BA Lit, MA, PhD Derya Iner is an Associate Professor and Research Coordinator at the Centre for Islamic Studies (CISAC), Charles Sturt University, where she teaches and conducts research on contemporary issues related to Islam, Islamic cultures, and Muslims in the West. She is also the co-founder and co-leader of the Religiously Informed Resilience and Wellbeing (RRW) Research Group, a collaborative initiative with the School of Theology at CSU. Derya completed her PhD in Cultural Studies, with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies, at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she also gained tertiary-level teaching experience. She is widely recognised as the chief investigator and lead author of the Islamophobia in Australia Reports I–IV (2017, 2019, 2022, 2023). These landmark reports have attracted national and global attention; the second report alone reached an estimated audience of 730 million, while the third report reached over 200 million within its first week. Her research has significantly influenced public discourse, being featured in major media outlets and cited in parliamentary discussions. Derya serves on advisory boards addressing online hate with Meta (Facebook and Instagram), contributes to Diversity Council Australia’s initiatives, and supports anti-racism and religious inclusion efforts in NSW public education. She has also contributed to consultations with the Australian Human Rights Commission and was appointed to the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW in 2024. Bridging academia and community engagement, and as a mother of three, Derya focuses on youth digital media literacy, resilience, and social cohesion. She leads the Scroll2Action program, a cross-school initiative empowering young people to navigate and transform digital spaces through civic action. Her research interests include Islamophobia, online hate, Muslim youth identity, women in Islam, and the role of faith and values in digital spaces. Derya, who holds a PhD in Cultural Studies with a minor in Gender and Women's Studies, specializes in teaching and researching sociological and contemporary topics related to Muslims and Islam. Her expertise includes Muslims' portrayal and history in the West, women in Islam, and the contemporary debates on Islam. Derya also coordinates guided research seminars and teaches sociological research methods. Derya is currently working on developing a new subject called Sociology and Anthropology of Islam. In 2021, we conducted a pilot study to investigate the prevalence of attacks against mosques in Australia. Our study, titled "Mosque Attacks," was conducted among 75 mosques across the country, and the results are alarming. The study found that mosque attacks are neither new nor rare in Australia, with 58.2% of mosques reporting targeted violence between 2014 and 2019. This problem has escalated in recent years, especially since the rise of ideological extremism. These findings raise important questions about the extent to which mosques and other visible Muslim institutions, such as Islamic schools, community organizations, and Halal certifiers, are also targeted by anti-Muslim hate crime in Australia. Unfortunately, very little is known about the prevalence of physical and online attacks against mosques and Muslim institutions, and how such hate crimes affect individual members of the Muslim community. Our project aims to fill this critical gap in knowledge by examining how hate crime against mosques and Muslim institutions in Australia translates into everyday experiences of vulnerability and alienation for individual Muslims, and how Muslim communities build resilience against such attacks. By shedding light on this important issue, we hope to contribute to the development of effective strategies for preventing and addressing hate crime against the Muslim community in Australia. The project aims to explore the perceived impact of Islamophobia on children (under 18 years old) by investigating Muslim children who were exposed to Islamophobia directly (by being a target) or indirectly (by witnessing their mothers/parents' victimisation). Derya supervises ISL597 Guided Research, Honours, MA by research and PhD students. Derya is currently supervising the following students: Derya actively contributed multiple professional associations and community organisations
Teaching and Research Staff3893076
Associate Professor Derya Iner
Research Coordinator and Associate Professor in Islamic Studies
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