THE ‘RACE’ FOR CAMDEN THE CAMDEN ISLAMIC SCHOOL CONTROVERSY Ryan J. Al-Natour A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2013 University of Western Sydney Dedication [Translation] Where ever I go I see barriers Imprisoning humanity Why is it that there are children in the world who enjoy freedom And I am not one of them? (Palestinian folk song) I dedicate this dissertation to my four beautiful young nieces, Rochelle (aged 6), Alyssa (aged 5), Sienna (aged 4) and Raquel (aged 3). When times got tough towards the end of my thesis journey, I would take my girls to the park, tutor them, read their books with them, watch cartoons, play hide and seek, angry birds, snakes and ladders, and even that painful tea party set. I will always be grateful that I have them in my life. The physical, psychological and social barriers that circulate us will not be around forever. One day, we will be free! Acknowledgements This doctorate is one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I have ever attempted. I have met the most amazing thinkers, researched the most inspiring and insightful topics, travelled to universities interstate and overseas, and spoken in front of hundreds of students in a lecture theatre. I have been guided by people that I admired as an undergrad, developed the skills to teach at university, and I have actually had my own writing published in journals and a book. Most importantly, I have learnt newer ways of making sense of our world today. These are accomplishments that are my own, and the people who have empowered me to get to this point are sincerely valued. To my supervisors Dr. George Morgan, Prof. Greg Noble and Dr. Selda Dagistanli, your guidance, intellectual insights, and development opportunities that you have offered during this process are truly appreciated. To Aunty Rose, Uncle Sam, Rebecca, Pascal and Michelle, your faith and patience is valued. To my best friends Tim Hannagan, James Royce, George Tzlepis, Emma Laing, Kerryn Pagett, Melissa Wilson, Rebecca Beirne, Rosa Orsini, Samar Habib, Amanda Lloyd, Silvia Ibrahim, Vaimoana Kengike and Elvir Tupkovic, thank you for your support and kindness. To my supportive and amazing colleagues at the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, specifically; Paul Newman, Alison Collard, Joanne Brown, John South, Jaleesa Donovan, Kylie Randall, Laurel Mason, Aunty Jean South, Rea Saunders, Rosemary Qummouh and the late Dr. Chris Wilson, thank you for listening, supporting and being there for me during and at the tail end of this journey. You are all truly a great mob! To all the awesome and inspiring students at this centre, thank you for seeing how I am from time to time and checking up on me. Also, to all the fellow doctoral students at the Institute for Culture and Society, thanks for the support and company along this journey. Statement of Authentication The work presented in this dissertation is, to the best of my knowledge and belief, original except as acknowledged in the text. I hereby declare that I have not submitted this material, either in full or in part, for a degree at this or any other institution. .................................................................................. Ryan Jamal Al-Natour, April 2013 Some of the research data discussed throughout this thesis formed the basis for the following five journal articles and one chapter in an edited book: Al-Natour, R. (2010). Folk devils and the proposed Islamic school in Camden. Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies, 24(4), 573‒585. Al-Natour, R. (2010). ‘The mouse that dared to roar’: Youths and the Camden controversy, Youth Studies Australia, 29(2), 42‒50. Al-Natour, R. (2010). Racism, Ragheads and Rednecks. Nebula, 7, 7-2. Al-Natour, R. (2011). The Impact of the Researcher on the Researched. M/C Journal, 14(6). Al-Natour, R., & Morgan, G. (2012). Local Islamophobia: The Islamic School Controversy in Camden, New South Wales. In G. Morgan & S. Poynting (eds), Global Islamophobia: Muslims and Moral Panic in the West. (pp.101-118). Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate. Al-Natour, R. (2013, Forthcoming). The constructions of Sydney’s ‘Muslim ghettoes’. Journal of Contemporary Islam. Table of contents List of figures Abstract Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 ‘Protest wasn’t just about racism’ .................................................................................................................. 3 Aims and existing scholarly ‘gaps’ on the controversy ................................................................................. 5 The limitations of moral panic theories and the significance of the Arab Other ........................................ 7 Camden’s rurality and demographic changes ............................................................................................. 11 Inventory of sources ....................................................................................................................................... 13 Self-reflection, partiality and the experiences of racism ............................................................................. 17 The insider vs. outsider: Positions of the researcher ................................................................................... 22 Chapter structure ........................................................................................................................................... 23 1. What happened in Camden?............................................................................................. 27 2. ‘A new face of Islamophobia in Sydney’: Contextualising and conceptualising the ‘race’ for Camden .................................................................................................................. 49 Demographics and Australian Muslims ....................................................................................................... 50 The first mosque and Islamic school in Australia........................................................................................ 52 ‘We have seen this before’: Hostilities against Islamic development applications ................................... 53 Placing the Camden protests in context ....................................................................................................... 59 Popular narratives of the controversy .......................................................................................................... 60 The significance of Islamophobia in Camden .............................................................................................. 63 Reviewing ‘race’: The floating signifier ....................................................................................................... 67 Race-thinking about Muslims in Camden .................................................................................................... 69 Turmoils, negotiations and challenges in the discursive constructions of ‘race’ ......................................... 73 Negotiating ‘race’ according to ‘place’ ....................................................................................................... 75 Class positions, ‘race’ and place .................................................................................................................. 77 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 79 3. ‘It’s the birthplace of our nation’: The ‘race’ for Camden’s Past ................................ 81 Local narrations of the ‘Birthplace of the nation’s wealth ......................................................................... 82 The other side of Camden’s local history ..................................................................................................... 85 Local appropriation of Macarthur and positions against the school ......................................................... 86 Conceptualising ‘heritage’ as a signifier of the past .................................................................................... 91 The preservation of white heritage in Camden ............................................................................................ 93 The continuation of white heritage in Camden ............................................................................................ 96 The birthplace of our nation: Camden’s ‘national’ heritage .................................................................... 100 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 104 4. ‘Changing Camden to Cambowl’: The ghetto dystopian imaginary of Camden’s future ..................................................................................................................................... 106 Rural Camden as beleaguered Anglo Australia ........................................................................................ 107 The rural and suburban ambiguity of Camden today .............................................................................. 110 The tidy town and demographic growth .................................................................................................... 113 The Narratives of Camden as a rural haven for Sydney ‘expats’ and ‘white flight’ .............................. 116 Ghetto dystopian