Conference paper
From tolerance to terror: representation of Indonesian Islam in the Australian press
Proceedings of the 17th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, pp.1-15
Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA): Is this the Asian century?, 17th (Melbourne, Australia, 01-Jul-2008–03-Jul-2008)
Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA)
2008
Abstract
A 2006 Lowy Institute report found that most Australians consider Indonesia to be a 'dangerous source of Islamic terrorism' and a threat to Australia (Cook 2006: 2). The media have played a substantial role in these perceptions, ultimately affecting neighbourly relations on all levels. Indonesia is now more often linked to Islam or referred to as Australia's 'Muslim neighbour', rather than 'Asian neighbour', as it was more commonly referred to before the 'War on Terror'. The people of independent Indonesia have always been predominantly Muslim, and traditionally moderate and tolerant. Election results in this relatively new democracy reflect a commitment to such moderation, through lack of support for conservative Muslim parties and Islamic law. Indonesian Islam and Indonesian values have therefore generally remained constant but Australian public and media perceptions of them have changed. Indonesia is now framed in Islamic terms and largely in relation to terrorism. This paper examines how Indonesian Islam has been constructed in Australian media through a comparative analysis of newspaper content following three events: the 2002 and 2005 Bali bombings, and the 2004 Australian Embassy bombing in Jakarta. It argues that on one level the media are largely objective and follow the basic principles of journalism in reporting on issues involving Indonesian Islam, but other levels of analysis reveal the principle of balance is grossly undermined in the wider context of this study. Articles are characterised by a striking absence of ordinary Indonesian Muslim voices and an emphasis on the extreme views of suspected terrorist groups. The bombings significantly affected Australia and Indonesia, and while the Australian Prime Minister was the stand out spokesman for Australia in articles, the spokesman for Indonesia was suspected terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir (see Table 1). These are some aspects of news production that contribute to an overall, increasingly negative perspective of Indonesian Islam. While stereotypical images are presented in all publications examined here, there are patterns showing marked differences in how each publication reports on these bombings and how Indonesian Islam and Muslims are portrayed. Analysis findings challenge some common assumptions about tabloids and broadsheets.
Details
- Title
- From tolerance to terror: representation of Indonesian Islam in the Australian press
- Authors
- Inez Mahony (Author) - University of Sydney
- Contributors
- A M Vicziany (Editor)R Cribb (Editor)
- Publication details
- Proceedings of the 17th Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, pp.1-15
- Conference details
- Biennial Conference of the Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA): Is this the Asian century?, 17th (Melbourne, Australia, 01-Jul-2008–03-Jul-2008)
- Publisher
- Asian Studies Association of Australia (ASAA)
- Date published
- 2008
- ISBN
- 9781876924676
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2008 Inez Mahoney. The published version is reproduced here with kind permission of the author. The paper may be downloaded for fair use under the Copyright Act (1954), its later amendments and other relevant legislation.
- Organisation Unit
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; USC Business School - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449979602621
- Output Type
- Conference paper
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