Not too long ago, a stereotype existed about Australians, especially in London, where many spent a year or two on a pilgrimage to the then “mother country”.
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We were characterised as aggressive, boorish and perpetually drunk. Many of us were rightfully aggrieved at the way the poms tarred us with the same dismissive brush. Sure, some of us were obnoxious but the vast majority of us weren’t.
Still, until the 1980s when the stereotype finally began to fade, it was hurtful and frustrating to be labelled one of those “dreadful Awestralians” by our British cousins.
So imagine what it’s like for those in our Muslim community who every day endure much more cutting and ignorant stereotyping and routinely viewed through the distorting prisms of of terrorism and national security.
Imagine how it felt on Thursday when Pauline Hanson capitalised on the London attack to push her agenda of a ban on Muslim immigration, effectively helping the terrorists achieve one of their goals: to create fear, division and mistrust.
Just as Australians are not all the same, nor are Muslims. The radical Islamists peddling violence and barbarity are a tiny minority.
Let’s join Hala and Hayley Kelloway, who want to lift the veil on some facts about Islam at the inaugural Illawarra Peace, Coffee and Conversations event in Bulli next Friday.
Most Muslims do not live in the Middle East. Indonesia has the world’s largest population of Muslims; it is also one of the world’s largest democracies.
There are two main strands of Islam: Shia and Sunni. Sikhs, who also wear turbans, are not Muslims.
Islam comes from the same Abrahamic branch of religion as Christianity. It recognises Abraham, Gabriel, Moses and Jesus as prophets.
In some Muslim societies it is customary for women to wear a hijab (head scarf), niqab (partial face covering) or burqa (full covering with a mesh veil over the eyes) but not all insist on it.
We are sure Hala and Hayley will go into this further when they break down some of the misconceptions about their faith at the coming event.
One fact we hope gets aired is this: most victims of Islamist terrorism are Muslims. Consequently, the vast majority of Muslims, like us, want an end to terrorism.
