Off script and indefensible: the failure of the ‘moderate Muslim’

ABSTRACT

We have become increasingly aware of the importance of addressing diversity across media landscapes. Whilst we are still far from a genuine appreciation for difference, media outlets that view themselves as progressive understand the value of appearing diverse. This has meant that a number of Muslim voices have risen to prominence in recent years. Often these voices have attracted the title of ‘moderate Muslim’ as they are thought to represent a non-radical politics. This paper examines how the voice of this ‘moderate Muslim’ has been co-opted by the White mainstream as a sign of inclusion and commitment to multiculturalism but emphasizes that the moderate is never truly permitted to speak. In exploring how divergent voices have been publicly disciplined and how the right to speak has been positioned as a ‘privilege’, we show how Islamophobia permits a religious population to speak only via a select few voices, denying the spectrum of narratives, ideas and dissent. We argue that one troubling consequence of this dynamic is the chilling and marginalizing effect it has on dissenting Muslim voices who seek to destabilize efforts to produce and reproduce Islamophobia’s good/bad, moderate/radical dichotomies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. ANZAC Day is a national day across Australia marking the first military action during World War 1 by Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Randa Abdel-Fattah

Randa Abdelfattah is a post-doctoral research fellow in the Sociology department at Macquarie University.

Mehal Krayem

Mehal Krayem is a researcher in the faculty of Arts and Social Science at the University of Technology Sydney.