The name Zaky Mallah meant absolutely nothing to most people in Australia until he opened his mouth on Q and A. After Monday night and by midday Tuesday there were probably very few people who did not know of him or what he had said. On Tuesday afternoon, Adam Shand who presents the 6PR Drive show had Zaky on his programme. It was not the first time that Adam has had him on his show. He was given a very fair hearing and his arguments were presented in his own words. After that Adam had Chris Kenny on the programme. Needless to say we heard the usual diatribe with absolutely no logical arguments from Mr Kenny.

The position taken by the genial drive show host was that irrespective of the stance and perspective taken by Mallah we, as a nation, need to listen to the dissenting and rebellious voices such as his. Again, there were voices amongst the callers to the programme that disagreed with Adam’s. Over the last twenty four or so hours every person in authority has voiced their opinion of Mallah’s statements on the TV programme.

Randa Abdel Fatah

One of the first opinions that was ventured was that of Randa Abdel Fatah. Randa is a fantastic author. One of her books that captured my attention some years ago was “Does my head look big in this?” This is a book that I regard as one of the best analysis and expositions of the trials and tribulations of growing up Muslim in Australia. There are a number of other books that have been written by Randa and I can heartily recommend any and all of them. I must also disclose that I am a Facebook friend of Randa’s and have had many a communication with her over that time.

This was Randa’s post on Facebook about the matter:

“So. Zaky Mallah. Q and A.

For me, it’s not about representation. The issue isn’t that controversial or silly or ‘dangerous’ voices should be silenced so that the wider community of Muslims is not penalised. When controversial/stupid voices can speak WITHOUT it affecting all Muslims, then our anti-racism work will be done.

I’m so over media-watching all Muslims. So long as Anglo Australians have the luxury to not feel an iota of ‘guilt by association’ when EDL and Reclaim Australian morons rant, then I won’t buy into muzzling ‘good’ and ‘bad’ voices. I should be able to speak out about ‘bad’ voices as stupid, inane or incoherent not because I’m embarrassed or worried about their effect, but because they offend me in principle. When such voices put me and other Muslims at risk of a backlash, the problem is not with us, but with a social and political order that continues to lump us all into one monolithic ‘community’.

For what it’s worth, the reason I reeled at Mullah’s contribution on Q&A (even before THAT comment) was that he had absolutely nothing intelligent or remotely insightful to contribute to the politics of the war on terror/radicalisation.  Look. If you’re controversial, don’t be afraid to speak on my account. But for God’s sake please say something that contributes to the conversation and gets people thinking about the politics of counter-radicalisation in a way that doesn’t place you at the centre of the debate.  Think: on what basis do I speak?  Is it simply because of my individual experience? If yes: best to speak to your friends or open up to a psychologist instead.  If you have some grasp of the political/sociological/power dynamics of this debate, then you will also probably screw it up, but at least from a slightly more qualified position.  If you don’t understand the risks of speech then best to remain silent. If you’re going for the theatrics of a train wreck, learn how to drive a train first.  Some humility and self-reflection before we all speak would go such a long way.  We’re starved for insightful contributions and instead we get a clumsy, incoherent attempt to critique the latest overkill in Australia’s draconian legislative arsenal.  I believe the Zaky Mullahs of our communities should equally enjoy freedom of speech. It’s the quality of the speech not the freedom part that has me holding my head in my hands.”

In my view Randa’s position was complete and hit every one of the key issues head on. The issue of whether Zaky Mallah represented the Muslim community any more than English defence League or Reclaim Australia represented the wider Anglo Celtic community was particularly telling. The sentence that also resonated most with me was “If you don’t understand the risks of speech then best to remain silent. If you’re going for the theatrics of a train wreck, learn how to drive a train first.”

Voices such as those of Randa are the voices we need to hear more of. These are the voices of intellect and passion. I hope that our media organisations will consider the use of Randa and her ilk more in the future.