Blog 1 - Draft

I am still to add abstract, hyperlinks, refernces, conclusion and appendices ( i have been so overwhelmed with info). BUt here is the main idea, let me know what you think

Introduction
The term stereotype refers to a set of beliefs held about a social group that centre on traits and characteristics that they are deemed to share. Stereotypes can also be seen as cognitive frameworks that influence the processing of social information. (Baron, Byrne & Branscombe, 2006, Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). These cognitive structures contain perceptions of knowledge, beliefs and expectations about a particular social group (Mackie, Hamilton, Susskind & Rosselli, 1996). When these stereotypes are shared within a society their consequences escalate as they are seen to impact entire groups of people in a common way (Stangor & Schaller, 1996).

Within the Australian community a number of common stereotypes prevail. These include assumptions about the homosexual community, the indigenous population, those dealing with obesity issues and those from the Islamic part of society. This paper will examine the stereotypes that are often associated with those who are Muslim and the faith that is Islam. The term ‘Islamaphobia’ has been used in recent times to describe the victimisation of this group and the isolation that is often felt by Muslims who reside in the West (Akbarazadeh & Smith, 2005). This piece will look at what is involved in the stereotype, the formation , how it is maintained and ways in which it could be removed. There are a number of theories and terms that can be associated with this topic and these have been depicted in Figure 1.

Stereotypes of Muslims and Islam
slam is a religion that sets itself around five pillars; 1. Faith, 2. Prayer, 3. The Zakat (donation of 2.5% of ones capital), 4. The fast (Rammadam), 5. Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca. Islam is an Arabic word meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to his law (Ali, 1996). Stereotypical views of this religion include the notion that Muslims are against western democracy and freedom, that the faith oppresses woman (with the hijab or headscarf seen as a key token of this practice), that Muslims are from Middle Eastern countries and that they are promoters and followers of terrorism. These Western perceptions also imply that Muslims are intolerant of other religions and cultures. (Akbarazadeh & Smith, 2005). Generally there is an underlying assumption that Islam is backward and incompatible with ideals of western democracy. Muslims are also depicted as fanatics committed to defeating liberal governments and substituting them with anti-modernist regimes (Aly, 2007).

A main concept associated with the stereotyping of Muslims is that they comprise one homogeneous group. Anti Arab and Muslim views revolve around a generalized identification with violence and ‘un-Australian’ values (Hage, 2002). Muslims despite their difference have been reduced to one image being denied their individuality, diversity and humanity (Mansouri, 2005).This being said it is important to note that Muslims within Australia stem from a wide variety of different countries and cultures including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Indonesia, , Egypt, Albania, Lebanon, and Turkey, illustrating the diverse set of practices that vary between cultures (Poynting et al , 2004). The way in which these stereotypes are presented in the Australian community allow for a lack of understanding and contribute to the gathering of negative information and fear provoking images (Akbarazadeh & Smith, 2005).

Stereotypes aside common beliefs and values can be seen between Islam, Christianity and Judaism. These religions are all plentiful in fundamental moral and social principles from which powerful teachings of ethics and justice can be drawn (Saikal, 2003). The Qur’an states, “0 ye who believe, be upright for god, witness injustice, and let not hatred of a people cause you to be unjust. Be just, that is closer to piety” (Ali, 1996), illustrating that Islam is a religion that like Christianity places a focus on justice and respect for others.
These common stereotypes and misunderstandings were seen in a you tube publication “What do BC students know about Islam?” in which students were asked a set of questions and common stereotypical answers surrounding the middle east and the wearing of the hijab were given. Similar results were found when a small word association task was completed using Australian university students results indicated these stereotypes were clearly held within the Australian educated community

The formation of Stereotypes
These stereotypes whilst appearing to have developed post September 11 actually trace back prior to 1912 when Malay pearlers and Afghans were depicted as unclean and a threat to white women (Aly, 2007). In the 1970s Muslim migrants were seen as sexist, violent and backward with an association between Islam and extremism also forming (Mansouri, 2005, Aly, 2007). In Australia in the 1980s and 1990s the media shed a negative light on the religion with a focus on genital mutilation in Africa, honour killings, human rights and the role of women in Islam. These conceptions greatly escalated during the gulf war. Since these times the Islamic religion has become a marker of identity in the media (Aly, 2007).

In general stereotypes stem from factors such as prejudice, competition, ignorance, oppression and heuristics (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008, Carr, 2003). Social categorisation (us/them mentality), group think, social perception and social learning theory can all be implicated in the formation of the Muslim stereotype (Carr, 2003) (See Figure 1.).
The Australian media can be seen as an influential social agent with the poetential to shape community perceptions. It has a particular impact on minority groups by exposing them to pressures by implying that they embody ‘alien’ characteristics which are not concurrent with Australian values (Akbarazadeh &Smith, 2005). The Language used by the media often negatively frame stories (e.g. ‘Islamic terrorism’, ‘Muslim fanatics’) to be representative of all Muslims. This use of language has contributed to the formation of the stereotype that is commonly held within the Australian community (Akbarazadeh & Smith, 2005).

How Stereotypes are maintained
Within Australia Muslim stereotypes are maintained primarily through the portrayal in the media and by the current governments stance, hence creating a group think scenario which leads to social categorisation (Mansouri, 2005). The concpet of the ‘arab other’ can be seen as implicit in contemporary Australian political discourse and media representations (Poynting, et al, 2004). Examples in which these notions have been seen include the Tampa boat crisis and the attempted banning of headscarves in Australian schools (Aly, 2007). The governments representation of asylum seekers and the way in which the media focuses on by how the asylum seekers arrive instead of what the asylum seekers are actually fleeing from also contribute to the misconceptions ( Poynting, et al, 2004). The Australian government appears to have blurred the line between middle east, Muslim and terrorist which heavily impact the way in which Muslims (and those of Middle Eastern appearance) are viewed (Mansouri, 2005).

In today’s society a major component in the development and transmission of stereotypes is the mass media (Stangor & Schaller, 1996). In particular the way in which use of ‘Islam’ and‘Muslim’ have been used as adjectives in reports implies that Islam sanctions terrorism (Akbarazadeh & Smith, 2005). In a 2005 study by Arbarazadeh and Smith the Herald Sun was found to have recurrent stereotyping and negative reporting on topics involving Muslims. This negative theme was apparent in a quarter of articles reviewed. This study illustrates that mainstream media is in fact engaging in maintaining the stereotype of Muslim in the Australian society by often using religion as a primary marker of identity (Aly, 2007).

Breaking down Stereotypes
Changing the stereotype associated with Muslims and the Islamic faith requires the Australian community to acknowledge personal and media bias and stigmas. A richer understanding of the diversity of Muslims requires an enhanced education with an emphasis on the west engaging with the Muslims who live in their midst (Yasmeen, 2005). The tragedy that was September 11 poses challenges to both the West and followers of Islam and an understanding based on common human values should derive from such a situation, here in lies the challenge (Saikal, 2003). A multicultural perspective is required if a true understanding of other cultures is to develop (Baron, Byrne & Branscombe, 2006).

Allport’s contact hypothesis offers a theory for how the stereotype could be changed with the position that regular interaction between opposing or different groups ( if conducted under favourable conditions) reduces prejudice and feelings of extreme difference (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). In conjunction with this theory the notion of jigsaw classrooms also holds relevance as this cooperative learning technique has also shown to reduce feelings of prejudice (Baumeister & Bushman, 2008). Islamic leader Imam Faizal Abdual Rauf a keen promotor of interfaith dialogue stated that Australia has the opportunity to denounce these stereotypes due to its multicultural nature (ABC, 2005).