This year is bloody special. Well not only have we a new prime minister as a Christmas present, we have an unusual time when two thirds of the world will be celebrating their festive seasons together. On one side of the globe over 1.5 billion people will be sacrificing a lamb or cow to feed the poor and on the other side another two billion people will remembering Jesus and his miraculous birth.
This year Eid Ul Adha and Christmas fall in the same month, only a day apart. Eid Ul Adha or the Festival of Sacrifice is celebrated by Muslims and is about the story of Abraham who incidentally is the patriarch for both Muslims and Christians. Abraham was tested by God to prove his faith. He was asked to sacrifice his eldest son Ishmael. Abraham who had a very unique relationship with God led his son away to be slaughtered and was tempted by Satan to change his mind, as he walked towards the altar, he saw Satan again and again in the form of a man. Abraham picked seven stones and threw them at Satan in an attempt to ward him off. He repeated this three times until Satan gave up. At the altar Abraham prayed one last time to God before he began his distressing deed. At that moment the knife did not cut the flesh and God sent in Ishmael’s place a sheep once Abraham’s faith was proven.
But there is another significant event that starts around the same time as Christmas and Eid and that is the Boxing Day test. For millions of people this is of great importance and for millions it is their religion.
For Muslims Abraham is regarded as the progenitor of Islam for he was the first to smash the idols of the Babylonians. For Cricket Fans its about their idols of Tendulkar, Ponting and Gilchrist (not Christ). And the Boxing Day test is more holier than holy water. As Muslims come together at the House of God in Mecca to remember God in the biggest event of the Muslim calendar. Fans line up at the MCG to witness a ton by Ricky and Sachin and Lee bag a five for. This year’s hopeful is Kumble who may save the season for the Indians. But off the back of a two nil snubbing of Sri Lanka the Aussies are looking invincible.
In just a few days from now close to two million Muslim pilgrims will be finishing the great Hajj or pilgrimage in Mecca. The Hajj is a compulsory tenet of Islam which signifies one’s highest attainment of faith in this life and is a testament of one’s commitment to God. During the pilgrimage Muslims, dressed in only a white shroud, complete certain rites which includes a parody of the stone throwing of Abraham to ward off Satan.
The Aussies will be doing something similar, dressed in white but throwing down stumps and the Indians will be making a special prayer to ward off that Great Satan Warnie so he does not make a come back.
Also the Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the kaaba (the cubed-shaped building) seven times and we all hope that the Aussies will be doing the lap of honour around the MCG after a close game with India. However, at the end of the Hajj Muslims sacrifice a sheep which is cut and distributed to the poor. This is a hard call to match but rest assured there will be millions of Aussies doing a well-grilled chop and a snag on the barbie as they watch the cricket on their television sets and come Thursday they will be returning their unwanted Chrissie gifts. That’s a great sacrifice. The smell of barbecued fat will drench the air as the boys go up for an LB decision by umpire Mal Brough, who has now turned to a new career option.
The Hajj is one of the world’s greatest religious events next to the Kumba Mela in India and the first test. Islam and sport two of the world’s great faiths. Happy Xmas everyone. Happy Eid and howzat!
Kuranda Seyit is the Executive Director of FAIR, the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations and an ex-opening bowler.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
The error in tERRORism
The error in terrorism
The error in terror is fast becoming the dominant paradigm.
As the war continues we are gradually realizing that Bush administration's war is a war of ERROR.
But Australia’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan makes it just as erroneous. In fact we are complicit in the deaths of millions of Iraqis and thousands of Afghanis. The AWB scandal is just one example of the corruption and cruel undertaking the Australian government has committed our nation to.
The War of Error started shortly after the attacks on the WTC buildings and the subsequent deaths of thousands of US citizens. In hindsight we may see that taking revenge against Afghanistan as a foolish step towards making the world more unsafe and unstable and then the invasion of Iraq totally tipped the scales and has made the region more volatile and unpredictable than ever in the modern period of Middle Eastern history.
But where are we heading with this dangerous alliance with the US? The Prime Minister elect Kevin Rudd’s first action as head of the nation was to call George W Bush and reassure him that we were still on the same team. The coalition of the killing. This is where leaders of this nation falter, not able to look outside of our dependence on the US and take a courageous leap forward away from the protective wings of the US eagle, like our Kiwi cousins next door. It is interesting to note that Australia is listed as the 19th most peaceful country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index, but more interesting is that New Zealand is rated the 2nd most peaceful country in the world. How can two countries be so far apart when it comes to peace yet are so close historically and demographically?
Our lack of individuality will be the stumbling block for decades to come unless someone or some party makes a decision.
For now the war of error has continued to confound the average Aussie Joe Blow who does not believe the lies that our governments feed us with, such as an impending terrorist attack in Australia, the demonized refugees and the firebrand imams and the threat from the north. The new world order has seen a world dominated by uncertainty and fear.
Since the declaration by the US president of his war on terror, we have seen bomb attacks in peaceful cities like Madrid, Istanbul, Indonesia, London and foiled attempts in Berlin. Where will the next attack take place? Is the world safer under a US hegemony?
The errors have not ceased, we have had accidental bombings of wedding parties and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. And even our own soldiers have been coming home in coffins, now three in the past two years. How many more Australian soldiers have to die for a US war for oil?
And finally, what about the poor innocence of Iraq. The deprivation of rights, the extreme poverty and the terrifying life that almost every Iraqi faces on a daily basis, bombings and shootings, no prospects of work or education the average Iraqi Ali Hussain has nothing to look forward to. This is a great injustice.
The war of error is the greatest tragedy of this century and unless sanity prevails we will spiral further into anarchy and bedlam. We are seeing more tough talk on Iran and the very high possibility of a strike on its nuclear capabilities. This will not only create more civilian casualties it could even spillover to neighbouring Israel. There has been some significant political changes in the world in the past three years, with the end of Blair, Howard now history and only a year away from the end of a republican dominated USA, this could be the catalyst for change towards reduction of armed conflicts and interventions in other countries.
God Bless America.
The error in terror is fast becoming the dominant paradigm.
As the war continues we are gradually realizing that Bush administration's war is a war of ERROR.
But Australia’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan makes it just as erroneous. In fact we are complicit in the deaths of millions of Iraqis and thousands of Afghanis. The AWB scandal is just one example of the corruption and cruel undertaking the Australian government has committed our nation to.
The War of Error started shortly after the attacks on the WTC buildings and the subsequent deaths of thousands of US citizens. In hindsight we may see that taking revenge against Afghanistan as a foolish step towards making the world more unsafe and unstable and then the invasion of Iraq totally tipped the scales and has made the region more volatile and unpredictable than ever in the modern period of Middle Eastern history.
But where are we heading with this dangerous alliance with the US? The Prime Minister elect Kevin Rudd’s first action as head of the nation was to call George W Bush and reassure him that we were still on the same team. The coalition of the killing. This is where leaders of this nation falter, not able to look outside of our dependence on the US and take a courageous leap forward away from the protective wings of the US eagle, like our Kiwi cousins next door. It is interesting to note that Australia is listed as the 19th most peaceful country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index, but more interesting is that New Zealand is rated the 2nd most peaceful country in the world. How can two countries be so far apart when it comes to peace yet are so close historically and demographically?
Our lack of individuality will be the stumbling block for decades to come unless someone or some party makes a decision.
For now the war of error has continued to confound the average Aussie Joe Blow who does not believe the lies that our governments feed us with, such as an impending terrorist attack in Australia, the demonized refugees and the firebrand imams and the threat from the north. The new world order has seen a world dominated by uncertainty and fear.
Since the declaration by the US president of his war on terror, we have seen bomb attacks in peaceful cities like Madrid, Istanbul, Indonesia, London and foiled attempts in Berlin. Where will the next attack take place? Is the world safer under a US hegemony?
The errors have not ceased, we have had accidental bombings of wedding parties and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan. And even our own soldiers have been coming home in coffins, now three in the past two years. How many more Australian soldiers have to die for a US war for oil?
And finally, what about the poor innocence of Iraq. The deprivation of rights, the extreme poverty and the terrifying life that almost every Iraqi faces on a daily basis, bombings and shootings, no prospects of work or education the average Iraqi Ali Hussain has nothing to look forward to. This is a great injustice.
The war of error is the greatest tragedy of this century and unless sanity prevails we will spiral further into anarchy and bedlam. We are seeing more tough talk on Iran and the very high possibility of a strike on its nuclear capabilities. This will not only create more civilian casualties it could even spillover to neighbouring Israel. There has been some significant political changes in the world in the past three years, with the end of Blair, Howard now history and only a year away from the end of a republican dominated USA, this could be the catalyst for change towards reduction of armed conflicts and interventions in other countries.
God Bless America.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Turkish question
The Turkish question
In 1918 Turkey having lost the war was subjected to a humiliating treaty which saw the carve up of the Ottoman Empire. However, in 1924 Turkey managed to do what no other country has ever done after a defeat in a major war and broke the treaty and drove the occupying forces out of the country and literally into the sea. The Greeks had never moved so quickly, the French were humiliated and the British too damn tired to even care. Turkey would never regain its former status but nonetheless it survived to maintain its independence free from the colonial fate of its former territories. Having retained key strategic regions within its borders such as Eastern Thrace, Alexandria and Antioch as well as some of the islands of its coast, it did however, lose the very, very important cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. As we know today rich in oil and now under Kurdish control as a part of Northern Iraq. There are over a million Turks living in Northern Iraq who have been exposed to initially terrible oppression under a Saddam Hussain regime and now by the Kurdish led government in the autonomous region. Eighty three years on and no-one has heard their voices but many of those who have stayed on to weather the storm have gradually lost their homes and businesses to a discriminatory regime that favours other Kurds. Their kin across the mountains have had little influence over their destiny as they too have had to battle with a more pressing problem. The PKK an ethnic Kurdish rebel group have for more than three decades fought a bloody campaign against the Turkish army and the people of Eastern Turkey. Over 30000 people have been killed and many innocent Turks and Kurds alike have been affected by the conflict. The rebels have been to a large extent unsuccessful although they have cost the Turkish military billions of dollars that could have been spent building the economy of Eastern Turkey thereby improving the situation of the Kurds themselves. It is an ironic tragedy.
30 000 Turkish troops who have amassed on the border with Iraq are readying themselves for an attack. The question is should Turkey violate the sovereignty of an independent state and stamp out the PKK threat? Well, the Erdogan government has a lot of pressure from all sides of politics. He is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Turkey has been pressured by the USA to show restraint and the relationship between the two countries has been tested with the recent recommendation by a congressional committee on Armenia calling the 1915 death of thousands of Armenians as a genocide. If Turkey takes action then it jeopardizes its already tenuous relationship with Europe. If it holds back then it has the wrath of the staunchly nationalistic people with which to contend.
But what about the Turkish people? They have had to hear of their soldiers coming home in body bags and for so long the region has been destabilized by PKK rebels. The Turks are proud when it comes to their military. If they go in they could risk being alienated by the European Union which they so desperately want to be a part of and be seen as a bully state, emulating the same bully tactics as Israel did with Lebanon last year.
As much as my heart feels for the dead soldiers my pragmatism says that we should show restraint and prove to the world that we are not an Israel nor are we a USA who tramples over the dignity of other sovereign states showing no respect for innocent civilian lives. The Turkey of today is a Turkey with a glorious history, one that has always acted with compassion towards both its enemies and its allies. Turkey as one of only a few Islamic democracies in the world can behave with wisdom in dealing with its problems. In this case with perseverance and patience it can overcome its enemies within and the ones hiding in the mountains of northern Iraq. It can also demand that the Kurdish authorities take some action against the rebels who are equally illegally on Iraqi soil. I am optimistic that the Turks and the Kurds will eventually work together towards a viable solution that respects the demands of the Kurds and keeps Turkey's desire to stay as one nation intact.
In 1918 Turkey having lost the war was subjected to a humiliating treaty which saw the carve up of the Ottoman Empire. However, in 1924 Turkey managed to do what no other country has ever done after a defeat in a major war and broke the treaty and drove the occupying forces out of the country and literally into the sea. The Greeks had never moved so quickly, the French were humiliated and the British too damn tired to even care. Turkey would never regain its former status but nonetheless it survived to maintain its independence free from the colonial fate of its former territories. Having retained key strategic regions within its borders such as Eastern Thrace, Alexandria and Antioch as well as some of the islands of its coast, it did however, lose the very, very important cities of Kirkuk and Mosul. As we know today rich in oil and now under Kurdish control as a part of Northern Iraq. There are over a million Turks living in Northern Iraq who have been exposed to initially terrible oppression under a Saddam Hussain regime and now by the Kurdish led government in the autonomous region. Eighty three years on and no-one has heard their voices but many of those who have stayed on to weather the storm have gradually lost their homes and businesses to a discriminatory regime that favours other Kurds. Their kin across the mountains have had little influence over their destiny as they too have had to battle with a more pressing problem. The PKK an ethnic Kurdish rebel group have for more than three decades fought a bloody campaign against the Turkish army and the people of Eastern Turkey. Over 30000 people have been killed and many innocent Turks and Kurds alike have been affected by the conflict. The rebels have been to a large extent unsuccessful although they have cost the Turkish military billions of dollars that could have been spent building the economy of Eastern Turkey thereby improving the situation of the Kurds themselves. It is an ironic tragedy.
30 000 Turkish troops who have amassed on the border with Iraq are readying themselves for an attack. The question is should Turkey violate the sovereignty of an independent state and stamp out the PKK threat? Well, the Erdogan government has a lot of pressure from all sides of politics. He is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. Turkey has been pressured by the USA to show restraint and the relationship between the two countries has been tested with the recent recommendation by a congressional committee on Armenia calling the 1915 death of thousands of Armenians as a genocide. If Turkey takes action then it jeopardizes its already tenuous relationship with Europe. If it holds back then it has the wrath of the staunchly nationalistic people with which to contend.
But what about the Turkish people? They have had to hear of their soldiers coming home in body bags and for so long the region has been destabilized by PKK rebels. The Turks are proud when it comes to their military. If they go in they could risk being alienated by the European Union which they so desperately want to be a part of and be seen as a bully state, emulating the same bully tactics as Israel did with Lebanon last year.
As much as my heart feels for the dead soldiers my pragmatism says that we should show restraint and prove to the world that we are not an Israel nor are we a USA who tramples over the dignity of other sovereign states showing no respect for innocent civilian lives. The Turkey of today is a Turkey with a glorious history, one that has always acted with compassion towards both its enemies and its allies. Turkey as one of only a few Islamic democracies in the world can behave with wisdom in dealing with its problems. In this case with perseverance and patience it can overcome its enemies within and the ones hiding in the mountains of northern Iraq. It can also demand that the Kurdish authorities take some action against the rebels who are equally illegally on Iraqi soil. I am optimistic that the Turks and the Kurds will eventually work together towards a viable solution that respects the demands of the Kurds and keeps Turkey's desire to stay as one nation intact.
Terrorists win if we limit our religious freedoms
Terrorists win if we limit our religious freedoms
Banning the hijab or the women’s head-covering worn by Muslim women at security checkpoints like airports would be a catastrophic decision that would end religious freedom in this country as we know it.
The hijab like its counterparts halal food and jihad is what makes Islam unique, enchanting and enigmatic. Islam has for many centuries intrigued the West with its paradoxical wisdoms. Islam is all about making your life halal (of the highest quality) and striving (jihad) towards working against your ego-driven desires of this world. The food we eat, the actions we take, the way we dress, the words we speak and the way we treat others. It must be in accordance with the law of God, that is to be halal.
Halal whilst an Islamic requirement can also be good for this nation. The halal food industry for instance brings in billions of dollars to Australia’s economy from which all Australians benefit. The Muslims of this country make up almost 3% of the nation and are an important cog in the workforce machinery and in the consumer market. Muslims are also involved with scientific research, in medicine and hospital industry, engineering and IT as well as in education, law and of course the financial and retail markets. In short they are an integral part of this society, this economy and this nation.
Maybe when the first pioneers of Australia landed in Sydney cove they did not envisage this penal colony to become one of the most multicultural societies on earth, nor did they know that this ‘God-forsaken land’ would become 7th on the world scale of best places to live. The reason that Australia is so highly rated is because of one word and one word alone; tolerance.
I know lots of people will jump in about now and say we don’t like that word, its like having to tolerate a mosquito bite. But tolerance is a much more complex term and holds more meaning than just having to put up with someone you don’t like. Tolerance is the ability to portray noble character traits which allow you to live in a complex society. Tolerance means patience, understanding, empathy and compassion as well as self-discipline and restraint. That is why after one of the bloodiest campaigns ever thought by our troops in Gallipoli we still show great compassion and friendship towards our Turkish citizens and even though we suffered in Japan and Germany we are a tolerant society towards all our minorities. When there have been calamities in the world, even though Australia is a relatively small country we still give generously to those in need.
This is what makes our country so great. But of course there is more to Australia than its great attitude to life. It’s our laws and our process and system of government. We in Australia have developed a fairly robust set of laws and regulations that ensure equality, freedom and justice. Its not perfect no system ever is. Yet, we have become accustomed to it and its what we call being Australian. Some will say the world has changed and that we are no longer safe. But that is what the powers that be want, they want to control us even more than they already do. But if we change our way of life then we are only bending into the terrorists’ objectives .
One of those freedoms is the freedom of religion. Muslims are one of the many religions in this country and for women they must wear the hijab and that’s not negotiable. There must be other ways to check people without the need to humiliate them or degrade their dignity. This is not just about Muslims, its about giving all Australians a fair go; including Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, even Santa Claus. Because if we force ladies to take off their hijabs at security checkpoints then we need ask Santa Claus to show us what is in his sack or nuns to discard the habit and so forth. Let’s keep this place as the “lucky country” or should I say the “tolerant country”? I am certain that as a smart nation we can find alternative ways to deal with our problems that accommodate all our citizens’ needs. If we are to go down the path of banning religious items then we allow the terrorists to win.
Banning the hijab or the women’s head-covering worn by Muslim women at security checkpoints like airports would be a catastrophic decision that would end religious freedom in this country as we know it.
The hijab like its counterparts halal food and jihad is what makes Islam unique, enchanting and enigmatic. Islam has for many centuries intrigued the West with its paradoxical wisdoms. Islam is all about making your life halal (of the highest quality) and striving (jihad) towards working against your ego-driven desires of this world. The food we eat, the actions we take, the way we dress, the words we speak and the way we treat others. It must be in accordance with the law of God, that is to be halal.
Halal whilst an Islamic requirement can also be good for this nation. The halal food industry for instance brings in billions of dollars to Australia’s economy from which all Australians benefit. The Muslims of this country make up almost 3% of the nation and are an important cog in the workforce machinery and in the consumer market. Muslims are also involved with scientific research, in medicine and hospital industry, engineering and IT as well as in education, law and of course the financial and retail markets. In short they are an integral part of this society, this economy and this nation.
Maybe when the first pioneers of Australia landed in Sydney cove they did not envisage this penal colony to become one of the most multicultural societies on earth, nor did they know that this ‘God-forsaken land’ would become 7th on the world scale of best places to live. The reason that Australia is so highly rated is because of one word and one word alone; tolerance.
I know lots of people will jump in about now and say we don’t like that word, its like having to tolerate a mosquito bite. But tolerance is a much more complex term and holds more meaning than just having to put up with someone you don’t like. Tolerance is the ability to portray noble character traits which allow you to live in a complex society. Tolerance means patience, understanding, empathy and compassion as well as self-discipline and restraint. That is why after one of the bloodiest campaigns ever thought by our troops in Gallipoli we still show great compassion and friendship towards our Turkish citizens and even though we suffered in Japan and Germany we are a tolerant society towards all our minorities. When there have been calamities in the world, even though Australia is a relatively small country we still give generously to those in need.
This is what makes our country so great. But of course there is more to Australia than its great attitude to life. It’s our laws and our process and system of government. We in Australia have developed a fairly robust set of laws and regulations that ensure equality, freedom and justice. Its not perfect no system ever is. Yet, we have become accustomed to it and its what we call being Australian. Some will say the world has changed and that we are no longer safe. But that is what the powers that be want, they want to control us even more than they already do. But if we change our way of life then we are only bending into the terrorists’ objectives .
One of those freedoms is the freedom of religion. Muslims are one of the many religions in this country and for women they must wear the hijab and that’s not negotiable. There must be other ways to check people without the need to humiliate them or degrade their dignity. This is not just about Muslims, its about giving all Australians a fair go; including Sikhs, Jews, Hindus, even Santa Claus. Because if we force ladies to take off their hijabs at security checkpoints then we need ask Santa Claus to show us what is in his sack or nuns to discard the habit and so forth. Let’s keep this place as the “lucky country” or should I say the “tolerant country”? I am certain that as a smart nation we can find alternative ways to deal with our problems that accommodate all our citizens’ needs. If we are to go down the path of banning religious items then we allow the terrorists to win.
Missed opportunity to change team captain
Missed opportunity to change team captain
In 2002 the Catch the Fire Ministeries’, pastor Danny Nalliah in Melbourne gave a public lecture in which he attacked Islam, called Muslims liars and insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The case became public when two Muslims in the audience took the issue up in court under Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001. This if anything gave Catch the Fire more publicity and increased its membership. The group was emboldened by the case and not one bit remorseful for their position.
And on the eve of federal election the Catch The Fire held a special prayer for John Howard and the Liberal Party in Parliament House under the very nose of the head of Government. This was an extraordinary event and one that places Howard in a very embarrassing position. One must ask just how wise it is to link yourself to such a wacky fringe group. Howard has in his term as prime minister often pandered to the religious far right including the Bretheren and other protestant groups and most recently having held meetings with Catch the Fire and even being blessed by the self-professed messiah of the group. From an Islamic angle its nothing unusual to pray in public but nonetheless it is a very unorthodox situation and I believe it indicates just how far the prime minister has lost sight of reality. He is no longer fit to lead the party and a sea change is in order. several weeks before the election was called by the PM Costello had his golden opportunity to challenge Howard and take over the reigns. If anything it would have presented the Liberal supporters a new vision that everyone is expecting and a more viable contender to challenge the Rudd phallanx. The Liberal Party made a crucially suicidal decision that they will have to live with for at least three more years and most likely six. This would have made much more sense considering that Howard has already announced his retirement plans.
But that is all but a lost opportunity. The Howard team is going to find it difficult to approach this election with anything fresh or new. As we witnessed in the debate Howard was very agitated, aggressive and angry. He had little to offer in terms of a vision for the future and was upstaged by the impish Rudd. Although there is little to separate the two parties, elections are all about perceptions and deception. Who can con the electorate into trusting them with their financial future will of course be the winner. Smart suits and fast talking will give them the edge.
Its not a walk over because Howard still has his loyal supporters and those conservatives who are afraid of change or taking risks but that may not be enough to carry him over the line. Rudd is immensely popular with the under 30’s and with the workplace relations laws a key election issue Rudd will be hard to beat. Youthful and boyish it may be enough to push those swinging voters towards Labor once and for all, eleven years on. It appears that Howard is taking desperate measures if he really believes that Catch the Fire will be a significant vote. It looks like the campaign is quickly burning up before it even started as a likely interest rate rise may be the final blow that will ensure a landslide for the ALP.
In 2002 the Catch the Fire Ministeries’, pastor Danny Nalliah in Melbourne gave a public lecture in which he attacked Islam, called Muslims liars and insulted the Prophet Muhammad. The case became public when two Muslims in the audience took the issue up in court under Victoria’s Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001. This if anything gave Catch the Fire more publicity and increased its membership. The group was emboldened by the case and not one bit remorseful for their position.
And on the eve of federal election the Catch The Fire held a special prayer for John Howard and the Liberal Party in Parliament House under the very nose of the head of Government. This was an extraordinary event and one that places Howard in a very embarrassing position. One must ask just how wise it is to link yourself to such a wacky fringe group. Howard has in his term as prime minister often pandered to the religious far right including the Bretheren and other protestant groups and most recently having held meetings with Catch the Fire and even being blessed by the self-professed messiah of the group. From an Islamic angle its nothing unusual to pray in public but nonetheless it is a very unorthodox situation and I believe it indicates just how far the prime minister has lost sight of reality. He is no longer fit to lead the party and a sea change is in order. several weeks before the election was called by the PM Costello had his golden opportunity to challenge Howard and take over the reigns. If anything it would have presented the Liberal supporters a new vision that everyone is expecting and a more viable contender to challenge the Rudd phallanx. The Liberal Party made a crucially suicidal decision that they will have to live with for at least three more years and most likely six. This would have made much more sense considering that Howard has already announced his retirement plans.
But that is all but a lost opportunity. The Howard team is going to find it difficult to approach this election with anything fresh or new. As we witnessed in the debate Howard was very agitated, aggressive and angry. He had little to offer in terms of a vision for the future and was upstaged by the impish Rudd. Although there is little to separate the two parties, elections are all about perceptions and deception. Who can con the electorate into trusting them with their financial future will of course be the winner. Smart suits and fast talking will give them the edge.
Its not a walk over because Howard still has his loyal supporters and those conservatives who are afraid of change or taking risks but that may not be enough to carry him over the line. Rudd is immensely popular with the under 30’s and with the workplace relations laws a key election issue Rudd will be hard to beat. Youthful and boyish it may be enough to push those swinging voters towards Labor once and for all, eleven years on. It appears that Howard is taking desperate measures if he really believes that Catch the Fire will be a significant vote. It looks like the campaign is quickly burning up before it even started as a likely interest rate rise may be the final blow that will ensure a landslide for the ALP.
Review: Noooooooh Beengoh!
REVIEW :
Noooooooh Beengoh! (Bollywood meets the Simpsons)
One versus One Hundred, Dancing with Stars, Deal or No Deal, Big Brother and Australian Idol just a few of the shows to hit our screens over the past several years, most with relative success (and most carbon copies from our cousins across the Pacific). Personally, I find them all uninteresting in some way or another, with no “intelligent” appeal whatsoever. Sadly, to whichever channel you switch, you will either have to put up with it or resort to the same old American trash detective shows or simply switch off the TV set. But it’s not always a simple matter of taking that option. Most average households have at least one if not two television sets and its on most of the time.
But now I have seen it all, a new gimmick, National Bingo Night on Channel Seven. What the? The whole concept is ridiculous and having seen the first show the actual premise is absolute ‘shite’ as they say in the business. However, my topic of discussion today, is not the gigantic lotto machine with beach balls, or the hostess who has to bend down to reach for the balls every time or the fairly lame uncharismatic host. The thing that has me in a knot is the way that you have to wait for some guy in an American grid iron umpire’s uniform, calling out in a fake Indian accent, noooooooh beengoh! It is a tad cheesy and tasteless, and not to mention politically incorrect, especially since the actual person in that role is a Bangladeshi psychiatrist named Tanveer, whose real voice is a somewhat wanky North Shore Australian accent.
Tanveer describes himself as a “non-practicing Muslim” and he speaks, writes and sometimes makes comments on Islamic issues ranging from terrorism and national security to Lebanese crime and identity. Tanveer is a very unique person and has placed himself in a position of trust, respect and authority, especially on matters concerning Islam. He is often invited to conferences to give his opinion on Islam in Australia. His quirky sense of humour has alienated himself from certain segments of the Muslim communities. This is probably too harsh a treatment for someone who has some very admirable traits and is only doing what he believes is in his own best interests. He has challenged many aspects of Islam and been highly critical of Lebanese Muslims. Of course, Tanveer is quite free to express his opinions and he is in his own rights if he wishes to make believe on national television but he must then also be willing to accept criticism in the same vain that he often dishes out.
If not for his “non-practicing” epithet I would have had a go at him for being a on a program which is essentially is simplified gambling. This is a grave sin in itself but I am not judging him on this as he has clearly distanced himself from Islamic principles and beliefs. But there is one thing regardless of his religious practice that really takes the cake, and that is the fact that he is a Bangladeshi Australian bunging on a ridiculously bad impression of Apu (from the Simpsons), even Apu is better at impersonating an Indian.
The question is about ethics. The Kumars at No. 42 do much the same and they mock Indians but they are Indian and they clearly set the parameters that the show is “not real” and the cast are in fact actors. The Wogs Out of Work crew did the same they were not meant to be themselves but actors. Yet, in national Bingo the host and hostess are themselves and the contestants are themselves so why an Indian mascot? Why not Chinese, Greek or Jewish? I am not placing the blame on Tanveer for he is just an actor but on the show’s creators and producers. It just perpetuates stereotypes and shows a very poor level of racial understanding and development in this country. If the show is to continue, most Australian audiences like sincerity and no gimmicks, so what the producers have to re-think is how do we entertain audiences without the shallow and gratuitous gags. I think if they tried they could easily succeed.
For now, one star for the show minus half for the host and minus another star for the “noooooh beengoh” grid iron umpire. Please channel Seven what next?
Noooooooh Beengoh! (Bollywood meets the Simpsons)
One versus One Hundred, Dancing with Stars, Deal or No Deal, Big Brother and Australian Idol just a few of the shows to hit our screens over the past several years, most with relative success (and most carbon copies from our cousins across the Pacific). Personally, I find them all uninteresting in some way or another, with no “intelligent” appeal whatsoever. Sadly, to whichever channel you switch, you will either have to put up with it or resort to the same old American trash detective shows or simply switch off the TV set. But it’s not always a simple matter of taking that option. Most average households have at least one if not two television sets and its on most of the time.
But now I have seen it all, a new gimmick, National Bingo Night on Channel Seven. What the? The whole concept is ridiculous and having seen the first show the actual premise is absolute ‘shite’ as they say in the business. However, my topic of discussion today, is not the gigantic lotto machine with beach balls, or the hostess who has to bend down to reach for the balls every time or the fairly lame uncharismatic host. The thing that has me in a knot is the way that you have to wait for some guy in an American grid iron umpire’s uniform, calling out in a fake Indian accent, noooooooh beengoh! It is a tad cheesy and tasteless, and not to mention politically incorrect, especially since the actual person in that role is a Bangladeshi psychiatrist named Tanveer, whose real voice is a somewhat wanky North Shore Australian accent.
Tanveer describes himself as a “non-practicing Muslim” and he speaks, writes and sometimes makes comments on Islamic issues ranging from terrorism and national security to Lebanese crime and identity. Tanveer is a very unique person and has placed himself in a position of trust, respect and authority, especially on matters concerning Islam. He is often invited to conferences to give his opinion on Islam in Australia. His quirky sense of humour has alienated himself from certain segments of the Muslim communities. This is probably too harsh a treatment for someone who has some very admirable traits and is only doing what he believes is in his own best interests. He has challenged many aspects of Islam and been highly critical of Lebanese Muslims. Of course, Tanveer is quite free to express his opinions and he is in his own rights if he wishes to make believe on national television but he must then also be willing to accept criticism in the same vain that he often dishes out.
If not for his “non-practicing” epithet I would have had a go at him for being a on a program which is essentially is simplified gambling. This is a grave sin in itself but I am not judging him on this as he has clearly distanced himself from Islamic principles and beliefs. But there is one thing regardless of his religious practice that really takes the cake, and that is the fact that he is a Bangladeshi Australian bunging on a ridiculously bad impression of Apu (from the Simpsons), even Apu is better at impersonating an Indian.
The question is about ethics. The Kumars at No. 42 do much the same and they mock Indians but they are Indian and they clearly set the parameters that the show is “not real” and the cast are in fact actors. The Wogs Out of Work crew did the same they were not meant to be themselves but actors. Yet, in national Bingo the host and hostess are themselves and the contestants are themselves so why an Indian mascot? Why not Chinese, Greek or Jewish? I am not placing the blame on Tanveer for he is just an actor but on the show’s creators and producers. It just perpetuates stereotypes and shows a very poor level of racial understanding and development in this country. If the show is to continue, most Australian audiences like sincerity and no gimmicks, so what the producers have to re-think is how do we entertain audiences without the shallow and gratuitous gags. I think if they tried they could easily succeed.
For now, one star for the show minus half for the host and minus another star for the “noooooh beengoh” grid iron umpire. Please channel Seven what next?
Death of Ilhan: Islam's charitable history
Mustafa Ilhan’s death reminds us of the charity of one of Australia’s earliest Muslims
In the wake of Mustafa “Crazy John” Ilhan's death we have learned that there was much more than meets the eye to his charitable nature. He apparently paid $50000 for a child’s drawing during a school fund-raiser. But as his mates have attested Ilhan was a very generous man in both public and private life. He his best known for his foundation for Food Allergies.
Most people would not have known that Ilhan was a proud Australian of Turkish descent and he was a Muslim. Considering that Islam has had a generally negative time in the media it is good to hear a positive story arising from this tragic event. Mustafa Ilhan was at the prime of his life and was just shaping up for bigger and better things. He was as I believe also preparing to do the Hajj, which would have been a life changing experience. It is all very sad that we will never know just what great things Mustafa would have done on the back of his success as one of the wealthiest businessmen in Australia.
It is not unusual for wealthy men to do great charitable works. We have in Australia many well known businessmen who have taken on charitable causes. Many Australians will not have heard of one Australia’s first Muslim philanthropists.
Mahomet Allum was born in 1858 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He came to Australia around 1884 as a camel driver and worked in Cloncurry, Broken Hill and West Kalgoorlie. He had also worked as a station-hand, a butcher, store keeper and a miner. Allum did not come to much fame until about the late1920’s when he settled in the city of Adelaide. He became a herbalist dispensing natural remedies from his home in Sturt street, asking for no fee but only donations claiming that the gift of healing was in his family for over 400 years. He had healed it is reported thousands of people in the Adelaide area where modern medical treatments had failed. He was not liked by many doctors for obvious reasons.
Yet this strange and enigmatic miracle man was peppered with controversy for the remainder of his life. In 1935 he was charged and found guilty with having posed as a medical practitioner. In 1934 when he travelled to Afghanistan he was petitioned by 10000 people to remain in Adelaide. His popularity, healing powers and charity were attested to by his patients and published in testimonials and advertisements.
Printed in the S.A. Turf Review in 1938 is a letter by Con Noonan who writes;
“Space alas will not permit me to relate one fiftieth of the actions which to my personal knowledge, this kindly Afghan has performed in the greatest of all causes- charity. But I would be devoid of all sense of gratitude were I to fail to place on record the gift which he presented to me – the restoration of normal health after 30 years of suffering.”
He died on 26 March 1964 at his large home in Everard Park, he was believed to be about 108 years old and the funeral procession from his house to the cemetery was over a kilometre long. Allum’s estate, worth over 11000 pounds was nearly all willed to institutions which cared for children.
In the wake of Mustafa “Crazy John” Ilhan's death we have learned that there was much more than meets the eye to his charitable nature. He apparently paid $50000 for a child’s drawing during a school fund-raiser. But as his mates have attested Ilhan was a very generous man in both public and private life. He his best known for his foundation for Food Allergies.
Most people would not have known that Ilhan was a proud Australian of Turkish descent and he was a Muslim. Considering that Islam has had a generally negative time in the media it is good to hear a positive story arising from this tragic event. Mustafa Ilhan was at the prime of his life and was just shaping up for bigger and better things. He was as I believe also preparing to do the Hajj, which would have been a life changing experience. It is all very sad that we will never know just what great things Mustafa would have done on the back of his success as one of the wealthiest businessmen in Australia.
It is not unusual for wealthy men to do great charitable works. We have in Australia many well known businessmen who have taken on charitable causes. Many Australians will not have heard of one Australia’s first Muslim philanthropists.
Mahomet Allum was born in 1858 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He came to Australia around 1884 as a camel driver and worked in Cloncurry, Broken Hill and West Kalgoorlie. He had also worked as a station-hand, a butcher, store keeper and a miner. Allum did not come to much fame until about the late1920’s when he settled in the city of Adelaide. He became a herbalist dispensing natural remedies from his home in Sturt street, asking for no fee but only donations claiming that the gift of healing was in his family for over 400 years. He had healed it is reported thousands of people in the Adelaide area where modern medical treatments had failed. He was not liked by many doctors for obvious reasons.
Yet this strange and enigmatic miracle man was peppered with controversy for the remainder of his life. In 1935 he was charged and found guilty with having posed as a medical practitioner. In 1934 when he travelled to Afghanistan he was petitioned by 10000 people to remain in Adelaide. His popularity, healing powers and charity were attested to by his patients and published in testimonials and advertisements.
Printed in the S.A. Turf Review in 1938 is a letter by Con Noonan who writes;
“Space alas will not permit me to relate one fiftieth of the actions which to my personal knowledge, this kindly Afghan has performed in the greatest of all causes- charity. But I would be devoid of all sense of gratitude were I to fail to place on record the gift which he presented to me – the restoration of normal health after 30 years of suffering.”
He died on 26 March 1964 at his large home in Everard Park, he was believed to be about 108 years old and the funeral procession from his house to the cemetery was over a kilometre long. Allum’s estate, worth over 11000 pounds was nearly all willed to institutions which cared for children.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Normalising Islam
Islam in the Media: Normalising Islam
In 2002 the Daily Telegraph and Sydney’s talkback radio shows reported a case of gang-rape as a Muslim / Lebanese issue. This became one of the year’s most dominant stories and did irreparable damage to public perceptions about Muslims in Sydney.
The continued debates around terrorism and suicide bombing, the hijab and integration, immigration and values has further aggravated the successful integration of Muslims in Sydney.
Muslims are like the fat kid in school or the kid with glasses, easy targets. And Muslims are easy targets. They look different, there are groups concentrated in suburban enclaves in south western Sydney and most significantly they are very devout in their practice.
Its like the nerd or study geek in class, he works hard and actually takes maths seriously, as if he was there to learn something, the other students scoff at him and taunt him for being the teachers pet, when all he wants to do is get on with the practice of learning and improving himself.
18th C European Orientalism has ensured us that Islam remains outside of the norm. A mysterious, debaucherous and cultic faith which aims to undermine our righteous Christian values. One can imagine the caricature of the bearded Muslim lurking around bus stops and schoolyards ready to pounce on our innocent youth, to viciously rape and debase them.
Edward Said in his seminal work “Orientalism” describes the Orientalist as one who:
constructs, and the very act of construction is a sign of imperial power of recalcitrant phenomena, as well as a confirmation of the dominant culture and its ‘naturalisation’.
As far back as 1891 William Muir wrote in The Caliphate, Its Rise, Decline and Fall,:
the sword of Muhammed and the Qur’an are the most stubborn enemies of Civilisation, Liberty and the Truth which the world has yet known.
French philologists Ernest Renan who wrote L’Avenir de la Science in 1848 said,
“the Semitic race (Arab and Jew) appears to us to be an incomplete race, by virtue of its simplicity. This race – if I dare use the analogy- is to the Indo-European family what a pencil sketch is to a painting; it lacks that variety, that amplitude, that abundance of life which is the condition of perfectibility.”
What Renan tried to do was to reduce the Orient to a kind of human flatness, which exposed its characteristics easily to scrutiny and removed from it its complicating humanity.
Analysis of contemporary media related to Islam will show a common thread. The negative coverage, the depiction of Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers with one aim in mind and that is to undermine Western values and ideals, this thread is aimed at de-normalising Islam, making it alien and threatening. As our prime minister often says, “They hate us for our freedoms and our way of life.”
The Muslim is the antithesis to everything that we enjoy as a part of a healthy democracy.
The cartoons of the 19th C and early 20th C depict Muslims and Turks as lust-thirsty womanizers and evil and backward agents of the Orient.
The recent Danish cartoons lampooning the Prophet, although offensive is nothing new. This existed in the late 1800’s and to a large extent went unnoticed by the Ottoman empire which was basically the Islamic world at the time.
But all of this works towards reinforcing the common thread. The media has become the vehicle to propagate that thread and to reinforce the stereotype of the antagonistic Muslim heathen who is antagonistic to our way of life.
In mainstream print, television news and radio talkback, the topics about Muslims confirms that they are not part of the team, they don’t want to integrate, they only want to convert us all to Islam, subjugate our women and cheat the system.
If we look at the television and movie industry for example, we observe in Arnold Schwarznegger action movies we see Arnie killing the Muslim terrorists and saving the world from these smelly unshaven Arabs who just have nothing else to do with their time.
In shows like 24 our all American hero Kiefer Sutherland comes across a Turkish family who has lived in the states for 7 years going about their business yet even a normal family as this one is actually embedded in to the society as a sleeper cell awaiting orders. When their orders are finally released they wreak havoc upon the innocent Americans and even though good triumphs over evil, eventually, the antagonists die fighting and with their dying breath they blurt out in an anti-American communistic slogan like “death to the infidel”.
Yet what if we look at programs where one may not at first suspect to look? The Simpsons. A very clever satirical look at ourselves. Would you agree?
The program makes fun of just about everything and everyone.
The Christian fundamentalist next door, the Jewish entertainer with a triple heart by-pass and a smoking addiction, his over-bearing Rabbi father, the Hindu Indian Quickee mart owner taking short cuts and changing used by dates, the eccentric Scottish gardener, the nerdy school principal who still lives at home with his mother, the stingy polish bartender, the alcoholic lay about, the corrupt police chief and the mayor, the comical Italian mafioso, the escaped convict Snake, a black plant co-worker, and of course the evil white millionaire nuclear plant owner who exploits his workers and his faithful assistant with latent homosexual tendencies. The show has covered a number of stories from Free masons to sending up celebrities and presidents. Yet what is missing, in this all-American city of Springfield? Does Springfield have a no-Muslims immigration policy?
De-normalising Islam has been a part of the agenda for over three centuries.
Our Australian media is not as sophisticated as our US counterparts but it takes a lot from its big brother across the Pacific. And to a large extent Islam has been de-normalised in Australia.
Australians are a bit more accommodating than the Yanks.
Only when we start to see Muslim characters on Home and Away, or Muslims reading the 6 o’clock news and when Muslims are not associated with terror and anti-social behaviour and instead with positive stories that tell us how wonderful they are we may begin a process where Islam and Muslims are normalized.
In 2001 when I took position as Media Officer at the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils the media often expressed their relief that the Muslim community finally had a media spokesman that they could liaise with.
Since the 2002 Sydney gang rapes, there have been some observable changes in the media, which is partly due to the proactive efforts of the Muslim community. The Muslim community has in the past five years accelerated their activity and efforts to engage with the media and to assist them in building better relations, providing resources and information to enhance media coverage.
The Muslim community is by no means a homogenous unit but they clearly have identifiable institutions and entities. One issue affects all Muslims.
Therefore, anything that is highlighted in the media has dramatic effects on the ground.
Briefly I will mention three recent cases and compare the styles of reporting which will underline my point.
The reporting of sheikh Taj Al Din Al Hilali’s comments about Muslim women who dress scantily described as uncovered meat, created media history.
Between September and December 2006 there were 1331 articles written about Sheikh Taj Al Hilali.
In the months before there had been only 87.
The media frenzy surrounding the sheikh led inevitably to his final demise. The community were fed up with the negative impact that he was having on them and ousted him in a coup which led to appointing the less complex and elderly Victorian imam sheikh Fehmi Al Imam.
There is no doubt that Sheikh Taj was demonized and the media persisted its relentless investigations and innuendoes and finally he felt the pressure emotionally and physically, succumbing to his heart condition.
Whether you like him or not, the sheikh is definitely an interesting character and has added colour and controversy to the Muslim community.
Faces of Islam
But as quickly as it came the madness ended. And suddenly we were excruciatingly dragged thru a feel good fest of faces of Islam in one solid week of articles, a brainchild of the Fairfax newspaper. After a three month relentless attack on Sheikh Taj the SMH decided to make amends for the very tough time it experienced because of the words of one man.
While I personally did not like the series on the basis that it kept Islam on the periphery like a freak show, it was to say the least an attempt to portray Muslims fairly and positively.
This was quite unprecedented. In the past the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian had covered very positive profiles of Muslims but not at this level and this caliber. But it did not do this on its own. There has been a number of personal efforts by individuals and organizations such as ours who have forged relationships with journalists and producers and Chiefs of Staff, thereby providing good spokespeople and building a rapport which has affected the attitudes of reporters and decision makers with in the media.
With some hard work and commitment Muslims have actually made a difference to the attitudes of the media, and we have reached a turning point although there is a very long way to go.
Haneef
During the Haneef case this turning point became evident. For the media this was a gift however the media were grasping at straws, even though this was another Willie Brigitte case, the reporting was much softer and in general slanted in Haneef’s favour. The tide was finally turning, journalists were sick of the bad Muslim tag and were willing to give Haneef a chance. Bungle after bungle led to the freeing of Haneef and the media turned on the immigration minister.
The media in this case kept the pressure on the police for answers and for transparency. The weak link was that it was handled as a criminal matter and not under the new legislation. This enabled the media to closely follow the case.
However, it did not excuse either the police, the immigration minister and the PM for that matter of jumping to the conclusion that he was guilty. The media was also tending to indicate that where there is smoke there is fire.
The reporting of Islamic issues has increased in the past five years and many journalists are aware of the impact that they are having on the Muslim people by the way they report. The situation is very complex and involves many layers.
The Muslim community is a very under-developed community, most of its organizations are unprepared and lack the skills to work with the media, they are undisciplined and dysfunctional, they still have their ethnic rivalries and nepotistic tendencies, mostly powered by men who came here from abroad with out dated views and mentalities. They are also out of touch with a community which statistically has 70% of its members under the age of 30. That is a staggering statistic.
But the second generation of Muslims are now taking measures to change the status quo. Not only are we undertaking media training and engaging with media professionals, we are monitoring the media and taking them to task when the code ethics is breached. We have pooled our resources together and sought advice and assistance from media professionals such as Peter Manning and academics to strategize and create media savvy homegrown spokespeople. All of this has made a difference.
The next phase in my belief is that Muslims will cease their siege mentality and become more confident in working with the media, as they mature as a community, there will be more institutions dedicated to this cause and slowly we will begin to reduce our presence in the media an attempt to normalize Islam.
In 2002 the Daily Telegraph and Sydney’s talkback radio shows reported a case of gang-rape as a Muslim / Lebanese issue. This became one of the year’s most dominant stories and did irreparable damage to public perceptions about Muslims in Sydney.
The continued debates around terrorism and suicide bombing, the hijab and integration, immigration and values has further aggravated the successful integration of Muslims in Sydney.
Muslims are like the fat kid in school or the kid with glasses, easy targets. And Muslims are easy targets. They look different, there are groups concentrated in suburban enclaves in south western Sydney and most significantly they are very devout in their practice.
Its like the nerd or study geek in class, he works hard and actually takes maths seriously, as if he was there to learn something, the other students scoff at him and taunt him for being the teachers pet, when all he wants to do is get on with the practice of learning and improving himself.
18th C European Orientalism has ensured us that Islam remains outside of the norm. A mysterious, debaucherous and cultic faith which aims to undermine our righteous Christian values. One can imagine the caricature of the bearded Muslim lurking around bus stops and schoolyards ready to pounce on our innocent youth, to viciously rape and debase them.
Edward Said in his seminal work “Orientalism” describes the Orientalist as one who:
constructs, and the very act of construction is a sign of imperial power of recalcitrant phenomena, as well as a confirmation of the dominant culture and its ‘naturalisation’.
As far back as 1891 William Muir wrote in The Caliphate, Its Rise, Decline and Fall,:
the sword of Muhammed and the Qur’an are the most stubborn enemies of Civilisation, Liberty and the Truth which the world has yet known.
French philologists Ernest Renan who wrote L’Avenir de la Science in 1848 said,
“the Semitic race (Arab and Jew) appears to us to be an incomplete race, by virtue of its simplicity. This race – if I dare use the analogy- is to the Indo-European family what a pencil sketch is to a painting; it lacks that variety, that amplitude, that abundance of life which is the condition of perfectibility.”
What Renan tried to do was to reduce the Orient to a kind of human flatness, which exposed its characteristics easily to scrutiny and removed from it its complicating humanity.
Analysis of contemporary media related to Islam will show a common thread. The negative coverage, the depiction of Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers with one aim in mind and that is to undermine Western values and ideals, this thread is aimed at de-normalising Islam, making it alien and threatening. As our prime minister often says, “They hate us for our freedoms and our way of life.”
The Muslim is the antithesis to everything that we enjoy as a part of a healthy democracy.
The cartoons of the 19th C and early 20th C depict Muslims and Turks as lust-thirsty womanizers and evil and backward agents of the Orient.
The recent Danish cartoons lampooning the Prophet, although offensive is nothing new. This existed in the late 1800’s and to a large extent went unnoticed by the Ottoman empire which was basically the Islamic world at the time.
But all of this works towards reinforcing the common thread. The media has become the vehicle to propagate that thread and to reinforce the stereotype of the antagonistic Muslim heathen who is antagonistic to our way of life.
In mainstream print, television news and radio talkback, the topics about Muslims confirms that they are not part of the team, they don’t want to integrate, they only want to convert us all to Islam, subjugate our women and cheat the system.
If we look at the television and movie industry for example, we observe in Arnold Schwarznegger action movies we see Arnie killing the Muslim terrorists and saving the world from these smelly unshaven Arabs who just have nothing else to do with their time.
In shows like 24 our all American hero Kiefer Sutherland comes across a Turkish family who has lived in the states for 7 years going about their business yet even a normal family as this one is actually embedded in to the society as a sleeper cell awaiting orders. When their orders are finally released they wreak havoc upon the innocent Americans and even though good triumphs over evil, eventually, the antagonists die fighting and with their dying breath they blurt out in an anti-American communistic slogan like “death to the infidel”.
Yet what if we look at programs where one may not at first suspect to look? The Simpsons. A very clever satirical look at ourselves. Would you agree?
The program makes fun of just about everything and everyone.
The Christian fundamentalist next door, the Jewish entertainer with a triple heart by-pass and a smoking addiction, his over-bearing Rabbi father, the Hindu Indian Quickee mart owner taking short cuts and changing used by dates, the eccentric Scottish gardener, the nerdy school principal who still lives at home with his mother, the stingy polish bartender, the alcoholic lay about, the corrupt police chief and the mayor, the comical Italian mafioso, the escaped convict Snake, a black plant co-worker, and of course the evil white millionaire nuclear plant owner who exploits his workers and his faithful assistant with latent homosexual tendencies. The show has covered a number of stories from Free masons to sending up celebrities and presidents. Yet what is missing, in this all-American city of Springfield? Does Springfield have a no-Muslims immigration policy?
De-normalising Islam has been a part of the agenda for over three centuries.
Our Australian media is not as sophisticated as our US counterparts but it takes a lot from its big brother across the Pacific. And to a large extent Islam has been de-normalised in Australia.
Australians are a bit more accommodating than the Yanks.
Only when we start to see Muslim characters on Home and Away, or Muslims reading the 6 o’clock news and when Muslims are not associated with terror and anti-social behaviour and instead with positive stories that tell us how wonderful they are we may begin a process where Islam and Muslims are normalized.
In 2001 when I took position as Media Officer at the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils the media often expressed their relief that the Muslim community finally had a media spokesman that they could liaise with.
Since the 2002 Sydney gang rapes, there have been some observable changes in the media, which is partly due to the proactive efforts of the Muslim community. The Muslim community has in the past five years accelerated their activity and efforts to engage with the media and to assist them in building better relations, providing resources and information to enhance media coverage.
The Muslim community is by no means a homogenous unit but they clearly have identifiable institutions and entities. One issue affects all Muslims.
Therefore, anything that is highlighted in the media has dramatic effects on the ground.
Briefly I will mention three recent cases and compare the styles of reporting which will underline my point.
The reporting of sheikh Taj Al Din Al Hilali’s comments about Muslim women who dress scantily described as uncovered meat, created media history.
Between September and December 2006 there were 1331 articles written about Sheikh Taj Al Hilali.
In the months before there had been only 87.
The media frenzy surrounding the sheikh led inevitably to his final demise. The community were fed up with the negative impact that he was having on them and ousted him in a coup which led to appointing the less complex and elderly Victorian imam sheikh Fehmi Al Imam.
There is no doubt that Sheikh Taj was demonized and the media persisted its relentless investigations and innuendoes and finally he felt the pressure emotionally and physically, succumbing to his heart condition.
Whether you like him or not, the sheikh is definitely an interesting character and has added colour and controversy to the Muslim community.
Faces of Islam
But as quickly as it came the madness ended. And suddenly we were excruciatingly dragged thru a feel good fest of faces of Islam in one solid week of articles, a brainchild of the Fairfax newspaper. After a three month relentless attack on Sheikh Taj the SMH decided to make amends for the very tough time it experienced because of the words of one man.
While I personally did not like the series on the basis that it kept Islam on the periphery like a freak show, it was to say the least an attempt to portray Muslims fairly and positively.
This was quite unprecedented. In the past the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian had covered very positive profiles of Muslims but not at this level and this caliber. But it did not do this on its own. There has been a number of personal efforts by individuals and organizations such as ours who have forged relationships with journalists and producers and Chiefs of Staff, thereby providing good spokespeople and building a rapport which has affected the attitudes of reporters and decision makers with in the media.
With some hard work and commitment Muslims have actually made a difference to the attitudes of the media, and we have reached a turning point although there is a very long way to go.
Haneef
During the Haneef case this turning point became evident. For the media this was a gift however the media were grasping at straws, even though this was another Willie Brigitte case, the reporting was much softer and in general slanted in Haneef’s favour. The tide was finally turning, journalists were sick of the bad Muslim tag and were willing to give Haneef a chance. Bungle after bungle led to the freeing of Haneef and the media turned on the immigration minister.
The media in this case kept the pressure on the police for answers and for transparency. The weak link was that it was handled as a criminal matter and not under the new legislation. This enabled the media to closely follow the case.
However, it did not excuse either the police, the immigration minister and the PM for that matter of jumping to the conclusion that he was guilty. The media was also tending to indicate that where there is smoke there is fire.
The reporting of Islamic issues has increased in the past five years and many journalists are aware of the impact that they are having on the Muslim people by the way they report. The situation is very complex and involves many layers.
The Muslim community is a very under-developed community, most of its organizations are unprepared and lack the skills to work with the media, they are undisciplined and dysfunctional, they still have their ethnic rivalries and nepotistic tendencies, mostly powered by men who came here from abroad with out dated views and mentalities. They are also out of touch with a community which statistically has 70% of its members under the age of 30. That is a staggering statistic.
But the second generation of Muslims are now taking measures to change the status quo. Not only are we undertaking media training and engaging with media professionals, we are monitoring the media and taking them to task when the code ethics is breached. We have pooled our resources together and sought advice and assistance from media professionals such as Peter Manning and academics to strategize and create media savvy homegrown spokespeople. All of this has made a difference.
The next phase in my belief is that Muslims will cease their siege mentality and become more confident in working with the media, as they mature as a community, there will be more institutions dedicated to this cause and slowly we will begin to reduce our presence in the media an attempt to normalize Islam.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Nothing is unchangeable
By Kuranda Seyit
Yesterday’s elections in Turkey, signifies a new era in Turkish politics. The Islamist AKP party led by Tayyip Erdogan has been given a mandate to take Turkey into the 21st century with zeal.
However, how will Turkey’s Kemalist secularists take this slap in the face? Has democracy dealt a cruel blow to those who have used it in an attempt to diminish the influence of Islam in Turkey?
Religious resurgence is everywhere in Turkey, in the mosques, the madrasas and the universities. Nowhere else in the world will you see a tightly fought clash between secularism and Islam. Young Turks in their thousands are embracing the West and their values, whilst an equal number of Turks are resisting the temptation. Turkey has always maintained strong roots in Islam and their proud history of a 600 year caliphate and an Islamic state cannot be erased. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk modernised Turkey in the early 20th century but in doing so he embedded a republican system that was espoused by his followers as perfect and unchangeable.
However, life is impermanent and change is inevitable. The Kemalists are holding on to a memory and in their short-sightedness are unwilling to accept the demands of modernity. Even the USA has evolved its democracy, as has China which has changed its understanding of communism. This election must mark the change that is necessary to make the Turkish political system tenable in this century and competitive with that of the robust democracies of Europe. The very first change to take place must be the abolition of the National Security Council and the cessation of any military influence in government affairs.
The question of co-existence has dogged the Islamists for decades. Yet the Erdogan government has proven that Islam can co-exist with democracy, if not enhance it even further by eradicating corruption and nepotism. As we are currently witnessing a global phenomenon of an Islamic resurgence, the West and other nations must realise that it is better to work with it instead of against it.
Walk down the cobble stoned street of Istanbul’s chic suburb of Beyoglu, where cafes and boutiques abound and crowds throng to the call of the West and you will see the odd headscarf which is re-emerging as a fashion item. But further away, still on the European side, in the famous suburb of Fatih, where the tomb of great Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror lies, there are considerably more noticeable headscarves and men with beards. Take a short walk down past the mosque and over to Carsamba and one would be forgiven for thinking that they had stumbled into a back street of Cairo or Damascus. Here the dominant image is of Islamically clad Turks and with more regularity women dressed in the full black garb called the ‘Charshaf’. However, religion is not just about headscarves.
In Turkey the debate has been reduced to a piece of cloth. The outgoing president Mr Ahmet Necdet Sezer has said that the presidential candidacy of Mr Abdullah Gul was unacceptable because his wife wore a headscarf. We need to go beyond the headscarf and look to a new future for Turkey. A future with corrupt free politics, a program for economic development and social reform and as member of the European Union. This is a Turkey, which is both Islamic and democratic and espouses freedom of religion and human rights, a model for the rest of the Muslim world to follow.
This is all conceivable. The next few months will be interesting. If Abdullah Gul does succeed as president then the government will have power in both realms of politics and the ability to enact constitutional change. The litmus test will be if whether the military will intervene and set Turkey back 30 years once again.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Christmas means a lot to Muslims
By Kuranda Seyit
It’s Christmas Day, 1982. Emu Plains.
As usual on this special day, the temperature was nearing the high thirties. I was excited with anticipation as my father drove us home in our silver HQ Holden. In the boot lay an unassembled red racer. This was my first real bike.
I had never received a gift like this before. We grew up in the inner city and my parents were un-skilled migrants from Turkey. I was the third oldest of nine children and my father at best was struggling to put food on the table.
As practising Muslims we didn’t celebrate Christmas yet I grew up in a Christian society and openly participated in scripture at school and my parents sent me to Sunday school. I grew up with the same stories from the Bible as the ones in the Quran. There was very little to differentiate between the two faiths from my 10 year old eyes.
I was brought up to love Jesus but my father was very clear on his status as a prophet and not the son of God. But you could not be a Muslim if you did not love and respect Jesus Christ. He was born of a miraculous birth to Mary. The Quran lucidly describes his entry into this world. In his brief life he inspired thousands in the Holy lands to turn back to the righteous path to God. He lived austerely and in complete devotion to God. He personified peace and performed miracles including healing lepers and bringing the dead back to life- albeit through the power of God.
So on this warm Christmas Day in Emu Plains on the foot of the Blue Mountains I was anxious to show all my friends my Chrissie present. In all truth it was just a present but in my attempt to “fit in” I wanted my friends to think that we believed in Christmas and celebrated the tradition.
For some years throughout my adolescence I continued the façade that Christmas was as much a part of our tradition as it was my mate’s. As the only Muslim kid in a school of over a thousand students I desperately wanted to feel accepted. It took me a whole year to make friends and to establish my identity after moving to the suburbs from the city and I wasn’t willing to let it go after all my hard blood, sweat and tears.
My brothers and sisters grew up with racism. We were constantly in fights, name calling and being marginalised. I used to be called “gobbler” by my English teacher and “Ching” by some students and had to constantly put up with bullies who just didn’t like the colour of my skin or the shape of my eyes.
But I still loved it when Christmas came around. As I got older I was invited to my mate’s Christmas lunches. Now, that was a good treat although I never ate the Christmas ham I enjoyed the cake, the soft drinks and the steak. But it was the feeling of belonging that mattered to me.
More than two decades on and I have done a lot. I worked as a cop, a teacher, an actor and now a community activist. Motivated by the September 11 terrorist attacks I felt obliged to build the bridges between Muslims and Christians. I saw the need to break down the misconceptions about Islam. There were reports of Muslims being vilified and harassed. So in 2002 I took up a post with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils as the Media Liaison Officer. It was no easy task. We were hearing at an almost monotonous rate the varied issues involving Muslims who allegedly were trying to turn Australia into an Islamic state. There were mad mullahs in Melbourne and gang rapists in Sydney, across the Gulf of Carpentaria were the Bali bombers crying out “Allahu Akbar” in court. Then of course there were a number of arrests of alleged terrorists so the threat of terrorism felt real in the minds of every Australian.
In this context every effort to build better community relations was hampered by negative media coverage but we persevered. In 2003 I founded the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations, a think tank and an advocacy organization which ran a number of successful projects including the now very popular Goodness and Kindness Project, where a Muslim, Jew and Christian visit schools. We did a lot of interfaith work and we put out information about Australian Muslims as well as appearing frequently in the mainstream media on various issues from the war in Iraq to the banning of the headscarf.
For all intents and purposes we were doing well. The arson attack on Kuraby Mosque was an all time low for Muslim community relations but amazingly the community has endured the problems with great determination and as was seen after the London bombings there was very little to report in terms of a backlash against Muslims.
Today, there are great initiatives being taken by various religious organizations, the Catholic arch diocese, Griffith University and the Islamic Council of Queensland. Last year the community hosted the first Multicultural Eid festival of Queensland which not only celebrated the end of Ramadan but also Queensland’s great history of pluralism and harmonious co-existence.
Our organization has always supported the celebration of the multitude of religious traditions in Australia. Christians celebrating Easter and Christmas, Jews celebrating Hanukah, Sukkot and Yom Kippur and Muslims who celebrate Eid ul Fitr at the end of Ramadan and Eid ul Adha at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. Of course there are many more celebrations than just these few which makes Australia the great place that it is.
We were shocked when we heard that our organization was apparently calling for an end to the Christmas tradition and to change the name to “winterval”. As the thousands of readers who were insulted by this suggestion we too were offended. Unfortunately, the story had been manipulated to present a wrongful message that Muslims had an agenda. Well, this was preposterous and in no way based on fact.
Muslims make up about 1.5% of the population. They are one of a number of religious faiths practiced in Australia. There is no doubt that Christianity is the faith of the majority of Australians. There are some politically correct do-gooders who create the impression that Muslims are advocating for change. However, Muslims often are so grateful that they can practice their own traditions freely and unimpeded than they could in the homelands of their parents or grandparents. So why would they try to create division and tension when as a minority they are still establishing themselves in this land? Our children are growing up with the tradition of Santa Claus, Carols by Candlelight, Chrissie on the beach and of course the great Christmas barbie. Christmas is not an affront to Islam nor is it an issue. We draw a lot from the prophet Muhammad who congratulated his Jewish and Christian friends during their festivities, we know that for Australian Muslims it is incumbent on all of them to show respect and kindness to people of other faiths and to share in the spirit of Christmas.
I hope that during Ramadan Christians and others will join in with me to break bread and enjoy the fruits of multicultural living in days to come.
Kuranda Seyit is the Director and Founder of the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations, he is also editor of Australia Fair Newspaper and has been chosen amongst the Smart 100 by the Bulletin Magazine in 2003 and also awarded the Sunday Telegraph’s Pride of Australia medal for the peace category in 2005.
By Kuranda Seyit
It’s Christmas Day, 1982. Emu Plains.
As usual on this special day, the temperature was nearing the high thirties. I was excited with anticipation as my father drove us home in our silver HQ Holden. In the boot lay an unassembled red racer. This was my first real bike.
I had never received a gift like this before. We grew up in the inner city and my parents were un-skilled migrants from Turkey. I was the third oldest of nine children and my father at best was struggling to put food on the table.
As practising Muslims we didn’t celebrate Christmas yet I grew up in a Christian society and openly participated in scripture at school and my parents sent me to Sunday school. I grew up with the same stories from the Bible as the ones in the Quran. There was very little to differentiate between the two faiths from my 10 year old eyes.
I was brought up to love Jesus but my father was very clear on his status as a prophet and not the son of God. But you could not be a Muslim if you did not love and respect Jesus Christ. He was born of a miraculous birth to Mary. The Quran lucidly describes his entry into this world. In his brief life he inspired thousands in the Holy lands to turn back to the righteous path to God. He lived austerely and in complete devotion to God. He personified peace and performed miracles including healing lepers and bringing the dead back to life- albeit through the power of God.
So on this warm Christmas Day in Emu Plains on the foot of the Blue Mountains I was anxious to show all my friends my Chrissie present. In all truth it was just a present but in my attempt to “fit in” I wanted my friends to think that we believed in Christmas and celebrated the tradition.
For some years throughout my adolescence I continued the façade that Christmas was as much a part of our tradition as it was my mate’s. As the only Muslim kid in a school of over a thousand students I desperately wanted to feel accepted. It took me a whole year to make friends and to establish my identity after moving to the suburbs from the city and I wasn’t willing to let it go after all my hard blood, sweat and tears.
My brothers and sisters grew up with racism. We were constantly in fights, name calling and being marginalised. I used to be called “gobbler” by my English teacher and “Ching” by some students and had to constantly put up with bullies who just didn’t like the colour of my skin or the shape of my eyes.
But I still loved it when Christmas came around. As I got older I was invited to my mate’s Christmas lunches. Now, that was a good treat although I never ate the Christmas ham I enjoyed the cake, the soft drinks and the steak. But it was the feeling of belonging that mattered to me.
More than two decades on and I have done a lot. I worked as a cop, a teacher, an actor and now a community activist. Motivated by the September 11 terrorist attacks I felt obliged to build the bridges between Muslims and Christians. I saw the need to break down the misconceptions about Islam. There were reports of Muslims being vilified and harassed. So in 2002 I took up a post with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils as the Media Liaison Officer. It was no easy task. We were hearing at an almost monotonous rate the varied issues involving Muslims who allegedly were trying to turn Australia into an Islamic state. There were mad mullahs in Melbourne and gang rapists in Sydney, across the Gulf of Carpentaria were the Bali bombers crying out “Allahu Akbar” in court. Then of course there were a number of arrests of alleged terrorists so the threat of terrorism felt real in the minds of every Australian.
In this context every effort to build better community relations was hampered by negative media coverage but we persevered. In 2003 I founded the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations, a think tank and an advocacy organization which ran a number of successful projects including the now very popular Goodness and Kindness Project, where a Muslim, Jew and Christian visit schools. We did a lot of interfaith work and we put out information about Australian Muslims as well as appearing frequently in the mainstream media on various issues from the war in Iraq to the banning of the headscarf.
For all intents and purposes we were doing well. The arson attack on Kuraby Mosque was an all time low for Muslim community relations but amazingly the community has endured the problems with great determination and as was seen after the London bombings there was very little to report in terms of a backlash against Muslims.
Today, there are great initiatives being taken by various religious organizations, the Catholic arch diocese, Griffith University and the Islamic Council of Queensland. Last year the community hosted the first Multicultural Eid festival of Queensland which not only celebrated the end of Ramadan but also Queensland’s great history of pluralism and harmonious co-existence.
Our organization has always supported the celebration of the multitude of religious traditions in Australia. Christians celebrating Easter and Christmas, Jews celebrating Hanukah, Sukkot and Yom Kippur and Muslims who celebrate Eid ul Fitr at the end of Ramadan and Eid ul Adha at the end of the Hajj pilgrimage. Of course there are many more celebrations than just these few which makes Australia the great place that it is.
We were shocked when we heard that our organization was apparently calling for an end to the Christmas tradition and to change the name to “winterval”. As the thousands of readers who were insulted by this suggestion we too were offended. Unfortunately, the story had been manipulated to present a wrongful message that Muslims had an agenda. Well, this was preposterous and in no way based on fact.
Muslims make up about 1.5% of the population. They are one of a number of religious faiths practiced in Australia. There is no doubt that Christianity is the faith of the majority of Australians. There are some politically correct do-gooders who create the impression that Muslims are advocating for change. However, Muslims often are so grateful that they can practice their own traditions freely and unimpeded than they could in the homelands of their parents or grandparents. So why would they try to create division and tension when as a minority they are still establishing themselves in this land? Our children are growing up with the tradition of Santa Claus, Carols by Candlelight, Chrissie on the beach and of course the great Christmas barbie. Christmas is not an affront to Islam nor is it an issue. We draw a lot from the prophet Muhammad who congratulated his Jewish and Christian friends during their festivities, we know that for Australian Muslims it is incumbent on all of them to show respect and kindness to people of other faiths and to share in the spirit of Christmas.
I hope that during Ramadan Christians and others will join in with me to break bread and enjoy the fruits of multicultural living in days to come.
Kuranda Seyit is the Director and Founder of the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations, he is also editor of Australia Fair Newspaper and has been chosen amongst the Smart 100 by the Bulletin Magazine in 2003 and also awarded the Sunday Telegraph’s Pride of Australia medal for the peace category in 2005.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Muslims must be protected by the Act
As we are seeing more and more cases of international incidents involving Muslims, the backlash is real and hard on the ground. In the past six years, there has been a sharp increase in physical attacks against Muslim women wearing the scarf, Muslim schools and places of worship as well as direct cases of discrimination in the work place, at universities, hospitals and doctor's surgeries, shopping centres and in public spaces.
Although most cases of vilification against Muslims is based on their cultural and racial traits, I still believe that the Racial Discrimination Act must cover Islam as a specific cultural group which receives a lot of discrimination based on their religious obligations, duties and practices.
It is true that Muslims in Australia belong to more than 65 different ethnic groups. But the same can be said of Jewish people who have ethnic origins in Europe, Africa, Mid East and Asia. Yet they are referred to as a racial group because they act and see themselves as one. In this way of thinking I believe that Muslims are bound together by their uniform beliefs and practices which clearly identify them as a distinct homogenous group based on their religious identity. For Muslims, religion is actually a way of life and so their religious practices and their cultural traits defines them as Muslims.
When one becomes a Muslim or is born a Muslim that person will grow up with clearly identifiable cultural practices which is uniform across Islam. Therefore they will often be discriminated along these grounds regardless if they are a Turk, an Arab or an Indian. The second point of importance is that many people, through ignorance, treat Muslims as a racial group. Therefore the treatment and belief that they are a racial group and vilified as such is another reason that Muslims should be included in the Act.
Muslims have suffered for many years but today that suffering has been magnified 1000 times because of the downfall of Communism and portrayed as the world’s number one public enemy. Islam has been presented as backward and oppressive and many average citizens see Islam with suspicion and fear. Muslims are discriminated regularly on the basis of dress, customs and beliefs. Therefore it only makes sense that they be protected by the law, regardless of definitions or perceptions.
I would also like to clarify a couple of gross misconceptions about Islam. Firstly, Islam regardless of what hearsay evidence there is, has never in its 1400 year history ever converted a person at the point of a sword or by force. It is absolutely incongruous to suggest so. In Islam it is unequivocal and the Quran states that their is "no compulsion in religion": no compulsion to wear a headscarf, no compulsion to have a beard, no compulsion to marry another you do not love and no compulsion to take into your heart the love of God and to act piously and charitably. No one can force this upon another, not without resentment or negative repercussions, this would be counter-productive.
If any Muslim were to impose their beliefs and ideals on another person then he would be acting outside of the ethics of Islam and would in effect be committing a sin. This is something that is undesirable. All Muslims in the past and present have invited people to Islam, usually by their deeds and actions and by their example.
People often then cite the example of all the wars that were fought by early Muslims that resulted in the spread of Islam throughout Africa and Europe and also the Far East. Let me point out as a writer and researcher that the first wars after the Arab tribes had united were either defensive or pre-emptory and the victories were usually as a result of the weakness of the threatening power. For example the Byzantine, the Persian and Egyptian powers while openly against the new Muslim state were in decline themselves and when they lost the battle their whole empire collapsed and the Muslims automatically inherited the remnants of the empire.
The conquering armies of the Muslims were always magnanimous in victory and offered their captives freedom if they accepted Islam or taught them to read and write. The first comprehensive protocol for treating prisoners of war was made by the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) and is a precursor for the Geneva Convention which followed almost 14 centuries later. Muslims treated their prisoners with civility which astonished the enemies and many embraced Islam almost immediately.
Secondly, another misconception is that Muslims are trying to turn Australia into a Sharia state.
This is a ludicrous notion. Firstly, sharia law cannot work in a country less than 1.5% of the population are actually Muslim. Even if there was a mass conversion of Australians to Islam, it is highly unlikely that this would affect the political nature of this country. Even in countries where the majority are Muslims they still operate under secular law or governments: the best examples I can give are Indonesia and Turkey. Sharia law cannot be administered unless the whole society is Islamic and the leaders are Islamic and even then it has to be based on consensus.
As we are seeing more and more cases of international incidents involving Muslims, the backlash is real and hard on the ground. In the past six years, there has been a sharp increase in physical attacks against Muslim women wearing the scarf, Muslim schools and places of worship as well as direct cases of discrimination in the work place, at universities, hospitals and doctor's surgeries, shopping centres and in public spaces.
Although most cases of vilification against Muslims is based on their cultural and racial traits, I still believe that the Racial Discrimination Act must cover Islam as a specific cultural group which receives a lot of discrimination based on their religious obligations, duties and practices.
It is true that Muslims in Australia belong to more than 65 different ethnic groups. But the same can be said of Jewish people who have ethnic origins in Europe, Africa, Mid East and Asia. Yet they are referred to as a racial group because they act and see themselves as one. In this way of thinking I believe that Muslims are bound together by their uniform beliefs and practices which clearly identify them as a distinct homogenous group based on their religious identity. For Muslims, religion is actually a way of life and so their religious practices and their cultural traits defines them as Muslims.
When one becomes a Muslim or is born a Muslim that person will grow up with clearly identifiable cultural practices which is uniform across Islam. Therefore they will often be discriminated along these grounds regardless if they are a Turk, an Arab or an Indian. The second point of importance is that many people, through ignorance, treat Muslims as a racial group. Therefore the treatment and belief that they are a racial group and vilified as such is another reason that Muslims should be included in the Act.
Muslims have suffered for many years but today that suffering has been magnified 1000 times because of the downfall of Communism and portrayed as the world’s number one public enemy. Islam has been presented as backward and oppressive and many average citizens see Islam with suspicion and fear. Muslims are discriminated regularly on the basis of dress, customs and beliefs. Therefore it only makes sense that they be protected by the law, regardless of definitions or perceptions.
I would also like to clarify a couple of gross misconceptions about Islam. Firstly, Islam regardless of what hearsay evidence there is, has never in its 1400 year history ever converted a person at the point of a sword or by force. It is absolutely incongruous to suggest so. In Islam it is unequivocal and the Quran states that their is "no compulsion in religion": no compulsion to wear a headscarf, no compulsion to have a beard, no compulsion to marry another you do not love and no compulsion to take into your heart the love of God and to act piously and charitably. No one can force this upon another, not without resentment or negative repercussions, this would be counter-productive.
If any Muslim were to impose their beliefs and ideals on another person then he would be acting outside of the ethics of Islam and would in effect be committing a sin. This is something that is undesirable. All Muslims in the past and present have invited people to Islam, usually by their deeds and actions and by their example.
People often then cite the example of all the wars that were fought by early Muslims that resulted in the spread of Islam throughout Africa and Europe and also the Far East. Let me point out as a writer and researcher that the first wars after the Arab tribes had united were either defensive or pre-emptory and the victories were usually as a result of the weakness of the threatening power. For example the Byzantine, the Persian and Egyptian powers while openly against the new Muslim state were in decline themselves and when they lost the battle their whole empire collapsed and the Muslims automatically inherited the remnants of the empire.
The conquering armies of the Muslims were always magnanimous in victory and offered their captives freedom if they accepted Islam or taught them to read and write. The first comprehensive protocol for treating prisoners of war was made by the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) and is a precursor for the Geneva Convention which followed almost 14 centuries later. Muslims treated their prisoners with civility which astonished the enemies and many embraced Islam almost immediately.
Secondly, another misconception is that Muslims are trying to turn Australia into a Sharia state.
This is a ludicrous notion. Firstly, sharia law cannot work in a country less than 1.5% of the population are actually Muslim. Even if there was a mass conversion of Australians to Islam, it is highly unlikely that this would affect the political nature of this country. Even in countries where the majority are Muslims they still operate under secular law or governments: the best examples I can give are Indonesia and Turkey. Sharia law cannot be administered unless the whole society is Islamic and the leaders are Islamic and even then it has to be based on consensus.
Muslims in Australia not so extreme
OVER the past six years Australians have watched some of theworld's most terrifying events unfold, from our doorstep inJakarta and Bali, through the Middle East, in Madrid,Istanbul, London and now Glasgow.This global trend has forced many Western nations such asAustralia to rethink security strategies and laws. Connected to this, much mention was recently made of ayet-to-be-released report which suggests that up to 3000young Muslims in Australia are lying dormant, waiting to beradicalised.Do we really believe that 3000 people are in sleeper cellsawaiting the green light from Osama bin Laden?I have lived and worked with the Muslim community in Sydneyall my life and in more recent times I have met many Muslimsfrom Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Canberra and other capitalcities.I have worked as a high school teacher in private schoolswhere there have been a majority of Muslims or at least as alarge percentage in other schools. I have run youth programs and worked at the AustralianFederation of Islamic Councils and I can safely say that Iknow and understand the Muslim communities of Australiabetter than the average person. And I have made documentaries about Muslims.My research leads me to believe that while there are Muslimswith extreme ideas in Australia, by and large they do notadvocate violence or any form of terrorism. People with violent tendencies and knowledge of bomb-makingtechnology, let alone the conviction to die for a cause, areextremely rare.This does not mean we should just relax and hope for thebest. We should still be vigilant and ensure that youngpeople are given as much support as possible in school.But we can definitely tone down the fear-mongering rhetoricwhich does little for the average Mohammed and Fatima whohave to live with the stares and the taunts on a dailybasis. The very grave issue of over-stating the facts,particularly if it can create a negative backlash againstMuslims, must be addressed. It is simply not acceptable to make unfounded statementsthat create fear or suspicion of the Muslim community.One very simple reason why Australia is an unlikely placefor homegrown terrorism to take root is that Australia hasone of the West's most integrated Muslim communities.Muslims in Australia cannot be compared to the Britishmodel. In some British cities, such as Birmingham andBradford, hundreds of thousands of Muslims live inmarginalised ghetto-like suburbs which provide deep coverfor dissent and rebellion.Here in Australia the comparatively small and localisedMuslim community lives in relative affluence and comfort.About 15 per cent of Australian Muslims possess a degree,which raises their incomes. In Australia, most Muslims whose parents migrated here inthe '70s have grown up in a society which has nurtured afairly easygoing nature and world view.In Australia we do have nutcases and radicals who preachthat we should protect ourselves and our children from theevil influences of a non-believing society. They are relatively harmless, albeit distasteful.More usually, the average Australian Muslim lives aninvisible life. On the fringe, however, those who hold strong views aboutgovernment policies and feel passionate about internationalaffairs tend to be more vocal and conspicuous. In terms of numbers they are significantly small and only atiny percentage within that tiny percentage have thepotential for extreme violent behaviour.More people are likely to die from road rage accidentsinvolving Middle Eastern drivers than from a home-grownMiddle Eastern terrorist.The argument that Muslims are more prone to radicalisationin Australia because it is a new country with no traditionalbase for Muslims to fall back on is exactly the reason whyMuslim terrorism instigated by Australian Muslims will nevereventuate here.In Australia, the fact that we do not have a long history ofIslamic traditions and that the Muslim community is made upfrom a wide spectrum of cultural and ideological viewpoints,makes Australia a place where difference can be toleratedand opposing groups co-exist in harmony.Australia does have one great tradition that transcends allreligious boundaries, and that is the freedom to believewhat you want and to live your life the way you want as longas you don't try to stuff it down others' throats.A great motto to live by, don't you think?
OVER the past six years Australians have watched some of theworld's most terrifying events unfold, from our doorstep inJakarta and Bali, through the Middle East, in Madrid,Istanbul, London and now Glasgow.This global trend has forced many Western nations such asAustralia to rethink security strategies and laws. Connected to this, much mention was recently made of ayet-to-be-released report which suggests that up to 3000young Muslims in Australia are lying dormant, waiting to beradicalised.Do we really believe that 3000 people are in sleeper cellsawaiting the green light from Osama bin Laden?I have lived and worked with the Muslim community in Sydneyall my life and in more recent times I have met many Muslimsfrom Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Canberra and other capitalcities.I have worked as a high school teacher in private schoolswhere there have been a majority of Muslims or at least as alarge percentage in other schools. I have run youth programs and worked at the AustralianFederation of Islamic Councils and I can safely say that Iknow and understand the Muslim communities of Australiabetter than the average person. And I have made documentaries about Muslims.My research leads me to believe that while there are Muslimswith extreme ideas in Australia, by and large they do notadvocate violence or any form of terrorism. People with violent tendencies and knowledge of bomb-makingtechnology, let alone the conviction to die for a cause, areextremely rare.This does not mean we should just relax and hope for thebest. We should still be vigilant and ensure that youngpeople are given as much support as possible in school.But we can definitely tone down the fear-mongering rhetoricwhich does little for the average Mohammed and Fatima whohave to live with the stares and the taunts on a dailybasis. The very grave issue of over-stating the facts,particularly if it can create a negative backlash againstMuslims, must be addressed. It is simply not acceptable to make unfounded statementsthat create fear or suspicion of the Muslim community.One very simple reason why Australia is an unlikely placefor homegrown terrorism to take root is that Australia hasone of the West's most integrated Muslim communities.Muslims in Australia cannot be compared to the Britishmodel. In some British cities, such as Birmingham andBradford, hundreds of thousands of Muslims live inmarginalised ghetto-like suburbs which provide deep coverfor dissent and rebellion.Here in Australia the comparatively small and localisedMuslim community lives in relative affluence and comfort.About 15 per cent of Australian Muslims possess a degree,which raises their incomes. In Australia, most Muslims whose parents migrated here inthe '70s have grown up in a society which has nurtured afairly easygoing nature and world view.In Australia we do have nutcases and radicals who preachthat we should protect ourselves and our children from theevil influences of a non-believing society. They are relatively harmless, albeit distasteful.More usually, the average Australian Muslim lives aninvisible life. On the fringe, however, those who hold strong views aboutgovernment policies and feel passionate about internationalaffairs tend to be more vocal and conspicuous. In terms of numbers they are significantly small and only atiny percentage within that tiny percentage have thepotential for extreme violent behaviour.More people are likely to die from road rage accidentsinvolving Middle Eastern drivers than from a home-grownMiddle Eastern terrorist.The argument that Muslims are more prone to radicalisationin Australia because it is a new country with no traditionalbase for Muslims to fall back on is exactly the reason whyMuslim terrorism instigated by Australian Muslims will nevereventuate here.In Australia, the fact that we do not have a long history ofIslamic traditions and that the Muslim community is made upfrom a wide spectrum of cultural and ideological viewpoints,makes Australia a place where difference can be toleratedand opposing groups co-exist in harmony.Australia does have one great tradition that transcends allreligious boundaries, and that is the freedom to believewhat you want and to live your life the way you want as longas you don't try to stuff it down others' throats.A great motto to live by, don't you think?
Merdeka
Its 50 years since Malaysia’s independence. Merdeka!
An achievement fought without bloodshed or civil strife. Yet 50 years on and is the Malaysian experiment with democracy a success?
Some believe that after 22 years of a Mahathir dominated government new Malaysia is hanging together like Chinese paper and fire crackers on new years eve, at anytime it could go up in flames as had happened during the race riots of 13 May1969. That is why the new Badawi led coalition has embarked on a new progressive program called Islam Hadhari.
In these very precarious times where Islamic radicalism and conservatism has cast a long shadow across the Muslim world and the West has remained at an arms length, many are asking how Islam can work in a global community which is dominated by democratic principles of freedom and liberalism.
Most look towards Turkey to pave the way for a successful model of an Islamic secular democracy but others in South East Asia are optimistic or maybe I should say hopeful to see Malaysia succeed with Islam and democracy hand in hand.
Yet as we travel through KL amidst the impressive skyline which includes the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, we meet with government officials who try to explain the benefits of Islam Hadhari.
“So what do you know about Islam Hadhari?”, I am asked.
It is very hard how to answer a question when speaking to Malaysians because it is very easy to offend if you don’t say what they want to hear. I take the middle path and say that Islam Hadhari is a very modern approach to bridging Islam with modernity.
In the words of Abdullah Badawi, “It’s a new approach adopted by the government as a complement to the agenda of developing a glorious and civilized Malaysian society.”
Malaysia has on the surface become one of South East Asia’s wealthiest states and traveling through the country you can see that Malaysia has a fluid relationship with its 9 million Chinese and another 1 million or so Indians. Economically, the Chinese have made their mark and the country is relatively harmonious.
Speak to any Malay in the streets of KL and they will tell you just how happy everyone is under Islam Hadhari. Malaysia’s official religion is Islam. Its legal system operates on two levels; Shariah court and a civil court. In general this seems to work. Those who are Malay are automatically assumed to be Muslim which is indicated on their identity cards. The shariah court deals with Muslims and the civil courts deal with the Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus. It all works out nicely until someone like Lina Joy, a Malay, comes along and wants to become a Christian.
Miss Joy met a Christian with whom she desired to marry but to do so she would require to change her status as a Muslim. This was dealt with in the civil court and she was directed to obtain a certificate of apostasy from the shariah court. It became a high profile case which could have been resolved if Miss Joy had gone to the shariah court but she has till now refused to do so.
Having two parallel systems in a society where it is not always black and white is fraught with danger. Generally speaking in the past two years there have been 16 apostasy applications and only two refusals. Whilst Malaysia does not want to admit there are many people leaving Islam, it is playing down the Lina Joy case. I speak to a Malaysian shariah court judge who says, “Changing your religion is not a simple matter, although we can issue a certificate of apostasy, we have to try to help that person in every way possible and then only and if only the applicant is beyond reconciliation with their faith we can issue a certificate and remove Islam from their identity.”
We meet with a delegation from the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) who show us a power point presentation about their view of things. Their fears are apparent, they are afraid of Islam taking hold of affairs and of losing democracy and their rights in a society which favours Malays. The MCA is an influential partner in a shaky coalition which has for many years withstood the challenges of time. But it appears that the two need each other more than ever as the Islamic Party (PAS) is gaining ground after its shock loss of the state of Terenganu. While MCA does not fully appreciate the benefits of Islam Hadhari, it prefers that to the Islamic Sharia state law advocated by PAS.
After a week of meetings and luncheons I left the country with a sense that not everything was right in the state of Malaysia but yet there was this uncanny reciprocity between Chinese pragmatism and Malay single-mindedness that was the glue between the two parties that contributes to the success of this ongoing experiment.
Kuranda Seyit is a documentary writer/director and was a part of a recent delegation to Malaysia organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Its 50 years since Malaysia’s independence. Merdeka!
An achievement fought without bloodshed or civil strife. Yet 50 years on and is the Malaysian experiment with democracy a success?
Some believe that after 22 years of a Mahathir dominated government new Malaysia is hanging together like Chinese paper and fire crackers on new years eve, at anytime it could go up in flames as had happened during the race riots of 13 May1969. That is why the new Badawi led coalition has embarked on a new progressive program called Islam Hadhari.
In these very precarious times where Islamic radicalism and conservatism has cast a long shadow across the Muslim world and the West has remained at an arms length, many are asking how Islam can work in a global community which is dominated by democratic principles of freedom and liberalism.
Most look towards Turkey to pave the way for a successful model of an Islamic secular democracy but others in South East Asia are optimistic or maybe I should say hopeful to see Malaysia succeed with Islam and democracy hand in hand.
Yet as we travel through KL amidst the impressive skyline which includes the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, we meet with government officials who try to explain the benefits of Islam Hadhari.
“So what do you know about Islam Hadhari?”, I am asked.
It is very hard how to answer a question when speaking to Malaysians because it is very easy to offend if you don’t say what they want to hear. I take the middle path and say that Islam Hadhari is a very modern approach to bridging Islam with modernity.
In the words of Abdullah Badawi, “It’s a new approach adopted by the government as a complement to the agenda of developing a glorious and civilized Malaysian society.”
Malaysia has on the surface become one of South East Asia’s wealthiest states and traveling through the country you can see that Malaysia has a fluid relationship with its 9 million Chinese and another 1 million or so Indians. Economically, the Chinese have made their mark and the country is relatively harmonious.
Speak to any Malay in the streets of KL and they will tell you just how happy everyone is under Islam Hadhari. Malaysia’s official religion is Islam. Its legal system operates on two levels; Shariah court and a civil court. In general this seems to work. Those who are Malay are automatically assumed to be Muslim which is indicated on their identity cards. The shariah court deals with Muslims and the civil courts deal with the Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs and Hindus. It all works out nicely until someone like Lina Joy, a Malay, comes along and wants to become a Christian.
Miss Joy met a Christian with whom she desired to marry but to do so she would require to change her status as a Muslim. This was dealt with in the civil court and she was directed to obtain a certificate of apostasy from the shariah court. It became a high profile case which could have been resolved if Miss Joy had gone to the shariah court but she has till now refused to do so.
Having two parallel systems in a society where it is not always black and white is fraught with danger. Generally speaking in the past two years there have been 16 apostasy applications and only two refusals. Whilst Malaysia does not want to admit there are many people leaving Islam, it is playing down the Lina Joy case. I speak to a Malaysian shariah court judge who says, “Changing your religion is not a simple matter, although we can issue a certificate of apostasy, we have to try to help that person in every way possible and then only and if only the applicant is beyond reconciliation with their faith we can issue a certificate and remove Islam from their identity.”
We meet with a delegation from the Malayan Chinese Association (MCA) who show us a power point presentation about their view of things. Their fears are apparent, they are afraid of Islam taking hold of affairs and of losing democracy and their rights in a society which favours Malays. The MCA is an influential partner in a shaky coalition which has for many years withstood the challenges of time. But it appears that the two need each other more than ever as the Islamic Party (PAS) is gaining ground after its shock loss of the state of Terenganu. While MCA does not fully appreciate the benefits of Islam Hadhari, it prefers that to the Islamic Sharia state law advocated by PAS.
After a week of meetings and luncheons I left the country with a sense that not everything was right in the state of Malaysia but yet there was this uncanny reciprocity between Chinese pragmatism and Malay single-mindedness that was the glue between the two parties that contributes to the success of this ongoing experiment.
Kuranda Seyit is a documentary writer/director and was a part of a recent delegation to Malaysia organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
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