A Growing Dilemma: Racial Discrimination

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TOPIC: RESPONSE PAPER

Words are indeed powerful tools of communication, but it could also be a source of misconception and misunderstanding. The news about the racial discrimination of Muslims in Australia has, indeed, become the concrete example of this unfortunate event. The first  two questions that an ordinary observer will ask is, to what degree or extent will an action constitute discrimination? Is it by nature physical? Or does it involve verbal abuse, leading to psychological and emotional trauma?

To shed light on the issues mentioned and clarify the accuracy of the information taken from the news, we must dig deeper into how and why other races or group of people, like the Muslims, come to a country, without even knowing what will happen to them in the future. This is because from their very own bailiwick, they already are members of the minority, or rather, already belonged to a marginalized society. If this is the case, they were already neglected by their very own people  in the first place, and because of this, their voices are not anymore recognized as citizens, hence, the decision to leave is their best and only option.

Initially, we consider this as first hand discrimination. This answers the first issue mentioned earlier. Their previous predicament forced them to move to a country unknown by them in order to avoid ridicule and persecution, bringing high hopes that strangers will learn to accept the culture and tradition they bring along with them. So, how exactly would these strangers welcome the new guests?

We must first remember that as humans, we are prone to make our judgments based on what we see and hear. This is a common mistake that everybody commit  because others rely on unverified news and information, just to spread the word and pretend that they know something, and later on discover that it already damaged the credibility of an individual, a group or an organization. These migrants must and should not expect too much of what is going to happen in their new life because time will come that those who welcomed them will become their adversaries. Meaning, the decision to leave one’s country is not a guarantee that you can avoid discrimination. In short, it can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere.

Most of the Muslims in Australia are verbally discriminated by tactless and insensitive individuals, often referring to them as terrorists. They have become the shock absorbers of what their leftist brothers and sisters have done not only in their beloved country but as well as to the rest of the world. In short, violence and terrorism are the tags “they” bring along wherever they go.

This is clearly another example of racial discrimination. This happens when other people doesn’t want to embrace or accept who you are, where you belong and how you live your life based on your ideals and principles in life. They vehemently deny your existence by considering your color a disgrace to the society and your language as something that awakens hatred and violence of any nature.

In addition, the person discriminated will never have the ultimate chance of sharing his or her values, thereby creating disparities in human relationships and aggravating more on the differences rather than finding ways to settle it in a humane and peaceful way. This situation will place the offended party in a critical situation of alienation. His cooperation in whatever move or effort to solve the problem can never be asked nor expected from time to time.

This kind of insult or rejection also  will offer unequal opportunities for sustaining life and developing oneself. Discrimination at this point is already in a higher degree and as a result, it builds walls instead of friendships. The kind of environment now of those discriminated can be compared to a prison in itself because there exist broken relationships, impartiality and unfair treatment.

There is no freedom at all. It is dominated by pride and prejudice. Anytime soon, discriminated people are going headless while walking along the streets because they are the subject of every gossip and intrigue. In a worst case scenario, physical violence may ensue, just like what happened to Asma Fahmi of Horsley Park, New South Wales, Australia. Her traumatic experience of being called a terrorist and being assaulted twice by two men did not change her good values as a person.

For Asma Fahmi and the rest of the two thirds of the Muslims living in Australia, racial discrimination have become a part of their daily lives. Despite the predicament, they remained calm and down to earth. Their faith, in this case, have become their refuge in order not to fight or retaliate. From this information, we can say that they remained as “ordinary” people in their respective communities, which brings and connects us to the conclusion that despite of what the Muslims in Australia are experiencing, the relationship of the former and the Non Muslims are still in good terms.

In an effort to stop if not minimize racial discrimination, leaders and education stakeholders in Australia has organized a forum in order to explain to their citizens the real picture of what is going on. Politics and other media practitioners  and agencies have  exaggerated the idea of Muslims as not good and ordinary people. They are the ones using the power of words to destroy not only an individual but also an institution, who have been silent for quite some time.

Is this not a manifestation of building goodwill and better relationship to the world? The answer is definitely yes. They left the portals of their country in order to find the peace that they want to have for the rest of their lives. The sacrifice they have extended may not be fruitful at first, but, with courage and determination, they were able to prove that Muslims are not at all born to be terrorists. Instead, they are the ones in pain, bleeding, every time someone tries to laugh at how they look and spit at the thought of condemning their fellow  Muslims who have wronged the world so many times.

If we were to describe the degree or intensity that the Muslims in Australia have experienced, it is by far, the most painful and cruel. More than the physical pain, they have endured mental and emotional torture for several years now. We therefore ask ourselves the question that has been longing to be answered since then: What is one effective way to stop discrimination? The answer lies within you. It is character after all that will change everything.