Modern Australia now has a history of nearly 75 years of waves of multi-ethnic and multi-faith immigration – after WW2. Each wave of migration from a new source (Balts, Eastern Europeans, Mediterraneans, Lebanese, Indo Chinese, Sub Continent, Arabic, African) have had similar experiences of settlement here (including acceptance, vilification, fear, suspicion, discrimination etc). And while there are similar experiences, there are factors unique to each ‘type’ of wave.
Muslims are not alone in practising a different kind of religion. Indo Chinese arrivals were often Buddhists, racially different to light-skinned Anglos, and non-English speaking. And that scared a lot of people at the time.
I think one problem faced by what you would loosely call Muslim migrants (loosely because they are as diverse in terms of language, culture, religious practice etc) as Europeans (and they include Europeans), is relentless negative stereotyping by parts of the media.
One way I see of countering this and changing mainstream attitudes, is to promote positive images of Muslim Australians. I think that has helped Indigenous people, for example, who have suffered shocking oppression but are becoming more and more confident and assertive of their own identity and individuality. When I think of positive Muslim role models, I think of Hazem El Masri, Walid Ali, Anne Aly, Ed Husic, Yassmin Abdel-Magied and others. These people are exceptional and they hold their head up high. (Another way is the long slow process of Muslims just being here and being visible and people becoming more comfortable with it.)
