Teh One Who Knocks
01-18-2017, 12:02 PM
By Nahema Marchal - Heat Street
http://i.imgur.com/ktzWuFih.jpg
A billboard featuring two girls in hijabs posing next to the Australian flag has been removed from a Melbourne street after threats were made to the advertising company behind it.
The digital advertisement was put up to promote Australia’s upcoming National Day and featured scrolling images of five residents from various cultural backgrounds.
But one of them, depicting two young Muslim girls in hijabs, was widely shared among far-right groups (including the anti-Islam United Patriots front) on Facebook over the weekend, drawing the ire of social media users who criticized the image for being “too politically correct” and unrepresentative of Australia.
A Twitter user commenting on a picture of the billboard: “What’s 2 women on a billboard wearing a hijab got to do with #AustraliaDay ? #auspol #springst #heraldsun”
Meanwhile on Facebook, several users called for the sign to be removed and replaced by “authentically” Australian symbols, such as a “BBQ,” “people playing cricket at the beach” and, of course, “thongs.”
One Facebook user in particular seemed to conflate religion and nationality, hinting that being a devout Muslim and being Australian were mutually exclusive: “Take the s*** down and replace them with full blood real Aussie’s [sic] or anything Aussie related. […] Anything but this… I thought Australia Day was meant to be about OUR culture like it used to b, not about Muslim people.”
The Victoria state government said the advertising company behind the billboard, QMS, had received a string of “abusive and threatening” complaints. The company failed to specify the nature of the threats, however.
This incident comes on the heels of another flare-up involving the portrayal of Australian Muslim women in headscarves. Last week, the Australian Target sent social media into a frenzy after it featured a mother wearing a hijab in its new back-to-school catalogue.
Victoria’s multicultural affairs minister, Robin Scott, announced on Tuesday that QMS had chosen to take down the Australia Day billboard due to threats. The minister, nonetheless, pointed out that the removal should be no cause for celebration.
“Anyone who considers this a victory needs a refresher on the true meaning of Australia Day,” Scott said. “It is about bringing people together and celebrating the diversity which makes this state and this country great.
“It’s very disappointing to see a small minority attacking proud Australians for their love of their country.”
The president of Australia’s Islamophobia Register, Mariam Veiszadeh, told SBS News that the swift reaction against the billboard was indicative of a growing trend. “Increasingly, any visible portrayal of Australian Muslims or any diversity for that matter, in connection with a public campaign is becoming the subject of backlash from small but vocal parts of the community,” she said.
Australia Day is a national holiday celebrated on January 26, and marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships in Australia—in short, the beginning of Britain’s colonization of Australia.
http://i.imgur.com/ktzWuFih.jpg
A billboard featuring two girls in hijabs posing next to the Australian flag has been removed from a Melbourne street after threats were made to the advertising company behind it.
The digital advertisement was put up to promote Australia’s upcoming National Day and featured scrolling images of five residents from various cultural backgrounds.
But one of them, depicting two young Muslim girls in hijabs, was widely shared among far-right groups (including the anti-Islam United Patriots front) on Facebook over the weekend, drawing the ire of social media users who criticized the image for being “too politically correct” and unrepresentative of Australia.
A Twitter user commenting on a picture of the billboard: “What’s 2 women on a billboard wearing a hijab got to do with #AustraliaDay ? #auspol #springst #heraldsun”
Meanwhile on Facebook, several users called for the sign to be removed and replaced by “authentically” Australian symbols, such as a “BBQ,” “people playing cricket at the beach” and, of course, “thongs.”
One Facebook user in particular seemed to conflate religion and nationality, hinting that being a devout Muslim and being Australian were mutually exclusive: “Take the s*** down and replace them with full blood real Aussie’s [sic] or anything Aussie related. […] Anything but this… I thought Australia Day was meant to be about OUR culture like it used to b, not about Muslim people.”
The Victoria state government said the advertising company behind the billboard, QMS, had received a string of “abusive and threatening” complaints. The company failed to specify the nature of the threats, however.
This incident comes on the heels of another flare-up involving the portrayal of Australian Muslim women in headscarves. Last week, the Australian Target sent social media into a frenzy after it featured a mother wearing a hijab in its new back-to-school catalogue.
Victoria’s multicultural affairs minister, Robin Scott, announced on Tuesday that QMS had chosen to take down the Australia Day billboard due to threats. The minister, nonetheless, pointed out that the removal should be no cause for celebration.
“Anyone who considers this a victory needs a refresher on the true meaning of Australia Day,” Scott said. “It is about bringing people together and celebrating the diversity which makes this state and this country great.
“It’s very disappointing to see a small minority attacking proud Australians for their love of their country.”
The president of Australia’s Islamophobia Register, Mariam Veiszadeh, told SBS News that the swift reaction against the billboard was indicative of a growing trend. “Increasingly, any visible portrayal of Australian Muslims or any diversity for that matter, in connection with a public campaign is becoming the subject of backlash from small but vocal parts of the community,” she said.
Australia Day is a national holiday celebrated on January 26, and marks the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships in Australia—in short, the beginning of Britain’s colonization of Australia.