The Role of Gender, Religion and Friendship in the Perception of the “Other”:

منو

" The Role of Gender, Religion and Friendship in the Perception of the “Other”: "
Ata, Abe

Document Type	:	AL
Record Number	:	899329
Doc. No	:	LA0bv1j4xn
Title & Author	:	The Role of Gender, Religion and Friendship in the Perception of the “Other”: [Article]. An Investigation of Secondary Students in Australia\ Ata, Abe
Date	:	2009
Title of Periodical	:	UC Irvine
Abstract	:	This paper reports some results from a large scale national study of attitudes towards Islam and Muslims amongst Australian secondary students. Wide-spread negative stereotypes and the relatively new presence of the Muslim community in Australia tend to suggest non-Muslim students may not be well informed, while the longstanding multicultural posture of educational policy suggests otherwise. Variation in response between boys and girls, religion or non-religious affiliated also revealed a high level of significance. Specifically girls and students in non-religious schools were more accepting of Muslims. It was found that having a friend who is Muslim is significantly associated with reduced prejudice towards Muslims. While non-Muslim students agree that acceptance of Muslims does not come easily in Australia, school does not emerge as a site for change. The findings show Australian students are generally ignorant about Muslims and Islam, and few believe that schools are filling the gaps in their knowledge