Social and Civic Participation of Australian Muslim Men
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DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP SOCIAL & CIVIC PARTICIPATION OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MEN FINAL REPORT CULTURAL & INDIGENOUS RESEARCH CENTRE AUSTRALIA August 2010 Head Office (Sydney): Level 1, 93 Norton St, Leichhardt NSW 2040 Melbourne Office: Level 14, Como Centre, 644 Chapel St, South Yarra VIC 3141 ABN: 30 065 353 951 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 4 DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................. 9 1. RESEARCH OUTLINE....................................................................................... 10 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH ........................................................... 10 1.2 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES............................................................................. 10 1.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................... 11 2. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MALES..................... 17 3. KEY DEFINITIONS AND INSIGHTS FROM THE LITERATURE REVIEW ....... 19 3.1 DEFINITIONS AND SCOPE ........................................................................... 19 3.2 PARTICIPATION AND BELONGING.............................................................. 21 3.3 BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION ................................................................... 22 3.4 ENABLERS TO PARTICIPATION .................................................................. 24 3.5 KEY POINTS FROM THE LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................ 26 4. RESEARCH FINDINGS – LIVING IN AUSTRALIA .......................................... 28 4.1 GENERAL ATTITUDES ABOUT AUSTRALIA................................................ 28 4.2 IDENTITY AND BELONGING......................................................................... 31 4.3 CURRENT SOCIAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES AND SPACES ........................ 36 5. RESEARCH FINDINGS – PARTICIPATION BARRIERS AND ENABLERS .... 41 5.1 INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY FOR PARTICIPATION............................................ 41 5.2 MUSLIM COMMUNITY CAPACITY TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATION ........... 49 5.3 MAINSTREAM SOCIETAL CAPACITY TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATION ..... 61 6. KEY CONSIDERATIONS FROM THE RESEARCH .......................................... 72 7. RECOMMENDED ACTIVITY GUIDELINES ...................................................... 73 7.1 ENHANCING SELF-ESTEEM AND RESILIENCE BY BUILDING PERSONAL CAPACITY AND SKILLS ................................................................................ 74 7.2 ‘THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS’ – STRENGTHENING PERSONAL IDENTITIES AND MAKING CONECTIONS TO BROADER SOCIETY .......... 75 7.3 SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE WITHIN AN INTER-GENERATIONAL CONTEXT....................................................................................................... 76 7.4 PROMOTING SYSTEMIC INCLUSION AND ACCEPTANCE........................ 78 7.5 SUSTAINABILITY ........................................................................................... 79 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 81 APPENDIX 1 – CASE STUDY SUMMARY INFORMATION.................................... 92 APPENDIX 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................... 99 APPENDIX 3 – DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MEN..... 122 DIAC: SOCIAL & CIVIC PARTICIPATION OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MEN: FINAL REPORT ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Cultural and Indigenous Research Centre Australia (CIRCA) would like to acknowledge the contribution of Wafa Chafic in reviewing the literature and preparing the demographic profile for this project. CIRCA is very grateful to the young Muslim men and stakeholders who gave up their time to be interviewed and shared their knowledge and stories with us. We would also like to thank the many people we contacted throughout the process who provided advice, suggestions and contacts that were critical in making the research happen. © CULTURAL & INDIGENOUS RESEARCH CENTRE AUSTRALIA _____________________________________ 3 DIAC: SOCIAL & CIVIC PARTICIPATION OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MEN: FINAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The overall aim of this research was to analyse the range of civic, social and support services available to Muslim men and assess the effectiveness of these services, particularly for young Muslim men. This research emerged from a need identified by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to build a knowledge base of the issues facing Australia’s Muslim communities. The research will help inform relevant government policies and programs. The research focused on marginalised young men within a range of Muslim communities, including both recent arrivals and second- and third-generation young men. HOW THE RESEARCH WAS CONDUCTED Five phases of research were conducted in order to collect information from a wide range of sources: 1. A literature review 2. Ten interviews with stakeholders who have direct experience with and/or knowledge of Muslim communities 3. Ten focus groups with the primary target audience of this project, young Muslim men 4. Five forums with stakeholders representing organisations that have a role in supporting civic and social participation 5. Eight good practice case studies on service provision supporting social and civic participation. KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE LITERATURE The following issues emerged as key findings from the literature review (Chapter 3): • The population of Australian Muslim males is increasing at a higher rate than the rest of the population in the 15-29 age cohort. • Muslim males are more likely to be socially excluded and to experience low levels of participation. Educationally they are high achievers but they still experience socioeconomic disadvantage. • Several factors emphasise differences between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians, including incidents such as 9/11, the Cronulla riots and the ‘gang rapes’. • Barriers to civic participation include perceptions of marginalisation, economic and structural disadvantage, and lack of support, resources and skills for effective participation. • A number of factors enable effective participation of young Muslim men, including good formal and informal support networks, local initiatives, volunteering, mentoring, music and sport, spiritual and religious factors, and access to employment opportunities. © CULTURAL & INDIGENOUS RESEARCH CENTRE AUSTRALIA _____________________________________ 4 DIAC: SOCIAL & CIVIC PARTICIPATION OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MEN: FINAL REPORT RESEARCH FINDINGS The research findings are divided into six topics over two chapters: • ‘Living in Australia’ (Chapter 4) – general attitudes of young Muslim men about Australia, their sense of identity and belonging, and their current social and civic activities and spaces • ‘Participation barriers and enablers’ (Chapter 5) – barriers to and enablers of participation in individual young Muslim men, Muslim communities, and the mainstream Australian community. General attitudes about Australia The focus groups involving young Australian Muslim men revealed a range of both positive and negative attitudes towards Australia. On the positive side there was: • A strong perception of individual freedom and personal respect • A general perception of Australia as a fair, multicultural, open and safe society where the law works • An acknowledgement of the high level of assistance available to individuals and families • A perception of Australia as a clean country with good weather and a beautiful natural environment. On the negative side there was: • Concern about the media propagating negative coverage of Muslims • Frequent use of the term ‘racism’ in reference to attitudes in the Australian community; there was however an acknowledgement that it was not the entire community that was ‘racist’ and that there was a variety of different people and groups that composed Australia. Identity and belonging The majority of the young Muslim participants in the focus groups placed themselves almost totally within communities defined by ethnicity and religion, and tended to categorise their ethnic group in the context of Islam, e.g. ‘Afghan’ or ‘Lebanese’ Muslims. A strong sense of pride was expressed about their cultural/religious background, and the support, sense of belonging and moral framework it provided. However, they also perceived the Islamic community in Australia as divided on cultural, racial and linguistic difference; for many newly arrived young men this ran counter to their expectations. The research indicated very little crossover between the ‘Australian community’ and ‘Islamic community’. It also found that young Muslim men do transit from one identity to another, but not necessarily without conflict. It was suggested by stakeholders that this is a common situation for migrants, but that it is more keenly experienced by Muslim communities in Australia because of local and global Islamic issues. © CULTURAL & INDIGENOUS RESEARCH CENTRE AUSTRALIA _____________________________________ 5 DIAC: SOCIAL & CIVIC PARTICIPATION OF AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM MEN: FINAL REPORT Current social and civic activities and spaces Participants described a wide range of recreational activities, mostly sport (social and competitive) and social interaction with peers. Younger participants (15-18) reported