Voices Shaping the
Social networks of bonding and bridging
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Social networks of bonding and bridgingThe language of social capital informs concepts of bonding and bridging, the former referring to building strengths within communities, the latter to building relationships between communities (Bourdieu 1986). This research demonstrates that both these processes need to occur and to be in some balance for effective integration. When this balance is present, cultural pluralism operates and communities can retain key dimensions of culture while developing continuing interactions across the society, and acculturating to its broad social trends. Young Australians who identify as Muslim are involved in both the process of bonding within communities of faith, ethnicity, and locality, and bridging across communities of faith, ethnicity and locality. This rich web of association provides a strong underpinning to the broad social fabric, and a productive engagement with an innovative and enriching future. However, as this qualitative research indicates, challenges are present in these processes, some from within Muslim communities, and some from external forces. The literature of social inclusion points to the role of social capital in assisting any individual, family or community to create and deepen its stake in the future of the society (Zetter 2006). Socio‐economic position, education, cultural capital and ethno‐cultural resources all play a part in capacity building. I’ve noticed, with my experience at university, basically your socio‐economic background makes a big difference. One of my close friends, he’s been at uni for seven years doing a three year degree, because of the fact that he has to support his family. His dad’s old. They’ve recently come to Australia. The mother’s not working and in our community it’s usually the man that works. So he has to work, provide for the family, plus study. So I don’t blame a lot of the guys for not being able to go to university because the fact that they have to support their parents. Being a new generation and new migrants, it’s hard to establish yourself financially, in order to be able to ‐‐‐ Let’s face it, Centrelink’s not enough. Your every day job’s not enough. So it’s really hard to bridge that gap in education… But you have to educate yourself. In regard to education your socio economic background makes a big difference as to how far you go. The social capital that comes from bridging across communities is highly valued, both for its role in enabling social mobility, but also as an avenue to spreading understanding about Muslim values and beliefs. …I’ve made it a mission upon myself to meet people of different cultures and show them what Islam really is because a lot of them have a (wrong) idea about Islam. And be respectful towards them and friendly and help them out, and then actually allow them to know what Islam really is about through my actions, not just by what we learn in a book. The story of one young man, a performer, highlights this bridging across communities. He is able to reach many Australians, non‐Muslims and Muslim alike. Discussing his performance work, he said: … it’s a fantastic tool and it will reach a 1000 more people than you’ll ever be able to I guess communicate to if you live in your little tight Imam circle – because the Imam only meets 20 people in a day and at Masjid might meet a few more. But that’s it. It doesn’t really affect the wider community. So for me I thought it was a call to influence people. Yet the building of community within the faith is also seen as a source of strength. Speaking of the role of faith‐based study groups, one young man reports: … when I found the guys from the (mosque) centre. I feel these guys are brothers rather than friends. They’ll be there for me whenever I need them. Another says: We are doing a lot of good things together. I study the Quran in Sunday school and I like that. That makes me want to know about God and how I can make myself better all the time. I understand the Quran now and that it is a non‐violent way of living with other people. Mosques, Muslim youth groups and Quran classes are regarded as important not only for ‘bonding’ social capital but also to assist ‘building’ social capital with others. Young people in one focus group regarded the mosque as a place of sanctuary, aspiring to revive this traditional concept. As a place of sanctuary, they regarded the mosque can play a role in linking newer or disadvantaged community members such as refugees or orphans, with more established community members. While there has been much public commentary about extremist, radical, or some might say militant voices from mosques, they were not evidenced in a substantial way in our research with young Muslim Australians. According to the stakeholders, these positions were not well regarded in the mainstream Muslim community, reflecting their minority or marginalised status. In fact many regarded their influence as over‐rated. When evident, stakeholders also commented about the transitional and ephemeral nature of those attachments to such groups, observing that this minority grows out of such affiliations as a function of lifespan development and maturity. In stark opposition, a large number of young people in one focus group valued the contribution of Imams based in different Sydney mosques that they regarded as being positive, inclusive and in line with a modern way of life. In the main young Muslim Australians do not live parallel lives separate from other Australians. This phenomenon, identified by Collins and Reid (2009) in the United Kingdom, does not appear to apply to youth in Australia. We know from the quantitative research that most young Muslim Australians have a combination of Muslim and non‐Muslim friends and they were comfortable in a mixed society. Young Muslim Australians belong to a range of Muslim specific and non‐Muslim organizations, and are avid users of the internet and web based technology networking well beyond the confines of their Muslim or local communities. The role of parental influence in the social networking potential of young people was raised in some consultations. Some stakeholders working with young Muslim Australians or their families mentioned ‘over protective’ parents who sheltered their children and thereby limiting their children’s social interaction. These parents defending their children from apprehended dangers reflect the characteristic ‘boundary’ behaviour for minorities in complex diverse societies with fairly open opportunity structures. On the other hand parents of refugee background in Darwin were happy to encourage networks beyond the Muslim community, for their children as long as they mixed with young people who did not take drugs, drink alcohol or engage in other unacceptable behaviours. A valuable insight to the personal experience of building bonding social capital and the importance of the developmental nature of adolescence can be found in the narrative of one young Muslim Australian born man. He had lived his formative teen years quite isolated from other Muslims (who were not from the same school), as well as having almost no contact with non‐Muslims outside school. He described a sheltered life after his mother died. This young Muslim man, over time, came a long way from the confines of his previous lifestyle, as a function of growing through adolescence and questioning the world around him, exploring the environment beyond his family, school and suburb, and experiencing wonderment at the world beyond. This young man was fortunate also to be co‐opted into a Muslim Australian youth leadership program, which introduced him to political processes, the machinations of media and the dynamics at play in a given society. He also attended an Islamic leadership program in Indonesia, which introduced him to another more relaxed way of seeing Islam and Muslims. The pilgrimage to the Hajj consolidated these experiences further. His social networks had broadened, he had moved beyond the bonds of his previous community, and was studying at university. In the typically Australian way, sport offers a major avenue for bridging between communities. While there are many Muslim community sporting teams for both men and women, the role models identified by many young Muslims are people who have excelled in the non‐Muslim sports arena – people like the Muslim convert Anthony Mundine (ex‐footballer and boxing champion) and champion goal‐kicker Hazam Al Masri of the Canterbury‐Bankstown ‘Bulldogs’ NRL team. The most likely situation for bridging occurs in local sport teams or in competitions where Muslim and non‐Muslim teams play each other. The AFL open day in Melbourne in 2008 drew a crowd of 5000 people. It was organised by the Islamic Council of Victoria, Carlton Mosque and Essendon Football Club. Such partnerships provide opportunities for Muslims to come together with people from the ‘mainstream’ of Australian society who they may not normally meet socially, and share in the fun of sport with round robin football, sausage sizzles and face painting. These collaborations provide a supportive way in which Muslim community organizations can undertake such activities, with many spin‐offs in terms of positive morale, and greater opportunities for acceptance and friendships. The benefits work to improve both Muslim and mainstream communities as described by one community worker: … Never seen so many people, this is brilliant. So it also uplifts the non‐Muslims’ view of the Muslim community. And that’s where we have to do more things, which are interacting with the wider community. We have to break out of just being in our own little mindset... Directory: sites -> default -> files -> documents -> 01 2014 documents -> Ace abi catair customs and Trade Automated Interface Requirements documents -> Mobile audio/video recording systems documents -> The south australian government gazette documents -> All public acts appearing in this gazette are to be considered official, and obeyed as such documents -> Union interparlementaire inter-parliamentary union 01 2014 -> Muslim Voices – Hopes and aspirations of Muslim Australians Centre for Muslim Minorities & Islam Policy Studies 01 2014 -> Prepared by: Kais Al‐Momani Nour Dados Marion Maddox Amanda Wise C 01 2014 -> Editors: Kerry Download 1.05 Mb. Share with your friends:
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