Give all a fair go

AS an international student studying for more than four years and sponsored by my government, I am deeply saddened by Mike Ward’s comments in his letter headlined “Show backbone” (Canning Times, February 23).

I came to Australia to learn and experience the friendly and diverse culture. It has been a learning experience for my entire family. My scholarship is bringing funds to the university I’m studying at and I spend money on accommodation, shopping, holidays and much more in Australia.

So I don’t understand why I can’t have a place to pray or why because I wear a scarf that I get looked at with disgust sometimes.

I can’t understand why my daughter is mocked because she thinks the scarf with all its patterns and colours is pretty, or why my husband is abused because he has a beard… the list goes on.

I have met some wonderful people in Australia and still think that the open-minded people outnumber the rest.

I don’t want to change your country, but why can’t Muslims contribute?

At the end of the day I will leave to return to my country with whatever memories I have, but what about the thousands of Muslims who now “call Australia home”? I wonder what their future is like.

Muslims do not belong to a certain country; we are universal and there are good and bad in every group of people.

I believe that prominently Muslim countries do show consideration to other faiths. In all the Muslim countries I know of, there are public holidays for other faiths, which the Muslims do not have the right to and need to go to work while their fellow citizens enjoy the day to celebrate their beliefs.

This does not exist here, and I can understand the difficulties in applying this as there are so many different faiths here in Australia; it would be a nightmare to manage.

I can go on and on, but my point is every family wants to live and let live. We are all human and have the same dreams, aspirations, problems and heartaches.

On a brighter note, I did have lamb on Australia Day and the family went to watch the fireworks. For the past couple of years we have been going to the Royal Show and we all cheered for Australia in the Winter Olympics. We were ecstatic when Torah Bright took gold.

So advance Australia fair.

What everyone else is thinking

Ron Oommen

06/04/2010

While I agree with the general point of the letter, I would like to comment on the statement that "...prominently Muslim countries do show consideration to other faiths".

I beg to differ.

Ask Christians or Hindus living in Saudi Arabia, or even 'cosmopolitan' Dubai whether they have the right to freely associate for religious gatherings? In Saudi Arabia, two Christian families meeting in a private home to pray in private is banned. Which Christian feast or holiday is officially celebrated there? In Dubai, one single compound is 'approved' for all churches to use...tolerant indeed.

Shall I mention the Ba'ahais in Iran? Or Christians and Hindus in Pakistan? How about the Copts in Egypt?

I think the writer fails to acknowledge that 'prominently Muslim countries', as she puts it actually do actively discriminate against people of other faiths.

The sentiment expressed in your last paragraph is admirable, but being economical with the truth is not.

Gerry Georgatos

09/03/2010

That's a poignant and beautiful letter and it eloquently captures the reality of systemic ignorance and prejudice that underwrites some of the racist views and apothegms that are still manifest in this country. In the end the fact that we have multicultural societies does not mean that we have achieved an effective inter cultural experience. Rather than time eroding the characteristics of our many cultures into the those of the dominate culture we would benefit from inter cultural education.

No one person, nor any one culture owns the ways of the world. We all for a short time guests, and we should focus on our engagement with another in positive ways rather than divesting our energies with dissociation.