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Ismaع CD Audio (Complete)

This audio report describes the Ismaع project and shares some of the experiences and ideas that people raised throughout the project.

The Ismaع Audio Report has been broken up into the following sections to ensure that the resource is easy to download:

Ordering the Ismaع Audio CD

The Ismaع Audio CD can be ordered from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's Publications Unit.

The Publications Order Form is available here in Word IconWord Format and PDF IconPDF Format.

Contact the Publications Unit

Alternatively, contact the HREOC Publications Unit via the Publications Homepage, on Tel: 02 9284 9672 or via email: publications@humanrights.gov.au for further information on ordering your copy of the report.

Establishment of the project

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Consultation excerpts: "Out there people think if you don't conform, why should you be here; why don't you just pack your bag? These are attitudes that come out all the time. Now when does this become racial discrimination? How do we cope with that? And we are being told to go back to somewhere we have never been or seen. Imagine being told you are not welcome to the only place you have ever known. That is what is happening." - Teenage girl

"After September 11, it felt like our home – and Australia has been my home for all my life and definitely all of my children’s life – was not our home anymore. I started feeling more like a foreigner. - Older woman

Narration: "Ismaع means ‘listen’ in Arabic.

It’s also the name of an important project that the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has recently undertaken with Arab and Muslim Australians around the country.

Ismaع describes what the Commission has been doing over the last year – ‘listening’ to Arab and Muslim Australians and their experiences of discrimination and abuse in recent times.

This audio report will tell you about the Ismaع project and the experiences and issues that people raised in consultations with the Commission.

It will also look at some of the steps that community groups and local, state and federal governments are taking to address discrimination and abuse, as well as some other important long-term strategies that the Commission has asked the federal Government to consider.

Dr William Jonas, the acting federal Race Discrimination Commissioner, explains why the Ismaع project was established."

Bill Jonas: "Well after those awful attacks in New York in September 2001, we’d heard that there were attacks and racial vilification occurring here towards Arab and Muslim people.

We were hearing it from a number of sources and yet complaints were not coming in from people who were the subject of racial vilification.

So what we wanted to do was reach out to people and actually find out what was going on. We wanted to get a handle on the sort of attacks on Arabs and Muslims that we were hearing about and on the racial vilification that people were experiencing.

And we wanted to talk to the communities and hear what they thought might be strategies which would help us, particularly in the long run, overcome racial vilification towards Arab and Muslim people."

Narration: "The Ismaع project had three major components.

The first was the community consultations, which were an opportunity to listen to the experiences of Arab and Muslim Australians and their ideas on how to tackle discrimination and harassment.

The second part was an independent research project the Commission asked the Centre for Cultural Research at the University of Western Sydney to conduct. This involved a survey and follow up interviews to learn more about Arab and Muslim Australian’s responses to discrimination and their experiences and understanding of complaints processes.

The third part of the project was to put together a list of all the strategies currently being taken by government and non-government groups to counter anti-Arab and anti-Muslim discrimination and abuse. This list is on the Commission’s website.

The Ismaع project was supported by a reference group with representatives from across Australia, including Arab and Muslim community organisations, government agencies, education, the police and the media.

As the name implies, the aim of the Ismaع project was to listen to the thoughts and experiences of people in the community.

That’s why the Commission made sure that the community consultations reflected the diversity of Arab and Muslim Australians. Omeima Sukkarieh, the Commission’s Community Liaison Officer, explains."

Omeima Sukkarieh: "The consultation process was very extensive and we had approximately 1400 people participate in about 70 consultations, in all states and territories, between April and November 2003.

The consultations varied considerably in both numbers and diversity, and some meetings were as intimate as three people, and some consultations were as large as 250.

The most complex and difficult aspect of planning the consultations was to capture the opinions of the wide variety of ethnic and religious groups to reflect the diversity of Australian Muslims and Australian Arabs.

When consulting Australian Muslims, for example, care was taken to include Muslims from a variety of ethnic backgrounds including Lebanese, Turkish, Afghani, Bosnian, Turkish, Indonesian, Iraqi, Bangladeshi, Iranian and Fijian.

Care was also taken with Australian Arabs, to include Arabs of a variety of religious backgrounds.

Consultations involved group discussions on the three broad questions posed by the Commission.

The first one – have you experienced discrimination and, if so, what were your experiences? Second – what is being done to fight anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice and discrimination? And the third question, what more could be done to fight anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice and discrimination?

And while most consultations were conducted in English, I conducted quite a few consultations in Arabic. Eritrean, Dari, Farsi, Pashtu, Bosnian and Albanian interpreters were also used for other consultations."

Experiences of prejudice

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Narration: "During the consultations, many people told the Commission about personal experiences of discrimination and abuse – including experiences at school, on public transport, at work or in public places.

Many said they felt parts of the media created and perpetuated a negative stereotype of Arab and Muslim Australians – a view which coloured the perception of other Australians.

Refugees felt particularly discriminated against in accessing services.

Young Arab men said they felt unfairly targeted by police. And women said they were often abused on the streets and in shops, particularly women who wear the hijab.

Consultation excerpts "My Aunty was walking on the street in Granville and this guy drives past in his car and threw stones at her and she fell to the ground and was lying on the ground and after a while a stranger came by and then she was taken to hospital. That happened right after September 11 and till this day she is afraid of leaving the house. It’s scary because you don’t expect to get stones thrown at you, especially at Granville, and she’s not a Muslim either… " - Young woman

"I was shopping at Kogarah in the centre and someone threw eggs at me, spat at me and took my veil off. Who was there to help?" - Woman

"I was working for a law firm in the city, and obviously I am going to notice it a lot more because I have just started wearing the hijab and I was called a terrorist by some men in business suits which was not expected. It totally shocked me." - Young woman

"Around the footy club, humour is very important. But sometimes, you know, it can get to you. I was playing with my brother and they started calling us ‘the bombers’. Or they’ll go in hard in a tackle and call you a ‘dirty Arab’ or a ‘terrorist’." - Young man

"Cops stop me and defect my car and it’s not because my car is in bad condition but it’s a hotted up car and it’s a target for cops … nice car with an Arab driving it." - Young man

"I’m hesitant to say I’ve experienced discrimination but when I was looking for a job my resume said I spoke Arabic. I didn’t get one interview. Then we I took this off my resume I got four interviews. It might have been a coincidence." - Young man

"Look, what I get quite often is ‘ah really you don’t look like a Muslim’ and I’m like ‘ah what does a Muslim look like? Do we have an extra arm? Or like a couple of horns coming out?’" - Woman

Impact of prejudice

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Narration: "More than 90% of people who responded to the University of Western Sydney survey felt that their communities had been exposed to more racism, abuse or violence since the attacks in the USA on September 11, 2001.

And more than 75% felt fearful that they were now personally at risk of harm or abuse because of their race, culture or religion.

These fears obviously have a big effect on what people do, where they go and whether or not they feel safe. It also has a big effect on how people feel about themselves.

People told the Commission how this recent wave of discrimination and abuse had made significant changes in their lives."

Consultation excerpts: "We are citizens of Australia not strangers. We just want security because we are not feeling safe or secure at all. We walk in the street and we are afraid; we go into train stations and we are afraid; wherever we go we are afraid" - Older woman

"I leave it in the hands of God and go out because I’m not going to imprison and lock myself up at home." - Woman

"Everywhere you go and you have a new encounter with somebody new, 60% to 70% of your energy is putting in extra energy and effort to justify yourself. I can speak English; I am the most articulate person in the room; I am so well presented; I am educated; I am all this stuff. Why should you have to do that? You just can't concentrate on what you are there to do which is look for a job or study or whatever it is. You get sick of it." - Young woman

"Sometimes my son, he is 17, he likes to go out with his friends, and he’d say ‘Mum, drop me off at Liverpool’. And I tend to hide myself so they don’t know that he is coming out of a Muslim person’s car and they’d get him around the corner and do something to him. So I am self-conscious in that respect." - Woman

"My children see the world from the detention centre and now from this; from their experiences of discrimination outside the detention centre. It is not the world anyone would want their children to see." - Man

"You become … well, you’re self worth is not as much and you say ‘I should be grateful that I have been accepted here and that they’re letting me stay here." - Man

"The ‘fair go’ motto we always believed in has been replaced with the ‘fear go’... Minorities are being made to feel grateful for the right to practice their own culture; for being tolerated. Equity and fairness are rights; they are not privileges …" - Man

Positive experiences

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Narration: "However, despite many negative experiences, Arab and Muslim Australians also said that things weren’t all bad.

Many said that it had given them an opportunity to answer questions about their background and their religion.

Others said they had received support and help from non-Arabs and non-Muslims in the community."

Consultation excerpts: "I had a really positive response from people … I used to do the mad rush at home every lunch hour to pray and one of my bosses said to me one day ‘come and have lunch’ and I said ‘no I’ve got to go home got to pray’ and he said “what do you do when you pray”. ‘I got to wash I got to pray do this do that.’ He said ‘do it here’. I said ‘can I?’ He said, ‘yeah go in the conference room - and if anyone says anything tell them to come and see me." - Woman

"I have also had good experiences. Not long after Bali, a colleague came up to me and said ‘Salam alaykum. Happy Eid!’ I said ‘thanks’. He said ‘I know your Eid’. That felt good." - Man

"We recently had to choose the Prefects and there were about 12 to 15 of them to choose from and we had a whole range of people from different religions and cultures. It was great." - Girl

Strategies to address prejudice

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Narration: "The Commission also asked people to suggest steps that could be taken now and in the future – to address discrimination and abuse against Arab and Mulsim Australians.

A common theme was education – in particular, the need to share clear, accurate information about Islam and about Arab culture and history."

Consultation excerpts: "Unless you educate people, you’re always going to have racism." - Man

"I think we also need to be very diverse about how we promote Islam to the mainstream community too. We need to present Muslim women as ‘Muhajabine’ [Veiled], not wearing the hijab, Anglo, African, Asian, Indian, non-Arab, different styles of dress, different styles of adornment, different styles of behaviour and practice and tradition … We need to encourage respect for diversity in the Islamic community and this will lead to greater solidarity." - Young woman

"There is a whole body of the police and a whole body in the community who don’t know much about each other and probably don’t trust each other yet. Hopefully we can build those bridges – it will take time." - Man

"At Kuraby mosque the other day I was driving past and I saw a big Catholic school bus full of males and females and they were being shown the Kuraby mosque. So things are already in process. I’m pretty sure that the view those kids had before they went into the mosque was different and then they think ‘wait a minute, this is not a place that harbours terrorism; this is a peaceful place’. It breaks down the barriers.” - Young man

"We need strategies to rebuild self-confidence in young people for whom ‘Muslim’ and ‘Arab’ have become a dirty word." - Man

"I think it’s important to educate people – young people and older people – to think about the media critically." - Woman

"I think the solution is in our hands. We blame the government, and they are partly to blame, but we have to take a step back, educate ourselves and be able to educate the community." - Older woman

"Federal and state laws need to be amended to include religious vilification of Muslims in order for complaints and the issue to be taken seriously by the Arabic, Islamic and wider community." - Woman

"We need to move beyond a discussion of us and them and come together around a common goal. This commonality needs to be built by having an open, frank discussion." - Man

Commission recommendations

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Narration: "After holding around 70 consultations around Australia, the Commission made a record of everything it heard. Summaries of consultations were placed on the Commission’s website.

The Commission has also outlined a number of long-term strategies to eliminate discrimination and abuse, particularly those based on a person’s religion.

Acting Race Discrimination Commissioner William Jonas explains"

Bill Jonas: "We need to ensure that Arab and Muslim Australians have adequate legal protection from discrimination and knowledge of and access to complaints processes – that’s vital. So a number of our recommendations aim to enable and encourage Arab and Muslim Australians to report incidents of discrimination and vilification.

This includes providing federal legal protection against discrimination or vilification because of religion. Currently, there is only piecemeal coverage of religious discrimination and vilification across the states and territories. A federal law will mean there is a national ‘safety net’. protecting everyone around the country from religious discrimination or vilification.

We also think it’s important to encourage anti-discrimination agencies, like the Commission, to work closely with Arab and Muslim communities to increase their knowledge about anti-discrimination laws and complaints processes.

Addressing the longer-term prejudices that lead to discrimination and vilification is also a priority.

Strong and effective leadership at a local, state, federal and at a community level is essential in providing support to the community and there is a role for everybody - government institutions, media, service providers and Arab and Muslim community organisations and individuals, all working together to eliminate prejudice against Arab and Muslim Australians. "

Narration: "If you’d like to find out more about the Ismaع project, you can find a full copy of the Commission’s report at www.humanrights.gov.au.

Or you can call the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission during business hours for a free copy on 02 9284 9600

If you want more information about lodging a complaint of discrimination or harassment, you can call the Commission’s Complaint Infoline on 1300 656 419."

Consultation excerpts: "I was questioned once about whether or not I consider myself to be Australian. I said yes and the lady asked me ‘Then why do you wear that scarf?’ I said ‘Because I am also Muslim and when you see me this is what you see. I am Australian but I am also Muslim and Arabic speaking and this is who I am. I am still me; I can’t put one of them aside because if I do then it’s not me anymore.” - Woman

"Australia is our family and we have embraced it like everyone else. We have lived here more than we have lived in our countries of birth. Australia has become our ‘wattan’ (homeland) and our children were born and grew up here. I teach my children to be friends with everyone." - Old man

"And I really feel that we should be equal - it shouldn’t matter where we come from, our religion, or what nation or background we come from. We should all feel equal and we should all feel proud to be Australian." - Man

Acknowledgments

Music: Joseph Tawadros; ‘Bright Light’, ‘Nahawand Improvisation’, and ‘Waltzing Matilda by Egyptian Ensemble’
Narration: John Doyle (English), Saleh Saqqaf (Arabic)
Production: Life Story Productions; www.lifestory.com.auThe Commission’s sincere thanks are extended to everyone who generously gave their time and effort to contribute to the audio report.

Quotes

All quotes used in the audio report are taken from Ismaع consultations and interviews and are included with permission. Voice overs were used for all quotes.

Copyright

Radio stations and other media outlets are welcome to download these files for broadcast.

You may not make alterations or additions to the material on this site, sell it, or misappropriate it. The Commission permits and encourages reproduction provided it is accurate and acknowledged.

 

Last updated 16 June 2004.