:chairshot: I would have seriously hit that cameraman
Hey NPRacism is just below the surface in Australia. However most Australian are quite nice. I haven't had much contact with Racist trash but there are quite a few. Every time I feel offended i confront them. If someone makes a bad comment about my religion, background or subcontinent, I start talking about their ancestors (convicts) just to piss them off. Australia is going to be Asian country soon hopefully. But I have found people here to be quite anti Muslims. People start talking about Muslims openly when they know that i am Hindu.
1) They believe Muslims (Arabs ) are burden to the society.
2) They believe Muslim man don't let their wife to work and produce 3-4 children and live in government grant (they drain centre link).
3) They believe Muslims are involved in crime and terrorism. Once a gentleman told me 80% of inmates in NSW jails are Muslims.
4) When i first arrived here I wanted to live in bankstown as the rents were very cheap ad close to the city. But my co-workers advised me not to do that. they said that places like banks town are like Muslim ghetto, there is large number of Muslims, lots of crime, drugs etc. It would be very unsafe. Cheapest suburbs in NSW are the ones where there is large number of Muslim population.
I don't know if any of their feeling are based on realities. But this is how many of them think. People who abuse Muslims abuse Hindus too (they abuse everyone). There have been lots of attack on Indians recently. When I say Muslims above i meant basically Lebanese who are in large numbers in NSW. Lifestyle of most Muslims, Hindus or Sikhs from subcontinent are similar, they all consider and treat us as INDIANS (ouch).
I had a very nice friend from Lebanon, she used to wear hijab. She used to tell me horrifying tale of abuse in local transport or on the street when she was alone. People used to shout at her, call her terrorist, prostitute. Some old lady spit on her once once. People tried to feel her on tightly packed office hour trains. I told her to take off hijab in such situations but she was very reluctant may be because of her father. Muslim men have it easy, it is Muslim women who have to face these things.
Clarification to all the above@Nepali pandit,
suprised,though u told on this forum that u r educated but unfortunately your remarks represent tipical ignorant woman who usually talks same like u ,without providing any authentic reports or records on the muslims that u can say r only one large community living on govt grants and on that muslim majority who are in NSW jails,your source of information is ( they say and u believe) .
dear this is serious discussion forum not your neighbourhood wall,so talk responsibly with proper source of information, I'm also surprised that how that area of drugs n crimes is left from the eyes of media ,when it belong to muslims.
That was the media projection and you believed blindly, thats so unfortunate.No offense intended, but, the fact that several bombing plots etc. that have been uncovered in the Western countries including Australia, do effect the image of the religion and community negatively...
To be very honest, I don't think so, you need to get involved in a issue, in which your level of knowledge is below the level, first get to know, who is actually practicing, then you will come to know the secrets of their own wish to observe that decent dress.
Clarification to all the above
Regarding the claims:
Either my English is really bad or I am really bad at explaining myself. What I told above is what people start talking after few drinks in OZ. I listen these comments again and again. I never said that is what I think. I just wanted to explain why they behaved rudely with the father of that boy and Muslims in general. Because people here are prejudiced and influence with these kinds of negative information. This was the same information I was bombarded with when i first arrived here. As time passed, i found that they are just like us. There are some scumbags in any community. I don't believe these comments and i always debate with them. I believe Muslims to be equally hard working people. I might not be as educated as you but i am not stupid. If someone talks bad about Muslims behind their back, he will also speak bad about Hindus behind my back. My personal belief is you can't generalize more that 10 people, if you do you that in negative way you are racist. Why are you asking proof of something i don't believe?
Regarding my friend's hijab issue:
I don't like women wearing burkha, I think wearing hijab is fine and i think some women look really good in hijab. I believe putting demands on women's clothing is against women rights and i feel strongly on this issue. Only thing I didn't like was why my friend was allowed to wear hijab knowing she face this kind of intimidation (especially during cronulla riots), while her husband was enjoying his life in the sea in western clothing?
I do believe you brother, what I wrote was my observation, what you are defining is your experience, which can't be challenged. Hope and pray you will be the main reason there to spread teaching of Islam@abbasiali, brother, there are indeed problems for Muslims in many western countries, but you are not right about New Zealand. I am living here for more than 2 years and have never encountered any racism. There is a large Muslim population in New Zealand from all over the world even though it is small country. But in general people here are really nice and don't have any negative stereotypes about Muslims. There are exceptions everywhere, but in general, Muslims are in a very good state in New Zealand.