Wesam Charkawi paper on Muslim trust in government
The paper "examines the level of trust among Muslims in Australia towards the Government and its institutions", with "particular emphasis on the government's approach to countering violent extremism programs". It draws on "A survey of Australian Muslims (N= 505)", run online in June 2023. The abstract states: "The findings show high levels of distrust towards the government and its institutions, which has flow-on effects, particularly in countering violent extremism."
The paper reports that "more than half (60%) of respondents reported that they do not trust the Australian government". It also says "even more (70%) reported that they believe that the government does not care about them", and that "Most respondents (85%) in the sample agree that the Australian government's handling of terrorism has marginalised the Australian Muslim community."
It also reports: "Nearly 25% of respondents (113 out of 453) who answered positively to discrimination (based on ethnic or religious background) also had sympathy for ISIS while not agreeing with their methods", and "15% (68 out of 453) said that ISIS's violent acts were justified against the West and its allies." It also reports that "Nearly 55% of respondents who answered positively to discrimination (249 out of 453) disagreed with sympathy for ISIS." Its conclusion calls for "shifting the focus from one of law, surveillance and over-policing to a community approach, promoting local ownership and community-led projects."
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