Re: [IslamCity] How it feels to be an outsider in Australia

Tue, 27 Dec 2005 18:29:13 -0800

A.A
thanks for the e-mail. Ws khan sab
 


[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
How it feels to be an outsider
By LOUISE PEMBLE
13nov05
TO walk around Perth dressed as a Muslim is to be treated as an outsider in your own town.
In a week of allegations that Muslims were plotting a terrorist attack in Australia, I donned full Islamic garb and walked through the city to gauge public reaction.
Would people see me as a harmless shopper, or would they suspect I was hiding a bomb under my clothes?
My mission was to test tolerance towards Muslims by dressing as one for the day.
I had the full support of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, whose president, Ameer Ali, viewed it as a chance to highlight some of the issues faced by Australia's Muslims.
I visited shops and cafes in Forrest Chase, Northbridge and Hay St Mall, before catching a bus and train.
I was surprised at how accepting younger people were, suggesting that Perth may be able to shrug off racism.

But I wasn't prepared for the hostility from older Australians. The first cheap shot came from an elderly woman walking through Forrest Chase. "Stupid woman," she hissed at her mate as they passed me.
Later, as I was waiting at the crosswalk outside Perth railway station, a woman in her 60s saw me standing beside her and said to her companion: "Move away from the bomber."
With the help of Perth's Muslim community, I was fitted in black trousers, a long black dress called an abya, a headscarf (hijab) and a facepiece (niqab).
My eyes were the only visible part of my body.
I chose the facepiece because I wanted to test its impact on others, but my Muslim adviser told me it was up to individuals to decide whether they wore just a headscarf or covered their entire face.
My senses were on high alert the minute I stepped out of The Sunday Times building.
Most people did a double take on seeing me and then either gave me a hostile stare or – in the case of several young women – smiled encouragingly.
It soon became obvious that many people thought I was dressed this way as an act of defiance. In their view, I was snubbing my nose at the anti-Muslim feeling said to be running high in the Australian community.
I had heard of Muslim women being spat at and abused. One woman even had her headscarf torn from her head at Carousel Shopping Centre.
In the morning, I was accompanied by a Muslim woman wearing the headscarf, but not the facepiece that I wore. In our two hours of walking around the city we were twice subjected to vilification.
"Imagine how this must affect you if it happened every time you left your house," she said.
It was then I realised how much we take for granted our right to feel safe in our own community and how people take only seconds to decide if you are friend or enemy.
But for every snide remark and hostile stare, I was surprised by the extra respect I was shown by young men and women.
Every shopkeeper I approached was much more polite than I had experienced when dressed in my usual clothes.
And on a train, where I feared I might be regarded as a suicide bomber, I was twice offered a seat. It was a similar story on a bus, which was standing-room only.
By this stage I had removed the niqab so that my face was showing – but nothing else. This seemed to ease some of the tension I had sensed earlier in the day.
Back at the office, workmates asked me how uncomfortable I had been walking around Perth in my Muslim clothes.
The icy stares on the street had forced me for the first time in my life to be wary of anyone who came near me.
Of all the garments I wore, the facepiece caused the most discomfort. With it positioned just under my eyes, I found it difficult to look straight down.
It also made drinking a juice in a city cafe a challenge.
On the plus side, I found being hidden under all those garments surprisingly liberating. For the first time I was able to walk down the street without the usual scrutiny of my figure, face and hair.
On the downside, dressing as a Muslim woman showed me how it feels to leave home every day unsure of your own safety.
Comment:
Following Islam in the west is such a hard test and reminds me of the Hadith of muhammed Saw " a day will come when holding onto Islam will be like holding onto a hot peice of metal".Despite it being hard millions of Muslims living in the west still hold onto the Islamic values and dress code.But sadly a lot of muslims follow the principle of if you cant beat them then join them and follow the western way of life.Some even say "when in Rome do as the Romans", forgetting that Rome fell into hell and was destroyed.
Also we can see that while the west oppresses its women by manipualting them into wearing as little as possible and calling it liberation.Islam truly liberates women and recognises and respects them for their mind and not their physical appearence.
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)

{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]

The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise.

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