Handful holds community to ransom

Australians cherish, comes with a price.

PAWAN LUTHRA

In Australia’s multicultural community there is no place for violence as seen in Sydney recently, when a handful of protestors clashed with the police in Hyde Park. The demonstrators had gathered in protest against a low grade US film about the Prophet Muhammad. The seemingly peaceful demonstration turned ugly, and the images from there have shocked us all. Mainstream Australians particularly, grappled with what they saw in a park well known for its symbolism to the country’s contribution to keeping the world free of tyranny and oppression.

To note, at Hyde’s Park’s southern end is the ANZAC War Memorial. Its domed ceiling is decorated with 120,000 gold stars - one for each of NSW’s military volunteers during World War I. The main feature internally is a bronze sculpture of a young deceased soldier, held aloft on his shield by three female figures, representing his mother, sister and wife. The sacrifice for freedom which all

Freedom gives us the opportunity not only to express our views, but also to seek information and arm ourselves with knowledge. It is important to have our voice heard: in fact, there have been a number of protests against the State government recently on solar power rebate cuts, changes to workplace reforms and federally, against the carbon tax, among others. But that a third grade, nonsense film – which most of the protestors claim in hindsight of not even having seen – could incite a few hundred to come out to protest, was indeed astonishing. What it created was an opportunity for misguided elements to hijack the event and stage a protest against causes unknown.

As predicted, this has caused a backlash against the Muslim community which has worked hard to build the bridges with the mainstream. It has given oxygen to those zealots, media loudmouths, radio shock jocks and internet trolls, to further the misconception that all Muslims are fanatics and troublemakers, who do not belong here.

Of the estimated 250,000 Muslims in NSW, there were less than a thousand at this protest, and of these less than a dozen would be the real mischief-makers. The Muslim community, like the Hindu community in Australia, has its own heroes. With parliamentarians Ed Husic and Shaoquett Moselmane, sportspersons Usman Khawaja and Hazem El-Masri, media personalities like Waleed Aly and Akmal Saleh, the level of Muslim participation in mainstream activities has been increasing steadily. These heroes need to take the message out that a religion which is more than 5,000 years old and has deep beliefs in its core values can not and should not, allow a third rate movie to create any harm to itself or its followers

What is heartening to note also is that in the week following the Hyde Park violence, 25 Muslim organisations joined forces to condemn the violence. In the past it has been a challenge to get them to work together, as Australia’s Muslims are made up of 27 nationalities and as many different cultures and histories.

That moderate Muslims have spoken up after Hyde Park augers well for multiculturalism in Australia. A handful may have held a community to ransom at Hyde Park, but here is an opportunity for the community to unite and move forward in this new land we all call home.

SPIRITUAL Chinmaya Mission events

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Sat 22 Sept 4.00pm to 5.30pm.

Childrens’ camp

24-26 Sept School holiday camp for kids ‘Satyanarayan Katha’. Details Chinmaya Sannidhi 02 8850 7400.

Navratras 2012

20, 21, 22 Oct The Mukti Gupteshwar Mandir is organizing a 3-day spiritual festival to perform Mahayagya of Navagraha yagya, Trisakti yagya and Mahamrityunjay yagya as well as rudrabhishek on jyotirlingam. Plus, launch of the Holy Book: Shiv Dharm Maha Shastra. Details Rama 0422 22 67 24.

Religious discourses by Sri Velukkudi Swami

7 – 11 Nov The Vedic Society of Victoria announces a series of lectures in English by the renowned Sri Velukkudi Krishnan Swami. Sri Velukkudi Swami comes from a long parampara (tradition) of religious scholars and is singularly equipped to give pravachans on all forms of Hindu scripture, due to his knowledge of various Hindu theological traditions. He has