Australia: Snippet on Muslims

Sydney, Dhul Hijja 23/Mar 7 (IINA) -While Australia was established on Western patterns, it has now become multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, after waves of immigration from a number of countries, including Muslim countries, whose presence in the country goes back to about 50 years only.

While the Muslims of Australia have yet to have any influence in the political process in Australia, many have joined some of the existing political parties in the country, the majority support the Labor Party. They feel that this party "respects and takes interest" in their affairs.

However, the media have been distorting the true image of Islam and Muslims, and the community has gone through many ups and downs, because of that distortion, and is now a well-established community. It is a community comprised of 35 out of Australia’s 85 ethnic groups.

Australia’s Muslims, just like their brethren elsewhere, feel hurt when they hear, see, or learn of the vicissitudes of their brothers and sisters in other parts of the world, such as Afghanistan and Palestine, but their channels of expressing their feelings and stands are limited. They do not have even a newspaper of their own, or other media channel through which they could regularly make known to the world, and to the Australian public at large, their feelings, attitudes, and stances.

However, the Muslims of Australia have now formed the Multi-Cultural Eid Festival and Fair (MEFF), which brings together Muslims as well as non-Muslims during the festive occasions of Eid, and in that way "fosters cross-cultural and cross-religious dialogue and goodwill."

Membership of MEFF is open to all Muslims in the country, provided one has a "commitment to Islam," and it is run on a voluntary basis. New members learn about event-management techniques and community work, and also learn how build relationships with other Muslims organizations and government bodies.

It is claimed that not less than 25,000 Muslims attended last year’s Eid festival that was organized by MEFF, including 100 non-Muslim parliamentarians and government officials, and leaders of other faiths.

MEFF has published a souvenir issue of a publication that incorporates the first edition of the Green Pages Australasia 2002, which the organizers describe as "a humble attempt to develop a Multicultural Business and Resource Directory, and say that the next issue of the directory (for 2003) would be even more professionally produced.

The directory would also be posted on the MEFF Internet website, and "will offer an ever developing electronic version of a searchable database.

There are around 446,500 Muslims in Australia, out of a total population of 19,000,000, and they belong to various ethnic backgrounds, including Lebanese, Turkish, and Far Eastern.

One of the urgent needs of the Muslim community in Australia is to consolidate and unify their efforts, and a seminar for this purpose is to be held some time this year, in order to provide a forum for "key Muslim workers to meet and share their concerns and aspirations."

It would also serve a channel for briefing the Muslim activists on global and local issues affecting Muslims everywhere.

The proposed seminar would also discuss the planning of projects and programs, including educational ones, for the Muslims of Australia. These would also include studies in the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, and also consider ways and means of spreading the Message of Islam in Australia.