What is it about?
Some young Australian Muslim men currently face a crisis of identity exacerbated by the increased securitisation of Muslim communities. Drawing on interviews with Muslim leaders, I show how the current sociopolitical climate has damaged the sense of self of young men who have come of age during the War on Terror. In response, some have embraced a more 'toxic' form of masculinity that has gained prominence with the rise of global anti-women movements.
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Photo by Masjid Pogung Raya on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Government security policies targeting Australian Muslims have deeply affected some parts of these communities. Interviews with Muslim community leaders uncovered an unexamined issue: the perceived connection between some young Muslim men's experiences of securitisation and their embrace of so-called 'toxic' masculine identities. This is noteworthy because many young non-Muslim men in Western societies are also attracted to such identities without having experienced securitisation, suggesting different pathways may lead to similar outcomes.
Perspectives
I hope this article encourages people to think twice before using 'toxic masculinity' as a catch-all explanation for some behaviours, and to consider instead how young people adopt different gender identities in response to the specific social and historical circumstances they're facing.
Alyssa Moohin
University of Melbourne
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Australian Muslim Men after the War on Terror, October 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004737372_015.
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