New Speaking with… Podcast: Rhonda Itaoui on navigating the city as a young Muslim (listen here)

The terror attacks on the World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, changed the way we think about politics, society and safety as the world entered the 21st century.

But as the world learned the identities of the attackers, the response affected one community much more acutely: Muslims.

The media coverage of the 2001 attack and other subsequent incidents in our region, including the Lindt Cafe siege in Sydney’s Martin Place in December 2014, increased the feeling among many in the Muslim community that they are not welcome or safe in the Australian cities that they call home.

So, in this increasingly tense climate, how does it feel to navigate the city as a young Muslim?

Dallas Rogers spoke with Western Sydney University PhD candidate Rhonda Itaoui about her research examining the Islamophobia young Muslims experience in Australia. She also explores her own experiences as a young Muslim woman and the success of campaigns like #illridewithyou in countering Islamophobia.