Australia was once known for having spoken languages in roughly 250 groups, yet you wouldn’t know its diversity among some of the people today. The Taliban Tarts and the Burka Babes have taken to the streets of Australia with their normal anti-Islam propaganda, denouncing any diversity within “their Australia”.
The antagonists dress in Islamic clothing and spread falsehoods about Islam, trying to strike fear and division among the people. One can feel the hate in their Mickey Mouse tuned chants as non-Muslim women dressing in Burqas with signs to further confuse, scare, and mislead people about Islam. Adding to that, you have far-right politician Pauline Henson, who wore a face veil in parliament as part of her advertisement to ban the Islamic face veil. Her actions were met with backlash by those who found her actions unbecoming of a politician elected to speak for all Australians. Politicians lashed back at their displeasure with her “antics” and Islamophobia, which only further continuing to promote hate and fear. So, do Australians have a reason to be Anti-Islam? Being an individual who use to fear Islam and had distrust for those that followed it, I think no.
What do groups like these and politicians like Henson seek to gain from these ridiculous actions? They seek to keep Muslims out of “their Australia by attacking leaders who promote unity and diversity within the Australian population. They speak of wanting to have honest and real conversations but fail to follow through with their demands. Facebook group “Ban the Cockburn Mega Mosque” continues to ask questions to Muslims yet blocks, deletes, or calls any response that is not hate filled as “lies”. We reached out to the page to see what their response was. They stated: “What we won’t do, is waste time debating whether Islam is a religion of peace… We will never see Islam as anything other than what it is. A totalitarian ideology.” They further went on to say, “Islam is a totalitarian ideology incompatible with any democratic society. We’ve made no secret of our ant Islam stance… Ahmadiyya, Sunni, or Shia; whatever your sect of Islam: we don’t want your data here.”
These Islamophobia groups fail to see and listen to what true Islam teaches. So, can Islam coexist in Australia? The answer to that question can be found within Islam’s teachings. Islam promotes and teaches that one must have loyalty to the country which provides for them. Any Muslim living in Australia must possess this loyalty to be following the teachings. Islam further teaches that one must adhere to the laws of the land. If Muslims do not agree with the laws, if they restrict their ability to live life by the values, guidelines, and God sent morals, then one must use one’s voice and/or pens to speak out in a peaceful way. Islam does not promote, nor advocate, violence for such things. This is against all teachings.
What is it that Australians are finding so bad about Islam? Many studies have shown, in the Anti-Islam groups, that the main concerns are facial veils, overcrowding number of Muslims making them less a minority, violence, and terrorism. The issues are unfounded as studies will show more advantages with growth of mosques and Muslims within a community. With growth comes doctors, lawyers, engineers, and many other professions, crime rate decreases with the Muslim population in many areas, and moral practices increase. The cleanliness will also increase as this is another teaching within the Quran. Facial veils, worn by many Muslim women are done for modesty and are more likely to cause no issues at all when asked to be checked by security. Humanitarian work should increase as well among the Muslim population. There are always the questions of those few extremists within the religion. This is a valid concern for all to worry about. In every religion, you will find those who do not follow the teachings and do things against the its teachings and practices. We must remember that what we see in the media by these extremists are not the teaching and go against everything the Quran teaches and many wrongly conflate cultural and religious actions. If we look at Saudi Arabia, a Muslim majority, we will see that there is much cultural spin on the land and its law that are not what Islam teaches. If we continue to look at the bigger picture, we will see that Islamic Extremists rate very low percentage wise compared to others. Islamic Extremists make up only six (6) percent in most studies, some studies show an even lower percentage, in violence and terrorism. Any form of violence is not tolerated and should be handled by the local law enforcement and the country’s security, regardless of background. Muslims, and all humanity, should know that it is important to always speak up if you see an injustice or threat. The chart below shows some of the results found in a recent study.
The core basic teachings of Islam would protect the people around them, Muslim or non-Muslim. I would encourage everyone to reach out to a practicing Muslim and speak to them, ask questions, and get to know them. Many Muslims around the world have started offering dialogue and coffee to those around them. This is a great way to learn what they believe, practice, and adhere to. What is the worst that can happen over a cup of coffee?
In the world today, we have lost the desire to know our neighbors and to promote diversity. Australia use to be known for this diversity and openness. Where has the love of the Aussies gone when it comes to their Islamic brothers and sisters and how can we get this back? The simplest answer is to just talk to those Muslims around you. Stop living in fear or discourse for the neighbors you don’t know. Stop letting the media or Islamophobic groups tell you what we believe. We can all learn something from each other. Let us take this time to share a bit of ourselves over coffee. Trueislam.com is a great website to get information, get connected to a local Muslim, become a #MuslimAlly, or reach out to your local Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Mosque. Don’t let the Taliban Tarts, Burka Babes, or politicians like Pauline Henson scare you with their anti-Islam propaganda while destroying the love and diversity in Australia. Now is the time to open your hearts and learn about your brothers and sisters around you, build bridges of unity and love, and see that Australia can once again be the home of diversity and growth.