The events in Paris last weekend are terrible and extremely sad.
Terrible for the loss of life and the massive numbers of other lives it will change for ever – the survivors, the families, the friends and the citizens who will take much time to get back to feeling ‘safe’.
Sad because such acts attack every community’s basic ‘goodness’, the predominant feeling of contentment that equilibrium brings to every village, township and city across the world, no matter how privileged or underprivileged it may be.
The randomness is what is so unsettling. And the helplessness and the pointlessness.
But out of this understandable frustration can rise strong emotions that risk our own basic ‘goodness’. We must be on guard and act to preserve what we have got.
The acts of a handful of individuals cannot be allowed to undo what has taken over 200 years to create – a healthy, tolerant, vibrant multicultural society.
Building unity, not division
Unfortunately among those challenges is the move to ‘stop Muslims’ coming to our country and the emergence of political movements such as the Love Australia or Leave Party. (Equally unhelpful in my view is the proposed Australian Muslim Party).
This is not right. Especially in Australia. The acts of a handful of individuals cannot be allowed to undo what has taken over 200 years to create – a healthy, tolerant, vibrant multicultural society.
Australia is what it is because of immigration from every country across the world and every religion. This defines our character.
We also need to attract the broadest cross section of people to give us depth of talent.
Diversity is essential
We are reminded almost daily that the most powerful man in the world, Barack Obama, had a Muslim father from Kenya, Barack Hussein Obama.
And the most successful and influential businessman in our lifetime is Steve Jobs. His biological father is Abdul Fattah Jandali, a political migrant from the Syrian city of Homs, now devastated by the civil war in Syria. (He is still alive by the way – aged 84 – and living in Nevada).
Scratch the surface of Australia and you will find the same powerful examples of the richness that immigration and diversity delivers. They are doctors, teachers, politicians, business owners and everything in-between. Most importantly they are people who love this country and our way of life. Just like any of us.
Sure, there are ratbags as well. But that is just like us too.
I believe immigration is our most cherished asset and not to be jeopardised by a handful of zealots of any description – Muslims or Christians, Australians or any other nationalities.
