A bipartisan group of MPs have launched an Australian version of the Not in My Name social media campaign, which encourages Muslims to condemn Islamic State extremists.
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The British-based campaign has been popular abroad, but relatively mute in Australia. One Muslim leader says Australians Muslims fear being targetted and attacked if they "out" themselves as Muslim, even if criticising Islamic State.
Now a group of Federal MPs, all from Sydney, including Labor frontbenchers Tony Burke and Anthony Albanese and the Liberal Craig Laundy have united to kickstart a local #NotinMyName campaign, aimed at encouraging all Australians to attack racism and bigotry.
It comes in the wake of the Federal Parliament's decision to require any woman wearing a burqa to sit inside a glass enclosure instead of the open public galleries, following a sustained campaign by Liberal senator Cory Bernardi and Palmer United senator Jacqui Lambie.
Labor's Tony Burke says all Australians, and not just Muslims, are obliged to take a stand against prejudice and would be invited to condemn racism, hatred and bigotry.
"I've seen how it wears people down, where time and again, leaders within my community have seen something horrific overseas and have then been told by the media, 'We know your leader, we know you're a good person, we know you're 100 per cent part of the community but, by the way we just need to check, are you opposed to the child holding the decapitated head?' I can see why that wears people down," he said.
Mr Burke predicted the local campaign would take off because it would not be just Muslims obliged to take a stand.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied from Youth Without Borders said Australian Muslims constantly feel like they have to be "apologising for something" had contributed to the reluctance of some Australians to take a stand.
"No amount of apologising seems to make a difference," she said.
"There's a fear of backlash. All of the language in the media has made people feel victimised rather than empowered to stand up," she told Fairfax Media.
"Part of what we're trying to do with this campaign is not make it about one particular community, the idea behind this is that we say as all Australians we say don't stand for racism, hatred or bigotry."
Mr Laundy told Fairfax Media: "Leadership isn't just political, where we find ourselves today, leaders at all levels of society, irrespective of race or religion need to stand up and preach tolerance, inclusion and cohesion"
"I believe we practice multiculturalism in a way that is far superior to anywhere else in the world, but what this campaign gives Australians of Muslim faith the chance to do, is to stand up in their community, the way I'm standing up in mine, which by the way, is both of ours, and preach the same message and lead the same way," he said.
#NotInMyName: ISIS Do Not Represent British Muslims:
http://t.co/xGnqtdWXTI very good on the Brits! RT idly stand by no longer eh — Hassaan Qureshi (@HABQ88)
September 27, 2014
Killing innocents... Destroying churches... Making people homeless is unislamic....
#NotInMyName
pic.twitter.com/WlOnqTI4qw — Mohsin Khan (@mohsinnow)
September 24, 2014
