The Fallacy of “Racial Dehumanisation” A Religious, Social, and Legal Reading in the Australian Context

 Do not let your humanity and compassionate heart be consumed by futile debates, endlessly affirming the obvious and denying the impossible. However, never remain silent in the face of violations against your dignity, the disparagement of your worth, or the eclipse of your freedom by a cloud of toxic ideologies, regardless of their origin: philosophical, religious, ethnic, social, or political. Racism stands as a quintessential example of such deceitful sophistry – devoid of reason, empathy, faith, or any guiding principle, save for the dark confines of intellectual stagnation and the ferocious, animalistic urges of afflicted souls.

It never crossed my mind that I would one day taste its bitter venom, nearly to the point of endangering my life. This experience shattered my composure, prompting me to channel the pent-up anguish into these spontaneous reflections on the antiquated philosophy of racism.

Racism: A Descent into Inhumanity

Racism is a form of human degradation, rooted in a condescending perspective that strips others of their dignity and rights, violating their very existence without adherence to any principle, law, or moral code. Social scientists have described such a state as a "denial of shared humanity" (Social Psychology of Racism, Oxford University), where the 'other' is reduced to an "object of exclusion," denied equal treatment. Revelation reveals that this inclination traces back to Iblis's (Satan's) stance toward Adam (peace be upon him): "I am better than him. You created me from fire, and You created him from clay" [Quran, 7:12]. Here, arrogance and contempt serve as the earliest seeds of racism in history.

Islam, however, emerged to eradicate this inclination at its very core, affirming that the measure of distinction lies not in race, colour, or language, but in piety and righteous conduct: "Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you" [Quran, 49:13]. This vision manifested in the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) practice, where he referred to Bilal al-Habashi as "our master," considered Salman al-Farsi as "one of the People of the House [of the Prophet]," and declared in his Farewell Sermon: "There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a red person over a black person, nor of a black person over a red person, except in terms of piety" (Narrated by Ahmad).

Previous scriptures also carried explicit calls to reject unjust discrimination. In the New Testament, Paul the Apostle states: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). In the Old Testament, the command to treat strangers justly appears: "When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself" (Leviticus 19:33-34). These texts demonstrate that resisting racism is not exclusive to Islam, but is also present in previous revealed traditions, although Islam remains the most explicit and decisive in uprooting the foundations of racism and replacing them with the principle of piety and universal humanity.

Attacking the Other

Racism often begins with an attack on the 'other' and the use of violence. This is not merely fleeting behaviour, but an act with an underlying philosophy centred on excluding the 'other' and stripping them of their humanity. When a racist resorts to violence, whether symbolic – such as spitting and verbal abuse – or physical – such as hitting and assault – they seek to assert their illusory superiority by humiliating those who are different. Social psychologists, such as John Dollard (with the frustration-aggression hypothesis), have explained that aggression is often the result of internal frustration discharged upon the weaker 'other.' It is used as a tool to reproduce the discourse of racial supremacy and maintain existing privileges, as it gives the racist a false sense of control and power. Thus, violence, in its essence, becomes the language of racism, transforming hatred into a tangible act that forces the victim into a subordinate position, while trapping the racist in a delusion of superiority.

The Insult of Spitting

It is no coincidence that an incident I personally witnessed began with spitting on the victim before assaulting them. This initiation of racist attacks with spitting is not accidental, but a deliberate philosophy that begins with symbolic humiliation, paving the way for physical violence to demonstrate the attacker's false sense of superiority and reproduce a long history of using spitting as a symbol of contempt for others.

Such spitting cannot come from a person of sound religious belief. In the Old Testament (Torah), it is a symbol of shame and social rejection. In Deuteronomy (25:9), if a man refuses to marry his brother's widow, the woman would remove his sandal and spit in his face before the elders of the city, as a mark of disgrace: "Then his brother's wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, pull one of his sandals off his foot, spit in his face and declare, 'This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line.'"

In the New Testament, spitting was an insult to Christ during his trial before the crucifixion( according to their belief )_: "Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists, and others slapped him" (Matthew 26:67), "Some began to spit at him; they blindfolded him, struck him with their fists" (Mark 14:65).

In Islamic Sharia (law), there is a strict affirmation that spitting in a person's face is unequivocally forbidden, due to the physical and moral harm it entails, embodying an affront to human dignity. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explicitly forbade it: "If any of you fights his brother, he should avoid striking the face" (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5498; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 1759), a clear indication that the face is a symbol of honour and that assaulting it is unacceptable even in the direst circumstances. Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani indicated that preventing assault on the face is of no less importance in Sharia, considering that spitting is one of the greatest forms of harm.

But such individuals are devoid of reason; how can religion deter them?

The Plight of Muslims and Arabs

Muslims and Arabs in Australia have borne a disproportionate burden of racist spitting incidents, particularly in public spaces and on public transport. According to the Islamophobia Register Australia (2024), Muslim women account for 75% of Islamophobia victims, with 95% of attacks occurring on public transport directly targeting them. Spitting incidents were a prominent form of these assaults, often associated with wearing the hijab or other visible expressions of Islamic faith, making spitting a symbolic tool to publicly denigrate Islamic and Arab identity.

The same report noted that the period between October and December 2023, coinciding with the beginning of the war on Gaza, saw an increase in racist attacks against Muslims in Australia. While precise statistics verifying a 13-fold rise compared to the usual weekly rate are lacking, the Islamophobia Register reported a marked increase in incidents during this period (as reported in SBS News, March 13, 2024). Spitting and verbal abuse were among the most common forms of these attacks. These figures reveal that spitting is not merely an isolated individual act, but a systematic tool of racism carrying the symbolism of exclusion and contempt.

The focus on spitting directed at Arabs and Muslims highlights a stark paradox in the Australian landscape: while attacks against Jews are categorised as "anti-Semitism" and receive extensive political and legal attention, attacks against Arabs and Muslims are often placed under the general heading of "Islamophobia" or "racism," reflecting a double standard in the classification of victims and the protection of their rights. Thus, in the context of targeting Arabs and Muslims, spitting becomes an icon of dual discrimination: public humiliation at the hands of the perpetrator, and relative neglect at the level of official policy.

Is Australia Ailing?

Despite the fact that Australian law and the principles of modern statehood affirm that Australia is a "nation for all," protecting multiculturalism and freedom of belief, racism today poses a clear threat to the unity and stability of society. The Mapping Social Cohesion report for 2023 indicates that approximately 18% of Australians have experienced discrimination based on their skin colour, ethnic origin, or religion in the past 12 months (Australian Bureau of Statistics). Specifically, among Muslims, a study by the Australian Human Rights Commission revealed that 80% have experienced discrimination in employment or when dealing with the police (SBS Australia, Australian Human Rights Commission). Data from the 2024 National Reconciliation Survey (Reconciliation Australia) shows that 54% of First Nations peoples (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples) reported experiencing racism in the past six months, compared to 39% in 2014.

The role of the media, as a primary driver behind this phenomenon, cannot be overlooked. The media – particularly popular journalism and social media platforms – have played a role in amplifying the "foreign threat" and promoting stereotypes such as "African youth gangs" and "Islamic terrorism," fuelling what researchers like Ghassan Hage have termed a "politics of fear." It is evident that the media conveys a contradictory message: a nation that claims multiculturalism, yet portrays distinct groups as a problem, thereby creating space for the spread of grassroots racism.

Migrant Racism Against Migrant

A distressing contradiction arises when migrants practice racism against other migrants. This is ironic and perplexing, as the experiences of migration and alienation should foster adherence to the rights of all, rather than excluding those who are "less fortunate," especially when First Nations peoples are the true victims of historical policies. These First Nations peoples, who represent a historical minority, continue to suffer from institutional racism in education, employment, and the prison system, to the point where the disparities between them and other migrants are undeniable.

Electoral conflicts and partisan political calculations play a significant role in the rise of racism in Australia. Major parties – such as the Liberal and Labor parties – have used immigration and security issues, like "boat people," as wedge issues to gain electoral advantage. For example, in the 2001 election, the Tampa affair was exploited by Prime Minister John Howard to garner widespread support by emphasizing border protection and inciting public opinion against refugees. In states like Victoria, the 2018 election witnessed a "moral panic" resulting from the media and local decision-makers amplifying the issue of so-called "African youth gangs," despite official statistics showing that the percentage of crimes attributed to them was minimal. Researchers have asserted that this issue was merely a cheap political tactic to sway votes, which thinker Timothy Soutphommasane deemed a real threat to social harmony in Australia.

Between Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia

A clear inequity persists in the Australian reality. While Arabs and Muslims are linguistically classified as "Semites," they are not included within the scope of "anti-Semitism" legislation. This distinction is not merely symbolic but is reflected in the disproportionate government and media support between combating anti-Semitism and combating Islamophobia. For example, the government closely monitors any incident targeting Jews. In the wake of rising anti-Semitic attacks in late 2023, the government announced AUD 57 million in funding to enhance security in Jewish institutions and enacted tangible legal measures such as banning Nazi symbols and restricting demonstrations around places of worship.

Conversely, the Islamophobia Register Australia report noted a significant increase in Islamophobic incidents between January 2023 and November 2024. However, these incidents received far less media coverage and were not translated into similar government support to protect victims. This disparity in treatment indicates a bias in the protection of minorities, which may encourage the emergence of systematic racism against one group over another. This injustice requires a comprehensive reconsideration to ensure that all forms of hatred and affected communities are treated with equal seriousness, without discrimination or favoritism.

The Cries of Victims

In the background of every racist incident, the stifled cries of victims linger – cries that reach the media distorted, are ignored by self-serving politicians, and are often disregarded by the law because they remain trapped within walls of fear, echoing in souls before they are recorded in courts. As the saying goes, "Experience is the best teacher." Those who migrated fleeing political, class-based, or social racism, expecting that the land of dreams would be free of this scourge, soon collide with a "cloud of fear" that, when it rains, sprouts thorns of hatred and destruction.

These victims not only bear physical wounds from direct assaults such as spitting or beating, but also suffer symbolic humiliations etched deeply into their minds, which cannot be erased by simplistic justifications or the deafening silence in the corridors of power, where silence becomes another form of complicity. Social psychology confirms that the effects of these attacks extend far into the future, producing crises of trust, diminished belonging, and a reinforcement of feelings of marginalisation. Thus, victims of racism remain prisoners of their wounds amid legal institutions that may ignore, media outlets that may distort, and a society that may only offer fleeting sympathy, while fear continues to reproduce racism as a daily reality that threatens the stability of the social fabric.

A New Social Contract

The stifled cries of victims are not merely voices on the margins, but living testimony to Australia's need for a new social contract that re-establishes the nation on values of tolerance, justice, and genuine equality. Historical experiences have demonstrated that ignoring the suffering of migrants, First Nations peoples, and the vulnerable only leads to further division, and that laws alone are insufficient if they continue to be applied selectively or exploited politically.

Academic Sarah Maddison, in her book The Colonial Fantasy (2019), argues that Australian policies remain governed by a "settler logic" that involves denial and the reproduction of inequality, rendering any superficial reform inadequate. Marcia Langton emphasizes that the path towards genuine reconciliation requires recognition and treaties that place First Nations peoples in a position of full partnership, not perpetual marginalisation. These academic insights reveal that the new contract must be based on explicit recognition of First Nations peoples, genuine equality among all migrants regardless of ethnic or religious hierarchy, responsible media that rejects hate speech rather than amplifying it, and prudent politics that does not use immigration and difference as electoral pawns.

Only then can the cries of victims transform from echoes of fear and pain into voices of hope building a more humane and just nation, fulfilling the promise of equality that is written in the law but not yet fully realised in reality.

References

• Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2023). Mapping Social Cohesion 2023. Scanlon Foundation Research Institute.
• Islamophobia Register Australia. (2024). Our Reports.
• Reconciliation Australia. (2024). National Reconciliation Survey.
• Online Hate Prevention Institute. (2024). Online Antisemitism After October 7.
• Prime Minister of Australia. (2024). Strengthening Jewish Community Safety.
• SBS News. (2021, August). The Tampa affair, 20 years on: the boat that rocked Australia's asylum seeker policy.
• Augoustinos, M. (2013). Psychological perspectives on racism. InPsych, Australian Psychological Society.
• Dovidio, J. F., Kawakami, K., & Gaertner, S. L. (2002). Implicit and Explicit Prejudice and Interracial Interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
• Sanson, A. V., Augoustinos, M., Gridley, H., Kyrios, M., Reser, J. P., & Turner, C. (1998). Racism and Prejudice: An Australian Psychological Society Position Paper. Australian Psychologist.
• Madison, S. (2019). The Colonial Fantasy.

Key Considerations in Translation:

• Legal Accuracy: Ensured that legal and policy terms are accurately translated and appropriate for the Australian legal system.
• Social Sensitivity: Avoided language or expressions that could be offensive or misunderstood in the Australian social context.
• Cultural Relevance: Adapted examples and references to resonate with an Australian audience.
• Clarity and Flow: Maintained a clear and smooth flow of language for easy comprehension.
• Inclusivity: Used inclusive language to avoid bias and promote a sense of belonging.

This translation aims to be both accurate and culturally appropriate for an Australian audience, while remaining true to the spirit and intent of the original text.