The Politics of Anti-Islamophobia in Australia: The Case of the Muslim Community Organisations
Deakin University, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Social Sciences, Sociology
I conducted my doctoral research, titled “Muslim Community Organisations’ Understanding of and Responses to Islamophobia,” at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation at Deakin University. I was the recipient of the UNESCO Chair of Cultural Diversity and Social Justice scholarship.
In this project, I explored how Muslim community organizations in Australia understand and respond to Islamophobia. I designed and executed a high-ethics research project, conducting over 150 hours of semi-structured interviews with more than 30 Muslim community actors. I also provided consultancy services to various Australian community organizations on the topic of anti-Islamophobia during and after my research. My findings informed part of the Australian Muslim Advocacy Network’s (AMAN) submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief’s report on anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination.
Through a detailed analysis of this qualitative data, I applied thematic and critical discourse analysis using NVivo to understand the different strategies used to counter Islamophobia. I disseminated my findings through four prestigious journal articles and presented them at ten academic conferences. This research culminated in a forthcoming book, The politics of anti-Islamophobia in Australia: The case of the Muslim community organisations, which Palgrave Macmillan will publish.
Evaluation Project: Migration and Forced Labour
Monash University, Research Assistant
In this project with Monash University, I managed the qualitative research process, from administration to data analysis. I was responsible for key tasks including conducting a comprehensive literature review, obtaining high-ethics approval, and managing the recruitment of participants for focus groups and interviews. I then analyzed the collected data by creating a synchronized codebook to identify key themes and insights. My work culminated in co-authoring several journal articles on migration and forced labor, contributing directly to the project’s academic output.
Breaking the Glass: Understanding the Barriers Faced by Scholars of Colour in the University Sector
University of Melbourne, Research Assistant
In this project, I contributed to understanding academic people of color’s experiences with racism within Australian universities and how these experiences impact their personal and professional lives. I undertook all research and project management activities to implement the research project at the University of Melbourne. My key responsibilities included data collection, data analysis, and report writing.
Reading Arabs: A Critical Multicultural Analysis of the Representation of Arab Minorities in Picture Books
My honours thesis at Deakin University, for which I earned a First Class Honours, focused on evaluating children’s literature to assess its cultural sensitivity and biases. I applied textual and semiotic analysis to read visual and cultural cues in picture and narrative, and I used a Critical Multicultural Analyses framework to analyze children’s literature within its historical and political contexts.
A War of Words: Preliminary Media Analysis of the 2023 Israel-Gaza War
Co-author, Islamophobia Register Australia
In this project with Dr. Susan Carland, I co-designed the research project and analysis plan. I conducted the data collection and analysis of nine Australian news outlets’ Instagram accounts. My work culminated in co-authoring multiple drafts and the final report, which provided a preliminary media analysis of the 2023 Israel-Gaza War.