Muslim-Australians & local government: grassroots strategies to improve relations between Muslim and non-Muslim-Australians: final research report

Final report to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship for the project Muslims & Local Government.

The Centre for Research on Social Inclusion was commissioned by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to conduct qualitative, empirical research to investigate community-based activities for improving relations between Muslim and non-Muslim-Australians. The focus of the project was Muslim-Australians who have increasingly experienced racism and discrimination—particularly since the Cronulla riots—in the face of recent global events such as the terrorist attacks of September 11th, and the London and the Bali bombings. Through an examination of a variety of initiatives and projects developed by local councils and Muslim and non-Muslim non-government organisations, the project investigated the most effective community-based activities for improving relations between Muslim and non-Muslim-Australians.

The principle objectives of this project were:

To identify the most effective community-based activities for improving relations between Muslim and non-Muslim-Australians,
To explore what works and what doesn’t in regards to relationship building initiatives and projects,
To assess Muslim-Australian perceptions of and attitudes towards local city councils,
To assess both Muslim and non-Muslim-Australians who are ‘disengaged’ from formal activities to build bridges between the two groups in order to gain further insight into what kinds of activities might attract them, and the extent of their mixing with the ‘other side’.