Every now and then, events occur that bring out the best in people. And every time that occurs I would like to acknowledge and celebrate those events. They go to the very humaneness of us as people and that to me is far more an issue for celebration and joy. This last week has seen a couple of events that are worth repeating herein.

As a number of people in Perth would know there was a graffiti attack on the Sikh Temple in Bennett Springs. The attackers displayed a substantial level of ignorance and on the mistaken belief that the Sikh Temple was in fact a Muslim Mosque, sprayed slogans that vilified Muslims and Arabs etc. Details of that incident can be read here:

Some of the media coverage of this event was interesting. Instead of focussing on the unacceptability of the attack, they focussed on the issue of the “mistaken identity”. There was almost a feeling that if somehow the perpetrators had got the “right” group to vilify, then somehow that was to be accepted. I put out a press release on behalf of the organisation, West Australians for Racial Equality. My main focus in that was to talk about the unacceptability of ANY event of racial vilification. I had also had conversations with Sikh community leaders and they wanted to emphasise the message that they stood in solidarity with their Muslim brothers and sisters to condemn the events.

Later that day I was contacted by Sheikh Yahya Ibrahim, a friend of many years standing. Sheikh Yahya is also a leader in the Perth Muslim community. He holds many important positions that go to the very heart of the integration of young people into the wider community. Yahya wanted to get a contact with the Sikh Temple community from Bennett Springs. After a couple of phone calls I was able to pass on the number of a spokesperson for the community to Yahya. A few minutes later, Yahya’s post on his Facebook page confirmed what we had discussed. That post read as follows:

“I am disgusted by the vandalism inflicted upon the Sikh Temple with disturbing graffiti scrawled on the walls by racist bigots.
I have been in contact with members of our broader community and am hoping to liaise assistance from our Muslim community in helping with the clean up. If you are interested in helping financially or physically, let me know.”

This was a very satisfactory outcome. It demonstrated everything that we have worked towards achieving in our adopted country. It was the essence of a harmonious community where one group had misfortune befall them and another stepped in to help. It exemplified everything I enjoy about this society. And it is the main reason why it is that I do what I do in this area of the community.

The second incident that was indicative of a society where caring overrode any issues of enmity was the design of the “Poppy Hijab”. This did not occur here but transpired in England. Details are here:

Launched today (1st November 2014) to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Muslim soldier to receive the Victoria Cross for bravery during World War one, a Hijab was designed that incorporated the Poppy into its design. (The soldier in question was Khudadad Khan from Pakistan, who was fighting for Britain on the Western Front in the First World War.)
Some important aspects of this Hijab and its launch are as follows:

  1. £22 headscarf is backed by Muslim groups as a symbol for remembrance
  2. Launched tomorrow to mark 100 years since the first Muslim soldier was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during World War One
  3. Designer said it was a way to say ‘you’re proudly British and Muslim’
  4. Aims to divert attention away from a minority of extremists who have burned poppies on Remembrance Sunday.Read more here:

As the President of the Islamic society of Great Britain, Ms Sughra Ahmed said:

“Thousands of British Muslims already wear a poppy in November. This is just another way for them to show they remember those who gave their lives for their country.
‘It’s also a way for ordinary Muslim citizens to take some attention away from extremists who seem to grab the headlines.

‘This symbol of quiet remembrance is the face of everyday British Islam – not the angry minority who spout hatred and offend everyone.”

Also from the Daily Mail article, “Sunder Katwala, the British Future’s Director of Integration said: ‘Remembrance brings Britain together each November – and has a special resonance as we all mark the centenary of the First World War.

‘The armies that fought a century ago look more like the Britain of 2014 than that of 1914. Yet few people realise that 400,000 Muslims fought for Britain in the First World War.

‘Many British Muslims won’t know this, while most Britons are surprised at the scale of the Muslim contribution to the Commonwealth effort.”

As I indicated above, every now and then an event or incident occurs that exemplifies the humanity of mankind. These two events of the last week are classic examples of that. We can but hope that events of this nature dominate the headlines and become very much the rule rather than the exception.