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Racism
is not all one way It's a pity it doesn't
then ask the obvious question in its new report, Last Resort?: Is it wise for a largely Christian land to let in
people who hate Christians and other non-Muslims? Let's be clear: Many
Muslims in fact get along fine with Christians, Jews and others. Not all
asylum seekers are racist. But now let me quote from
HREOC's report on its inquiry into children in our
detention centres. A Last Resort? cites
many witnesses who confirm that Muslims in most detention centres
have persecuted Christians and Sabian Mandaeans, people of a Middle Eastern faith that borrows
from Christianity. In three centres, the persecution was so bad that non-Muslims had
to be given protection. For instance, A Last
Resort? notes: "A Christian mother reported
to the South Australian child protection agency that she was persecuted by
Muslims in the detention centre because of her religious beliefs. "They view her as
unclean and she was assaulted by a Muslim detainee when she tried to pass
food to him while she was working in the detention centre kitchen." A Last Resort? continues:
"When the Inquiry visited Curtin, Port Hedland
and Woomera, Sabian Mandaean families complained about their treatment at the
hands of some Muslim detainees housed in the same compounds. "As well as physical
assaults, Sabian Mandaean
families complained of verbal abuse (being called 'untouchable' and
'unclean')." A priest said Sabian Mandaean children at Woomera "are constantly subjected to verbal
harassment by both adults and peers . . . "It is not uncommon
for the Muslim child to be instructed by his or her parents to inform the (Mandaean) child that the (Mandaean)
is not to touch the Muslim, nor to share food, or to be in any sort of
contact." In Woomera,
one mother said she tried to fit in with Muslim families, but "she and
her children felt so harassed that (the centre's
staff) eventually moved them to a different compound for their own
safety". "The family report
that the children are called names, pushed around and taunted. The parents
are not accepted by 'social groups' in camp because they are considered
'dirty, unclean because (they) aren't Muslim'. Other detainees won't eat with
the family in the shared food hall." Sabian Mandaeans
in Port Hedland also "agreed to be housed
separately because the situation became dangerous". As the Sabian Mandaean Association
told HREOC: "They were threatened with death, basically." In Baxter, the
Immigration Department had to move 12 families from "minority
religions" to a separate compound. "Some families
stated that they felt safe for the first time," HREOC said. Meanwhile, the Lebanese
Muslim Association, whose boss is the spokesman for the Grand Mufti of
Australia, objected to Christian priests converting Muslims in detention centres. How dare Christians interfere with "the
preservation of (Muslims') original religion and culture"? After telling us this and
much more, A Last Resort? suggests some solutions - perhaps
"educational programs for children on the importance of tolerance"
or "training for detainees and staff setting out how to treat people of
different religions and the consequences of the failure to do so under
Australian law". Good Lord, is that all
the protection we can hope for as we let in people with such intolerance of
non-believers? Now that we're importing this hatred, can HREOC urgently
investigate the rights of Australians to protect our open culture and
easy-going ways?
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