Islam has been consistently portrayed as a violent-prone religion that is diametrically opposed to the West decidedly since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The emergence of various terrorist groups such as the self-proclaimed Islamic State group (ISIS) have further reinforced the negative perception of Muslims in that they are threatening, fanatical and bigoted extremists. Terrorist organisations allegedly release videos in the media of the beheading of their prisoners who are often Western journalists and mass executions of innocent citizens. Accordingly, Islamophobia, being the collective hatred against Islam, has substantially increased in frequency and extent during the past decade and has also become the mainstream media discourse in social …show more content…
Overall, the dominant Australian view of the dress code is a lack of understanding of the beliefs and practices but a willingness to be accepting and educated. Conversely, the Australian politician, Pauline Hanson, who shows a lack of understanding about Islam believes that the Muslim garments are threatening, she stated, “I'm offended by the burqa…women are known to have hidden bombs underneath them." Various members of Australian society from the older generation may commonly believe that the dress code violates women's human rights as the clothing seems “heavy” and “discomforting” and makes the woman appear inferior to men. For the Australian woman, Ms Haydar the veil is nothing more than a type of dress that various women choose to wear, she stated, “if it’s a secular nation, shouldn’t everyone be free to express themselves in whatever way in public?” Living in a free country, most Australians reasonably believe that everyone has the right to wear the clothing they wish. Most people accept that all societies and cultures have their own dress code and all have a way to construct femininity and masculinity. Although, Islamophobia and anti-Islam sentiments inevitably occur in Australia by politicians, the media or various bigoted individuals, the majority of Australians do not welcome hate against Muslims and believe that everyone has their own right to dress, practice and believe in what they