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 17 1.2. International migration levels ..................................................................... 17 1.3. Polarisation of the debates about migration and integration ...................... 18 Chapter 2. Muslims in Australia: Context and Background ..................................... 25 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 25 2.2. Early migration of Muslims to Australia .................................................... 25 2.3. The social and economic situation of Muslims in Australia today ............ 29 2.3.1. Level of higher educational attainment ............................................................ 32 2.3.2. Labour market participation ............................................................................. 35 2.3.3. Occupational group and industry ..................................................................... 39 2.3.4. Average weekly income ................................................................................... 40 2.3.5. Home ownership .............................................................................................. 41 2.4. The diversity of the Australian Muslim community .................................. 45 2.5. The debate about Islam and the West ......................................................... 50 2.6. Key incidents and events which have impacted on relations between Islam and the West ..................................................................................... 53 2.7. Islam in the public sphere ........................................................................... 59 2.8. A perceived lack of integration of Australian Muslims ............................. 62 2.9. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 63 iv Chapter 3. Discourses Concerning Immigrant Integration: A Critical Review ...... 65 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................ 65 3.2. State discourses about integration .............................................................. 68 3.3. Assimilation ............................................................................................... 69 3.4. Citizenship and integration