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The Scanlon Foundation's Mapping Social Cohesion survey reported that one in four Australians held a negative attitude towards Muslims. Islam has been under the public spotlight for repetitive terrorist attacks which have affected all parts of the world. These events trigger a series of hate crimes and verbal or physical racist attacks towards Muslims all over the world. Muslims suffer from various attacks such as being racially abused or attacked on public transport, headscarves being pulled off or homes being burnt down.

The Australian Human Rights Commission reported receiving 11 000 complaints, 30% of which were directly related to racial discrimination. This percentage has been significantly increasing since this survey was undertaken in 2016-17 due to the rise in hate crimes and terrorist attacks. Of the 30%, 20% of the claims were due to racial hatred. This conflict disturbs the peace between ethnic groups and prevents Australia from maintaining its reputation of being a multicultural country.

Quranic Perspective on Racism
Muslims believe Satan once worshipped God in heaven along with the Angels. . and thus this was the first act of racism which was displayed at the beginning of time. Fire-jinn- and clay- man- are the primordial elements which are precursors to race and ethnicity, which are the reasons for Satan's defiance to God

The Quran communicates a message which disregards people's differences in race, colour and ethnicity. It condones racism as it is a characteristic of Satan and Muslims must not follow the footsteps of the devil. Regardless of the first human's skin colour,. This furthers the idea that racism is unacceptable in Islam as Muslims should not differentiate themselves from one another, socially or racially.

Islamic Perspective on Racism
At the time of Hajj (pilgrimage), Muslims from all around the world gather in the holy city of Mecca and Medina to retrace the footsteps of the significant events which occurred in Islamic history. In this time, Muslims all wear the same clothes and retrace the exact steps, regardless of their heritage, colour, gender or language. The white unsown clothes, (tiyab al ihram) must be worn by all males while women must wear simple dresses and cover their hair. This ensures everyone is viewed as equal and no materialistic aspects can differentiate a rich from a poor. Also, the simplicity of the dress code makes it easily accessible for people all over the world to purchase this clothing, no matter their social status. They are required to leave behind the worldly desires, social distinctions or luxury, completely dedicating themselves to the worship of God. This enforces the idea that believers are all viewed as equal in the eyes of God, where he does not distinguish between people except by the goodness of their hearts.

Sects
The Sunni-Shia split arose soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the year 623,CE. The issue with who was to be the next successor divided the nation; majority of the nation wanted to elect a companion of the Prophet to lead the ummah (community) whereas the minority believed it was only right to have a member of the Prophet's family lead the future generations. The Sunni majority elected Abu Bakr as the first Caliph through voting anonymously. The Shias forming the minority were not pleased, believing the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, Ali, was the rightful leader. This was the beginning of the feud which would make it impossible for people in the present to reunite. Each sect strongly believes they are more correct and this division was expected as the Prophet had reported the splitting of Islam into 73 sects. Sunni's make up 80% of the Muslim population while Shia make up the remaining 20%. It has been thought that Ahlul-sunnah might be the chosen group as the Prophet said the only group which will make it to heaven while the remaining 72 groups go to hell are the majority.

Races
The Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad "in an Arabic tongue"[ Quran 46:12]and is also read in Arabic by all Muslims. Due to this, Saudi Arabians and other countries such as Lebanon who's mother tongue is Arabic have a sense of pride as the Quran is in their language and the message was revealed in Saudi Arabia. They have challenged the idea of Islam being an inclusive community, differentiating themselves as better followers of the religion than other ethnicities such as Pakistanis or Indians. Although Arabic is the language of the Quran, it is not the language of Islam. Arab Muslims hold the belief that if the Quran is converted into a language other than Arabic, one is no longer reading the actual Quran but is instead, merely reading the translation. Therefore, they have created the idea where if a person does not understand the Quran, they are barricaded from understanding God's message and so cannot develop a connection with their Lord till they learn the language. This further alienates non-Arab Muslims, discouraging converts and creating a division within the Muslim community.

Muslim minorities in Arabian countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan struggle to engage in the Arab dominated societies and communities due to their racial background. These refugees reside in these countries to seek jobs as servant, cleaners and labourers in order to support their families. They are not provided the same possibilities and opportunities as the native Arabs within the country as they are viewed as the "other". This creates a double standard where Arabs discriminate against the minor ethnicities for the sake of social cohesion and the benefit of the economy.

People commonly associate Muslims with the Middle Eastern countries, yet most of the Muslim population occupy the Asia-Pacific region. The Pew Research centre estimated that the Asia pacific accounted for 61.7% of the Muslim population while the Middle East only accounted for 19.8%. Despite the Middle East having a higher concentration of Muslims, this is not a justification for their proud nature and superiority over their brothers and sisters in Islam in different regions of the world.

Racism towards Muslims
With the emergence of the 9/11 attack and several other attacks such as the Woolwich attack 2013, Boston bombings and Sri Lanka bombings, the Muslim community as a whole have been under the public eye and targeted in the media. The media has represented Muslim males as the face of terrorism while the women are perceived to be oppressed and inferior due to their gender. The minority who attempt to defend their faith are ignored or silenced as they are automatically assumed to be supporters of extremism.

Islamophobia
Islamophobia was first developed in the late 1990s by right-wing political parties who wanted to draw attention to actions targeted at Islam and its followers. There is no universal definition for Islamophobia, albeit some describe it as the widespread fear and dread of Muslims and the Islamic faith. It provides an avenue for society to hold a general view of Islam as an anti-modern, violent and monolithic religion. It has lead to the secularisation of Muslims, classifying them as the "other". The Islamic migrant has been rendered to a person who is oppressed by alien characteristics.

Political parties have taken advantage of this global fear of Islam, campaigning against Muslim faith symbols and facilities. For instance, Switzerland has banned the future construction of mosques and minarets, urging other countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Australia to follow suite. Their "Muslimness" poses a threat to the national identity and the possible Islamification of the country which they reside in, contributing to the fear of the faith.

Hate Crime
Hate crimes are acts of violence committed against people due to their colour, race, ethnicity or religion. Since the 9/11 terrorist event, Muslims have been subjected to various forms of hate crimes. They have reported claims for harassment, intimidation and violence if they express their faith.  The following terrorist attacks executed by Muslim extremist groups have also caused hate crimes. The Garland and Chakraborti's studies of racism in England evidenced how after terrorist events occur, violence against Muslims multiply by a factor of six where they were violated in their homes and in religious places. Following the Woolwich attack in 2013, the Metropolitan Police force in Britain recorded 500 anti-Muslim hate crimes. Muslims suffered a range of violent attacks, from head-scarfs being pulled off to houses being lit on fire.

The 2019 Christchurch shootings were a result of the anti-Muslim attitude held by Brenton Tarrant and the audience who had viewed the livestream. The attack resulted in 50 people who were killed in Friday prayer, 40 injured and the rest of the world traumatised. Right-wing regimes promote the idea of Muslims as a threat to society and national identity which gives anti-Muslim bigots and Islamophobes the support to unleash these hate crimes on Muslims. Their actions are perceived as less extreme or justifiable as they defend their nation from the Islamisation of the country. 

Naked Racism
Muslim's believe they must be modest and dress appropriately to satisfy the shariah law of Islam. Women are required to wear the headscarf, covering the neck and hair. This has lead to the segregation of Muslim women who wear the hijab(head scarf) and niqab(face veil). Society has deemed the women oppressed as they are unable to dress to their liking with men forcing the women to wear the veil as if they are their property. This gives the impression that the headscarf symbolises that women in Islam are second class citizens. This also indicates Islam is a religion which refuses to integrate and adapt to the Western ways. Instead of being a symbol of modesty, their choice of clothing opposes the Western way of life. The niqab is a visible difference which appears alien and different, further showing the division between the West and traditional Islam.

Australian Politics against Muslims
Certain Australian politicians have firmly spread anti-Muslim hate, supporting the eradication of Muslims from the country. Other politicians have idly stood by and have taken no action to prevent the spreading of this hate. The Liberal Party along with One Nation have advocated these anti-Muslim ideologies, cultivating hate within the citizens and encouraging the spread of Islamophobia. This encourages and allows for hate crimes and anti-Muslim movements to take place, deepening the divide between Muslims and the rest of Australia.

The occurrence of the Christchurch mosque shooting by Brenton Tarrant was as a result of his Islamophobic hate for the Muslims which has been influenced by Australian politicians. Tarrant had published a 73-page declaration describing his hatred for Muslims, as well as his reasoning behind his hatred in a mock interview. After the attack, Senator Fraser Anning justified Tarrant's motives by accusing Muslim immigration for the Christchurch attack. He has also called for a ban of Muslim immigration and encouraged the return of the White Australia Policy. Anning also proposed a "Final Solution" for Muslims in Australia, which also received backlash from fellow politicians and citizens. Academics and Muslim leaders have warned against the acceptance of open racism against Muslims in the parliament which has festered in the country, resulting in these hate attacks.

Pauline Hanson, a Queensland Senator, has repeatedly and actively advocated for the Muslim faith and its "ideologies" to be banned from the country. She rendered Muslims to a "disease which must be vaccinated", claiming it was the only suitable way to solve Australia's problems. The 2017 London Bridge attack did not discourage Londoners to fear Muslims or call for their eradication but instead declared they stick together and unite, developing the hashtag #Pray4London. Unhappy with this resolution, Hanson posted a video of herself holding a piece of paper with her very own hashtag, #Pray4MuslimBan. Citizens were outraged with her actions, fixing her post with #Pray4PaulineBan.

In 2017, Pauline Hanson wore the burqa to the Senate Chamber in an attempt to call for its ban due to national security reasons. Her stunt was refuted? by attorney general, George Brandis who reasoned her actions were offensive towards the Islamic faith. Hanson justified her actions by highlighting 13 terrorist threats were made against the country where three were successful. She also called for the banning for a Trump-style ban on Muslim immigration to secure the Australian borders. Duncan Lewis, head of ASIO, claimed he possessed no evidence of there being a link between refugees and terrorism. He also reasoned there were no security reasons with burqas other than the fact that they must comply with authorities for identity purposes.

Senator of Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie has followed in the footsteps of Pauline Hanson, advocating for the ban of Muslim immigration. In 2017, Lambie appeared on Q&A, claiming "anyone who supports sharia law should be deported". This was detested by fellow panelist Yassmin Abdel-Magied who was infuriated by the fact that Lambie, along with other politicians who speak of sharia law and Islam even though they do not understand it. The Tasmanian senator was quickly silenced as Abdel-Magied announced in sharia law, Muslims must follow the laws of the country in which they are in. Pauline Hanson also fell into a similar situation on Q&A in 2018 where she was challenged for her views on Muslim immigration.