Australians were shocked and saddened by events in Sydney this week when two gunmen opened fire on a Jewish community group celebrating Hanuka. Our thoughts are with those who have lost family members and we wish those who were injured a speedy recovery. It was a dark day for Australia and it was made even darker by those seeking to capitalise on
this incident for their own ends.
Those on the right are calling on the Prime Minister to resign, as if he were personally responsible. We did not call on Prime Minister John Howard to resign after the Port Arthur massacre, nor Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the Lindt Cafe Siege in 2014. Ironically, both of these men are from the same political party which is now demanding that the Prime Minister step down. This glaring double standard reveals political opportunism rather than genuine concern and undermines unity when Australia needs it most.
The older shooter was admitted to Australia by the previous government. The other was his son and the gun licences were issued by state police under a previous state government which may not have been aware of changes affecting his eligibility. Some within and outside Australia claim the incident stems from the present government’s refusal to ban peace marches supporting Palestine, as well as its advocacy for a two-state solution something which has also been endorsed by over 140 countries.
Even uglier are the calls from the far-right fringe to deport all Muslims from Australia, echoing similar calls from other countries. The proportion of criminal elements among Muslims is no greater than in any other community worldwide. Why should almost a million law-abiding citizens be maligned because of the actions of a few? That would be like holding all Israelis and Jews everywhere responsible for what the Israeli government has done and is doing in Gaza, so why do this to any other group?
If we do, then we should also deport all white supremacists and ‘sovereign citizens’ because two of them have also recently caused deaths through gun violence in Australia—most recently in Queensland and Victoria. Do they share our values? I don’t think so. We believe in giving everyone a fair go, until proven otherwise. We also believe in live and let live, unless it causes harm to someone else. I dread the thought of Australia falling under the sway of Christian extremists, anti-science zealots, and anti-vaxxers, just as much as I do of it being taken over by any other authoritarian regime.
The same politician who once warned of being “swamped by Asians”—which led to harassment and sometimes harm to our Asian community—is now vocal in condemning Muslims, whom she also claims are 'swamping' Australia. Sadly, she has found a following online. Social media and some media outlets need to do more to curb misinformation and hate speech. This person only gains attention by harnessing discontent and outrage. Why is it that the slightest mention of Gaza means having to defend oneself in court, yet when this woman speaks against a significant portion of our people, no one says a word?
It should be pointed out that we owe a debt of gratitude to Ahmed Al Ahmed, the unarmed Syrian man and yes, a Muslim, who courageously tackled the shooter and prevented what would no doubt have been a far greater tragedy.
Another noisy group to emerge is the gun lobby, eagerly promoting the idea that more guns would prevent such incidents. As we see daily in the USA—with 398 mass shootings this year alone, including 75 involving school children—more guns only lead to more violence and bloodshed. Australia has had two such incidents since gun ownership was restricted following the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
In response to the present incident, our government is tightening gun laws—limiting ownership to no more than five weapons per person, requiring regular license reviews, and more.
I am somewhat concerned about demands for restrictions on protests and the efforts by some segments of the Jewish community to shut down debate in our universities. Yes, Israel has the right to exist, but so do Palestinians. While it is deeply sad that a child has lost their life in this instance, it is also tragic that so many innocent Palestinians have been killed, starved, and deprived of their homes, livelihoods, and liberty. Palestinians grieve for their children and family members, just as Israelis do. It is wrong to punish all for the actions of a few, just as we do not hold Israelis in Australia responsible for what is done in their name. Old grievances and hatreds have no place in this country, regardless of who practices them.
I have the greatest respect for our Prime Minister for remaining calm and standing firm against these pressures during this difficult time. Steady leadership is what Australia needs to heal and not succumb to fear -mongering and division. Don't let those who would divide us win!
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| -Image by Microsoft Copilot |
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