Introduction
Australia is one of the many countries in which moral panics have resulted to elevated racism. The concerns about crime and the fear of crime in many Australian cities including Sydney have greatly shaped lifestyles and have influenced the qualities of life. It is evidently that crime in many Australian cities is continually being linked to immigrants and other ethnic minorities. In Australia, in the recent years, the issue of crime committed by ethnic minorities and immigrants has been the subject of many media headlines and has greatly shaped policies, both domestic and international. The 9/11 attacks in the USA greatly influenced people perceptions on ethnic minorities as masterminds of crime (terrorism), especially those from the Islam faith. Terrorism, which is the worst form of crime, is now being attributed to Islam immigrants. Today, many immigrants from the Middle East and those that subscribe to the Islamic Faith have become victims of racial abuse, both verbal and physical. Many people in Australia today view ethnic minorities, especially Islamists, as perpetrators of crime rather than victims of crime.
The issue of immigrant and ethnic minorities’ crime resonates strongly among many Australians due to the fact that the country has a larger and a highly diverse immigrant population. Much of the immigrant crime debate mainly centers in Sydney which is the country’s largest city and absorbs a high number of immigrants. Over the years, the ethic crime issue has been an issue of great concern among people in Sydney. Often, the media headlines have placed emphasis on the youth crime and youth gang problems in the city, especially South Western Sydney. It is evidently clear that the ‘moral panics’ in Australia, especially in Sydney, which have been entrenched in sensational reports by the media and devious political responses, have exaggerated ethnic minority criminality (Ross, 2004). As a result of these ‘moral panics,’ many Australians of ethnic minority backgrounds are experiencing distress as they are being labeled as criminals and in some cases terrorists. These ‘moral panics’ have greatly reinforced stereotypes labeled against the ethnic minorities and eventually bolstering racism.
Moral Panic and the Media
Moral Panic, as defined by Cohen (2002), refers to a condition, episode, person or group of people emerges to become a threat to values of the society and interests” (pg. 1). Cohen (2002) goes further to explain that the nature of the condition goes on to be presented in a stereotypical way by the mass media. The editors, politicians, the clergy and moral entrepreneurs man the moral barricades. They also provide the diagnosis and solution to the problem. Moral panics could also be described as overstated social reactions which are normally caused by the misinterpretation of crime by the primary definers in a society such as politicians, the media and other interests groups. The social reactions created would then call for attention and demand solutions as they are perceived to be threats of social values and interests (Altheide, 2009). Altheide (2009) revealed that moral panics have been used widely in mass media especially in the UK and Australia. He further revealed that moral panic is part of the daily discourse in these countries. The crime reports by the media creates a misleading and an inappropriate image about the nature and type of crime that is occurring and as a result creating tensions between perception and reality. As Cohen (2002) indicated, for the media misinterpretation of a phenomenon, crime must shape the public sentiment in order to create a moral panic. Altheide (2009) states that crime misinterpretation by the media must create fear among the public to a capacity where it outshines its capacity to harm the society. In most cases, when public fear has been instilled through media reporting, policies are usually implemented based on these moral panics.
The link between ethnic minorities and criminal behavior is a theme that has received great attention in Australia over the years. The issue has also attracted heated public debates and media attention. The media representations of the ethnic minorities have produced and continue to reproduce stereotypes which have been labeled against these communities. The suburbs that these communities occupy have been labeled as unsafe and dangerous places hence being avoided by many people. Since the stabbing of Edward Lee in 1998 in Punchbowl and the shoot up at Lakemba police station, the issue of ethnic crimes in Sydney has risen to new heights. Ever since, the media headlines have focused on ethnic gangs and immigrant gangs. Many media outlets have used headlines and stories highlighting these gangs and as a result creating moral panics on the entire population. It is amazing the frequency with which the media headlines in Sydney reflect violence caused by these ethnic minority communities. The terrorist activities all over the world such as the bombing of the Twin Towers in the US, Bali Bombings and the London Bombings
The US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent 9/11 attacks had a number of consequences to Islamic immigrants in Australia. The Australians of Arabic and Islamic descent became victims of extensive racial vilification and physical attacks due to the fact that the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks were Arabic and Muslim. In 1992, a report released by the Committee on Discrimination against Arabs revealed that many Arabs and Muslims were subjects of racial abuse both physical and verbal. A number of families reported harassment at their places of work, shopping centers, schools and even their homes. The Muslim women who wore hijabs reported that they were harassed by people in cars and parking lots. These women also reported having their hijabs torn by these xenophobic individuals. Physical abuse was also widespread among in this community with people being spat on or even incurring physical injury. A number of people died and scores injured as a result of these racial attacks leveled against them. Many people lost their property and assets as a result of these attacks with cases of vandalism being widely reported. The Mosques and other places where Muslims met were attacked and the staff threatened. Post 9/11, many people of Arabic and Muslim origin reported offensive remarks they received about their religion and race, as well as experiencing physical abuse. The 9/11 attacks had a negative impact on the Arab and Muslim Australians as they became victims of racial abuse and violence (Gelder & Thornton, 1997). The report explicitly outlines the extent of vilification, discrimination and prejudice that the Arab and Muslim Australians faced after the Iraq war. To a great extent, these attacks are majorly attributed to the media which highlighted that Arabs and Muslims were criminal masterminds capable of unleashing similar attacks in the country. The media encouraged locals to be vigilant so as to avoid being victims of such terrorist attacks. In doing so, the media exaggerated violence in the Arab-Islam communities since the attacks were by the Al-Qaeda but not the entire community of Arab-Islam. This created moral panics that resulted in racial violence mainly targeted at the Arab Islamic Australians.
The issue of immigrant and ethnic minorities’ crime resonates strongly among many Australians due to the fact that the country has a larger and a highly diverse immigrant population. Much of the immigrant crime debate mainly centers in Sydney which is the country’s largest city and absorbs a high number of immigrants. Over the years, the ethic crime issue has been an issue of great concern among people in Sydney. Often, the media headlines have placed emphasis on the youth crime and youth gang problems in the city, especially South Western Sydney. It is evidently clear that the ‘moral panics’ in Australia, especially in Sydney, which have been entrenched in sensational reports by the media and devious political responses, have exaggerated ethnic minority criminality. As a result of these ‘moral panics,’ many Australians of ethnic minority backgrounds are experiencing distress as they are being labeled as criminals and in some cases terrorists. These ‘moral panics’ have greatly reinforced stereotypes labeled against the ethnic minorities and eventually bolstering racism.
Moral Panics and Politics
It has been argued that the Australian capitalism is fundamentally racist given that the policies adopted seem to sideline the Aborigines and the fact that the government’s immigration policies lock out many refugees, especially from the Middle East. The vast number of campaigns and decisions by the local councils against the building of Muslim schools and Mosques confirm xenophobic racism in the country. Apart from addressing the main problems causing popular discontent such as crime and violence, politicians would rather blame them on ethnic minorities, mostly the Islamic Arabs. The media has been crafty enough to misinterpret the violence in the country and hence creating moral panics among many Australians. Consequently, politicians in the country have picked on the issue and have adopted policies that do not favor the immigrants and ethnic minorities at all. Given the level of influence politicians have in a country, it is very easy for the politicians to convince the population on the moral panics. Since the 1990’s, Australia has experienced a torrent of moral panics and racist campaigns against the Arabs, Muslims, the Aborigines and refugees. This rise of racism has been studied widely and is well documented.
The US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent 9/11 attacks had a number of consequences to Islamic immigrants in Australia. The Australians of Arabic and Islamic descent became victims of extensive racial vilification and physical attacks due to the fact that the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks were Arabic and Muslim. In 1992, a report released by the Committee on Discrimination against Arabs revealed that many Arabs and Muslims were subjects of racial abuse both physical and verbal. A number of families reported harassment at their places of work, shopping centers, schools and even their homes. The Muslim women who wore hijabs reported that they were harassed by people in cars and parking lots. These women also reported having their hijabs torn by these xenophobic individuals. Physical abuse was also widespread among in this community with people being spat on or even incurring physical injury. A number of people died and scores injured as a result of these racial attacks leveled against them. Many people lost their property and assets as a result of these attacks with cases of vandalism being widely reported. The Mosques and other places where Muslims met were attacked and the staff threatened. Post 9/11, many people of Arabic and Muslim origin reported offensive remarks they received about their religion and race, as well as experiencing physical abuse. The 9/11 attacks had a negative impact on the Arab and Muslim Australians as they became victims of racial abuse and violence. The report explicitly outlines the extent of vilification, discrimination and prejudice that the Arab and Muslim Australians faced after the Iraq war. To a great extent, these attacks are majorly attributed to the media which highlighted that Arabs and Muslims were criminal masterminds capable of unleashing similar attacks in the country. The media encouraged locals to be vigilant so as to avoid being victims of such terrorist attacks. In doing so, the media exaggerated violence in the Arab-Islam communities since the attacks were by the Al-Qaeda but not the entire community of Arab-Islam. This created moral panics that resulted in racial violence mainly targeted at the Arab Islamic Australians.
Conclusion
The link between ethnic minorities and criminal behavior is a theme that has received great attention in Australia over the years. The issue has also attracted heated public debates and media attention. The media representations of the ethnic minorities have produced and continue to reproduce stereotypes which have been labeled against these communities (Gould-Kavet, 2013). The suburbs that these communities occupy have been labeled as unsafe and dangerous places hence being avoided by many people. Since the stabbing of Edward Lee in 1998 in Punchbowl and the shoot up at Lakemba police station, the issue of ethnic crimes in Sydney has risen to new heights. Ever since, the media headlines have focused on ethnic gangs and immigrant gangs (Garber, 1991). Many media outlets have used headlines and stories highlighting these gangs and as a result creating moral panics on the entire population. It is amazing the frequency with which the media headlines in Sydney reflect violence caused by these ethnic minority communities. The terrorist activities all over the world such as the bombing of the Twin Towers in the US, Bali Bombings and the London Bombings
The US invasion of Iraq and the subsequent 9/11 attacks had a number of consequences to Islamic immigrants in Australia. The Australians of Arabic and Islamic descent became victims of extensive racial vilification and physical attacks due to the fact that the masterminds of the 9/11 attacks were Arabic and Muslim. In 1992, a report released by the Committee on Discrimination against Arabs revealed that many Arabs and Muslims were subjects of racial abuse both physical and verbal. A number of families reported harassment at their places of work, shopping centers, schools and even their homes. The Muslim women who wore hijabs reported that they were harassed by people in cars and parking lots. These women also reported having their hijabs torn by these xenophobic individuals. Physical abuse was also widespread among in this community with people being spat on or even incurring physical injury. A number of people died and scores injured as a result of these racial attacks leveled against them. Many people lost their property and assets as a result of these attacks with cases of vandalism being widely reported.
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