Strategies for combating prejudice against Muslims in Australia

Abstract

The post-9/11 era has witnessed an upsurge in prejudice against Muslims in Western societies. Prejudice runs the risk of leading to discrimination if left uncurbed. This review attempts to explore the strategies used to combat prejudice against Muslim communities in Australia. A Boolean search for the key terms found seven studies (N = 3,177) that were conducted between 2012 and 2022. The study findings suggest that lower levels of education, lack of knowledge of Islam and Muslims, age, and a perception that prejudiced beliefs against Muslim communities are shared by the mainstream population are significant predictors of prejudice against the said group. Intergroup-contact strategy is the primary strategy which has been employed to combat prejudice. However, most of the studies that have been conducted lack ecological validity. In addition, the issues related to multilayered causal mechanisms leading to intergroup contact have been critiqued in this review. Recently, a few studies have used the psychoeducational approach in combating prejudice against Muslims in Australia. This approach has gained external validity. However, the studies related to psychoeducational intervention in combating prejudice against the said group are in their infancy. Recommendations have been made for future research directions that are efficient, practical and may inform government education policies.