 NOT WELCOME: A group of Muslim women in Australia |
The study, entitled Challenging Racism: The Anti-Racism Research Project, shows that many white Australians believe indigenous residents such as the Aborigines do not belong in the country.
Conducted as part of efforts to develop anti-racism guidelines, the study also showed growing apathy toward black Africans after greater immigration from countries such as Sudan and Somalia.
Almost 500,000 migrants form part of the country’s 21 million people.
Professor Kevin Dunn, who led the study, told reporters the group most often singled out as ‘not belonging’ in Australia was Muslims or people from the Middle East.
“They stand out at the moment as the group that people would be most concerned about. There [are] stronger levels of social distance or fear of Islam or concern about Islam than of any other group at the moment,” said Dunn, a professor of human geography and urban studies at the University of Western Sydney.
One in 10 people also said they did not approve of intercultural marriages. “It's better than in many other parts of the world, certainly in parts of western Europe where three in 10 people would hold those views,” he said.
However, more than 80 percent of people see cultural diversity as a benefit "and that's a good thing for Australian society," the professor said.
New South Wales is the country's most racist state because of migration to cities such as Sydney, findings suggest.
Source: Voice Online, Oct 06, 2008