After about 24 hours of travelling (I think I lost a day somewhere), I touched down in Sunny Melbourne. With a great 21 degrees, it makes a change from the 3 degrees and rain that I had left in London.
If you have ever watched the TV program border security (about Australia's immigration and customs) you would not be surprised if I told you that I was slightly apprehensive when I first landed. Rightly so. I think this is one of the most stringent countries in terms of entering. They make you walk in between two white lines (reminds me of the test that police officers ask you to do if they suspect you have been drinking and driving) and then they get the dogs to sniff you. Of course, if you are like me and have spilt food over your clothes, inevitably the dog gets curious and you are 'taken aside' for questioning. Welcome to Australia!!!
It isn't bad though. It is their rules and regulations which you need to respect. I mean if you have ever watched the program, you would know about the scams that people pull to try and get into the country.
Someone once told me that Australia is just like the UK except that it is sunny. I am not so sure about that. Firstly, Australia is definitely much bigger than the UK. There is space here that you can see for miles and miles and the houses are definitely not crammed together. The suburbs remind me more of what you would see in the US and people are definitely more friendlier and chirpier (although it may be because the weather is so much more nicer). The only main issue is trying to overcome the 11 hour time difference with London, and trying to ensure your sleeping patterns are not messed up. My remedy for this is not to sleep immediately one lands, but to actually try and stay awake and ‘force’ your body to readjust to the time conditions in the new country even though it may be telling you that it needs to sleep based on UK time. Perhaps not the most healthy of approaches, but it kind of works. Except when you finally get to bed, you are either really shattered or you can’t really fall asleep. What makes matters worse is the phone calls that come in at 1 or 2 in the morning from people back home trying to reach you for something.
The problem sometimes with trips like this, is that you come in for work or a conference, end up spending most of your time at the conference or commuting from your residence to the conference hall, so you don’t really get to see the country or the city. So considering I had a day to kill, I explored Melbourne
Melbourne as a city is very interesting. It is a cross between London (especially when you take the river banks and cafes alongside), Singapore (with the high rise buildings and clean streets) and San Fancisco / New Orleans (with the trams running within the city).
The advantage though is that the city centre is relatively small so there is a possibility to walk all around it.
Close to the convention centre (where the conference is going to be held), you can see signs of preparing for the conference. The last minute touches are being made before the official opening on 3rd December. With 3000 delegates from across the world, it is no doubt going to be an interesting occasion.
One of the focus of the conference this year will be special programs entitled the Islam 101 series, looking at correcting some of the negative perceptions about Islam and Muslims (from those outside of the Muslim community and within the Muslim community). Looking at what has recently happened in Switzerland, now more than ever is there a need to start a process of reaching out, listening, communicating and understanding in the hope that there can be some acceptance.
This is perhaps not the place to fully discuss the repercussions on both sides of the Swiss vote, but it is perhaps an occasion to explore the need for developing greater understanding, respect and acceptance. This has to be a two way process with a compromise being reached.
Fear and rejection is fuelled by ignorance and misperceptions. It is up to everyone to ensure that they play a part in dissuading these fears. There is a fear that Islam is not compatible with the western civilization and values. This is a fear that has also been fuelled by the actions and statements of people within the Muslim community as well. What is needed is there to be an open mind from all sides when discussing some of the core issues at the heart of this fear and rejection. One issue of course, is the feeling that Muslims can not become citizens of the west, they can not integrate. I think this is a misnomer. They are not only integrating but are contributing, living their daily lives as full fledged citizens of a multi cultural and pluralistic world. There are key issues that concern them as does everyone else such as education, health care, unemployment etc. These are issues that need to be addressed separately to other things. Of course, as new immigrants come into countries, there is a need by the Muslim community to talk within themselves and to contextualize responses to problems.
The first step though is the need for an open and frank discussion not fed by any agenda. Perhaps this parliament will offer the first steps in this direction.
Amjad Mohamed Saleem
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