Media Representations of Arabs & Muslims in Post-Multicultural Australia

Abstract

This research examines the representations of Arab and Muslim Australians in the media and political discourse on the issues of terrorism, boat people and the Cronulla riots, during the Howard years. The research is based on analysing events, political statements, media reports and broadcasts that have negatively portrayed the Arabic and Muslim communities in Australia. The study argues that the contemptuous depiction of Arabs and Muslims in the mainstream media was due to two factors: Orientalist attitudes and the ushering of a new post-multiculturalism era which is now being carried out under the banner of social inclusion. I have termed the difficult times that Australia has experienced with some controversial issues concerning Arabs and Muslims, such as the issues of terrorism, boat people and ethnic tensions as the ‘Australian Trials’. I have also identified the Orientalist Aussie as the main agent, the stirrer and the cause of the Australian Trials. While the first chapter sets the context of Australian attitudes towards multiculturalism in general, the remaining three chapters deal with the issues of terrorism, boat people and the Cronulla events as debated in the media and political discourse.