Miss Alyssa Moohin

The stigmatisation of young Muslim men that occurred against the backdrop of anti-terrorism measures introduced in Australia following the 9/11 attacks continues to impact contemporary expressions of Muslim masculinity. Interviews with 25 Muslim women leaders revealed growing concerns about an emergent anti-women backlash in Australian Muslim communities as young men look to alternate ideologies to explain their perceived disempowerment. Although this development cannot be divorced from the broader anti-women and anti-feminist movements currently observed across many western societies, its manifestation in some Muslim communities is interlinked with Australia’s securitisation of Muslims, revealing the convergence of these different social issues.

Author’s biography

Alyssa Moohin is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute. Her research explores the contributions Muslim women leaders make to social cohesion through grassroots initiatives—and their experiences doing so. Although research into Muslim diaspora communities and social cohesion has grown in recent years, it remains dominated by top-down approaches that centre government institutions and policy objectives. Conversely, this thesis draws on local community-level perspectives to foreground Muslim leaders’ experiences and objectives within this broader context.