Unfortunately racism has been raising its ugly head too much lately for comfort. There have been many rallies by bodies such as Reclaim Australia and letters to the editor, all hiding under claims that Syrian refugees and halal certification open the floodgates to terrorism and sharia law, profit terrorist organisations and will forever alter our Australian way of life. They need to be shown up for what they really are: blatant racism.
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The claims are of course also arrant nonsense, and I suspect many of the protesters don’t know what sharia law and halal certification really are.
Sharia law is the basic Islamic legal system, a body of moral and religious law derived from religious prophecy, as opposed to human legislation. It deals with many topics, including crime, politics, and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexual conduct, hygiene, diet, prayer and everyday etiquette.
Some countries apply all or a majority of the sharia code, though most countries do not recognise it. It has less chance of being introduced in Australia as I have of flying to the moon, but that doesn’t stop unscrupulous politicians engaging in dog-whistle politics by pressing the xenophobia button.
As they do with halal certification. It is not a tax designed to produce income for terrorists, as the protestors claim, but instead represents the costs incurred in producing foodstuffs in a particular way to accord with Islamic religious laws, such as the avoidance of forbidden foodstuffs such as meat from pigs or instruments contaminated by alcohol.
What protesting politicians and protestors fail to realise halal certification boosts the local market share of the companies holding it, and economically much more importantly, it massively increases their export market, thereby creating jobs for ordinary Australians.
Given these examples of racism it is pleasing to see some local efforts to combat it, beginning with the highly successful Welcome Walk a few weeks ago, followed by a number of welcome new initiatives.
Charles Sturt University (CSU), for example, has joined the 'Racism. It Stops With Me' campaign, pledging its commitment to prevent racism in the organisation and its communities, launched last Thursday.
Led by the Australian Human Rights Commission, it aims to ensure more Australians recognise that racism is unacceptable, giving people the tools and resources to take practical action, and empowering individuals to prevent and respond effectively to racism.
CSU is following this with an important public lecture by Indonesian couple Miftahul Huda and Nenden Vinna Mutira Ulfa, who travel the world presenting workshops for peace.
Their Wagga lecture is designed to promote peace and understanding amid diversity and will be held next Friday, December 4 at 6.30 pm in Lecture Theatre 208, Building 11, CSU Wagga Campus.
And as a welcome antidote to the racist stories being given so much airplay it was encouraging to see a news story in The Daily Advertiser last Friday in which councillor Kevin Poynter supported the move for an Islamic Centre in Wagga, with a headline that read “No need to fear Islamic Centre push”, and a boxed quotation reading “They make humble and quiet social and economic contributions to our city and I have seen nothing other than a commitment to living in a respectful and harmonious community”.
Way to go councillor!
