The Australian academic institution Griffith University has produced research revealing that a majority of Queenslanders are strongly supportive of Muslim citizens of Australia.

The poll conducted by the Griffith University Islamic Research Unit also shows that in general Queenslanders believe that the Australian media representation of Islam is negative.

The unit's research formed part of a three day summit entitled "Challenges And Opportunities For Islam And The West":

"Almost 80 per cent of Queenslanders are comfortable with Muslims being part of Australian society, according to research delivered to a conference in Brisbane this week.

National and international experts, community leaders and decision makers attended the three-day Challenges and Opportunities for Islam and the West summit.

One of the main discussion points was a report examining the impact of the media's representation of Islam and attitudes towards Muslims in Queensland, prepared by the Griffith University Islamic Research Unit.

A survey of 500 people last year found the majority of people in Queensland were generally accepting of Muslims, and almost half did not consider them any different from others seeking to live in Australia.

And more than two-thirds of respondents did not accept the notion of an "Islamic threat" - at least when it comes to Australian Muslims....

...In general, most Queenslanders feel the media's representation of Islam was negative, biased and unfair. Only a small percentage believed the media portrayed Muslims in a neutral manner.

The report's authors found the greater knowledge people had about Islam and Muslims, the less fear they felt." (Source: Brisbane Times)

Polls such as this show that there is still some hope for the future.