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Twenty years ago this week, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes in the deadliest terror attack in United States history. The attacks were so shocking, we now speak of life before and after 9/11. The fall of the twin towers launched the “war on terror”, which changed how we get on a plane and the way Muslims say they are viewed by others.
It’s a war without any end in sight, as Friday’s ISIS-inspired stabbing attack in an Auckland supermarket showed. Over the weekend, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern vowed to pass stronger counter-terrorism laws by the end of this month.
But as two University of Waikato experts, Alexander Gillespie and Joe Burton, explain, New Zealand needs to go beyond fast-tracking those laws because ISIS and other extremists are harder to defeat online than
on the battlefield.
This week, The Conversation will be examining the ongoing impact of 9/11. We are also marking Social Sciences Week: an annual series of events examining the impact of subjects like politics, economics and history on our lives.
Today, Social Sciences Week panellist Randa Abdel-Fattah writes about what it is like for young Muslims in Australia to grow up in the shadow of the “war on terror”.
Based on her interviews with school students, the Macquarie University research fellow describes teenagers who see themselves as potentially “accused”. As interviewee Laila explains: “I’ve always had this almost preconceived guilt attached to me”.
Abdel-Fattah says we need leadership from those with the power to change the way we talk about Islam and the Muslim community. “We need teachers, politicians and the media to create a culture where young Muslims feel accepted.”
Abdel-Fattah will be speaking at a webinar examining the implications of 9/11 on Thursday September 9. A list of 70 other Social Sciences Week events can be found here.
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Judith Ireland
Deputy Editor, Politics + Society
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Lukas Coch/AAP
Randa Abdel Fattah, Macquarie University
Those born after 2001 have only known a world at ‘war on terror’. New research looks at the impact this has had on the lives of young Muslim Australians.
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James Ross/AAP
Allen Cheng, Monash University
The next months are going to remain difficult. But I’m still hopeful about the future. There will come a point when enough people are vaccinated that case numbers begin to decrease.
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Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
Joe Burton, University of Waikato
As Friday’s attack by an ISIS sympathiser in a New Zealand supermarket shows, ISIS’s extreme ideology still holds strong appeal for some disaffected Muslims living in the west.
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Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
Alexander Gillespie, University of Waikato
New Zealand’s second terrorist attack in two years highlights weaknesses in existing counter-terrorism laws. Beyond fast-tracking changes to those laws, two other legal areas need urgent review.
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Shutterstock
Pnina Levine, Curtin University; Narrelle Morris, Curtin University
Does intellectual freedom mean academics can say what they want in whatever way they choose? Tim Anderson had a win this week, but a judge must still decide whether he was wrongfully dismissed.
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A dust storm engulfs a farm in Forbes, NSW. This image won the National Photographic Portrait Prize for 2021.
Joel B. Pratley/National Portrait Gallery,
Andrew Wait, University of Sydney; Kieron Meagher, Australian National University
Australia must start planning for the loss of entire regional communities, and internal climate refugees.
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Shutterstock
Madeline Taylor, Macquarie University; Tina Soliman Hunter, Macquarie University
From its inadequate safety provisions to vague wording around Native Title rights and interests, the bill leaves us wanting.
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Politics + Society
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Anita McBride, American University
A top White House aide to President George W. Bush recounts what 9/11 was like for White House staffers.
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Sebastian Maslow, Sendai Shirayuri Women’s College; Paul O'Shea, Lund University
The Japanese prime minister has announced he will not seek re-election as party leader ahead of a general election later this year.
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Ghazala Jamil, Jawaharlal Nehru University
New laws making religious conversion more difficult aim to mobilise sentiment against Muslims, women and social mobility for lower castes.
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
Michelle Grattan discusses the political week that was with Professor Paddy Nixon.
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Simon Rice, University of Sydney
The NSW Anti-Discrimination Act is in a state of neglect. Considered state-of-the-art 40 years ago, the law today reads like a lot of mini anti-discrimination acts strung together.
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Environment + Energy
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Russ Schumacher, Colorado State University
Evidence is mounting that, as the climate warms, the amount of rain falling in heavy storms is increasing, especially in the central and eastern U.S.
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Arts + Culture
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Melinda Rackham, University of South Australia
A new exhibition at Flinders University Art Gallery highlights Barbara Hanrahan’s sensory spirit, celebrating nature and unbinding social constriction.
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Health + Medicine
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David King, The University of Queensland
If your COVID symptoms worsen suddenly, hospital is the best place for you to be monitored, treated and to recover well.
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Andrew Chen, University of Auckland
Concerns about privacy protection of contact tracing data include the potential use by police for enforcement purposes or businesses for marketing.
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Christopher Latella, Edith Cowan University; Dan van den Hoek, Australian Catholic University
Some Paralympic powerlifters lift heavier weights than athletes without disabilities. Here’s what we know about why this might be.
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Science + Technology
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James Novak, The University of Queensland; Andrew Novak, University of Technology Sydney
Most sporting equipment is designed with typical able-bodied athletes in mind, whereas custom equipment to meet a particular Paralympian’s needs can be expensive. 3D printing offers a third way.
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