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Traditional Australian Culture

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This paper will be analysing a newspaper article from The Australian in relation to assimilation and Australian culture. Rintoul (2012) reported in the article that there was support from leaders of multiple faiths in Victoria to install prayer rooms in Australian Rules Football (AFL) venues. However, a former Victorian premier (Jeff Kennett) was against the move, positioning Muslim culture at odds with Australian culture and identity, deeming it incompatible with an iconic part of ‘traditional’ Australian culture. Therefore, this newspaper article may raise the question of whether migrants or Australians of faiths other than Christianity, particularly Muslims, are still expected to assimilate into a “traditional” Australian culture. This is …show more content…
The choice of quotes from Rintoul (2012) position the former Victorian Premier Mr. Kennett as strongly opposing the embrace of multiculturalism in the AFL. Mr. Kennett’s belief that the idea was “grey”, “political correctness gone mad” and “prayer rooms were not part of football” strongly reflects the idea of assimilation and an inherent incompatibility between Australian and Muslim culture (Rintoul, 2012). The article may leave the reader with the impression that only Australians of faith have backed the move, and the views of Mr. Kennett may be widely shared. Therefore, the way The Australian has reported this issue may not have accurately reflected the dynamic in …show more content…
Kennett’s views, instead of Muslim culture being incompatible with Australian culture, the Muslim culture may be able to coexist. Instead of needing to assimilate, Muslim Australians may be able to fully participate in Australian culture whilst maintaining their Muslim culture and identity. Woodlock (2011) surveyed 600 Muslim Australians and found that they were successfully able to integrate their Muslim and Australian lives. This resonates with the voice of the former South Australian Young Person of the year Khadija Gbla, who said in response to calls for the implementation of prayer rooms; “This is what is going to make us feel like Aussies” (Rintoul, 2012). Purdie and Willss (2007) add further support for this idea, as they suggest that minority groups in Australia have long participated in sport to integrate into Australian society, as well as “to maintain their non-Australian identity”. In support, Elder (2007) argues that the Australian identity is formed from the ethnic and cultural diversity in modern Australian society, and that Australian culture is no longer firmly Anglo-Saxon rooted. She argues that Australians from non-British or Irish backgrounds see the Australian identity as a reflection of diversity and that Australians from all backgrounds strongly identify with being Australian. Therefore, (it appears that) Australian culture is multicultural, and is made up of many different

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