This story was found at:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/09/04/1031115884374.html
Ignorance, fear are turning to frightening racism
September 5 2002
The promotion of equality is too often hijacked by a hostile debate on
racism, writes Chris Puplick.
Recently you may have read in The Daily Telegraph about a gym in Lakemba
that was granted an exemption to operate for women only. This gym is
owned by a Muslim woman, and her idea was to open a gym that was
culturally sensitive to the needs of other Muslim women.
That meant that there was a prayer room, that the music was appropriate,
and that the women were able to exercise without feeling that their
modesty was jeopardised.
Given that there are 500 gyms in NSW that do not meet the needs of
Muslim women, and that this one would meet the needs of a group of women
with serious health considerations, we were able to recommend to the
Attorney-General that an exemption be granted. We have granted many
exemptions to different kinds of groups. Our concern is that people who
are being treated unequally, or who cannot enjoy facilities and services
the rest of us take for granted, will move one step closer to the level
playing field that all human rights advocates dream about.
Would the Telegraph have been as interested if the gym operated only for
older men? No, I don't think so either.
What all of this illustrates is the ease with which the real issues - in
this case the promotion of equality - can be hijacked by a debate about
racism.
The level of ignorance and fear that is manifested as racism towards the
Arabic and Islamic communities at present is particularly frightening.
These communities have borne the brunt of successive waves of opprobrium
in debates about boat people, asylum seekers and queue jumpers, the
Tampa and "children overboard", the tragedy in the Middle East, the war
on Iraq, ethnic crime - "Lebanese gangs" and "Muslim rapists" - and the
debate about responsibility for September 11.
So in this hostile, backbiting argument, we see the Lords of the Media
Dance holding the Australian Muslim community as answerable for the
actions for Muslims worldwide.
Alan Jones derides the Muslim community for not commenting on the
stoning of a woman in Nigeria. Yet I have never heard Jones demand that
our American community come forth to protest against the death penalty
whenever it is applied in the United States.
Complaints about racial vilification to the Anti-Discrimination Board
have increased over the past year. These complaints are verbal and
physical abuse and, sadly, Muslim women who choose to wear the scarf are
obvious targets. As horrendous as this is, is it really surprising,
given the level of hostility towards Muslims in the media on an almost
daily basis?
Under the anti-discrimination act, it is unlawful to discriminate
against a person on the basis of their race, or to incite hatred through
a public act against a person or persons on the basis of their race.
However, the definition of ethno-religion as stated in the act is
proving to be a thorn in our side. Unlike all other states and
territories except South Australia, it is not unlawful in NSW to
discriminate against someone on the basis of religion. You cannot,
however, discriminate against someone on the basis of so-called
"ethno-religion".
The case of Khan v Corrective Services is still bouncing around before
the courts because it cannot be decided whether Khan, a Muslim, was the
victim of discrimination when the Junee prison refused to serve him
halal food.
This is based on the tribunal's failure to properly decipher exactly
what ethno-religion means - and little wonder, since none of us really
knows and since the term is unique in law. It does include Jews and
Sikhs, but it is still unclear whether it includes Muslims.
Furthermore, the act does not allow complaints to be initiated by the
president of the Anti-Discrimination Board. So, when I hear countless
stories of race discrimination and vilification, I am powerless to help
because I cannot make a complaint on behalf of the defamed party.
Of course, at the end of the day, racism (like any of the other great
social evils of our society) needs to be combated by a combination of
education and leadership. The extent to which racism flourishes is a sad
indictment on the failure of so many of our leaders to discharge their
moral and social responsibilities.
Chris Puplick is the president of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board.
This is an edited version of a speech he gave at the Anti-Racism Forum
at the University of Sydney yesterday.
--
--
Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/
Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop
Sub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink
Unsub: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
