With social cohesion under threat, and tensions at fever pitch in some sections of society, 2RRR News Editor and host of Monday Morning Matters, Mark “Hendo” Henderson went on a Harmony Day mission to bring Middle East peace and harmony to our fractured community.
First stop for Hendo was a “Student Strike for Palestine” protest at Sydney Town Hall.
“As the lead speaker proclaimed they were meeting on “stolen land” and “sovereignty was never ceded”, I asked if they had sought permission from the local Aboriginal Land Council to hold their protest. Turned out they hadn’t, and in fact my questioning was not well received.
“I then began interviewing three young women about the Gaza conflict, before protest agitators tried to shut me down. That then led to the NSW Police getting involved, and I was told to stop my interviews or risk being arrested for Breach of the Peace.”
One down for harmony.
Hendo’s next mission was a visit to the Lakemba Night Markets in Ramadan, accompanying a group of young evangelical Lebanese Christians sharing the message of Jesus.
“I thought it would be fascinating to see how that played out, but in fact they were well received and found plenty of Muslim Australians only too willing to engage in peaceful, respectful conversation about the place of Jesus in their faith,” said Hendo.
“I ended up interviewing a separate Lebanese Christian man who gets mistaken for a Muslim and is sometimes abused. What struck me was his generosity of spirit and his positivity.”
One-All.
The next mission for Hendo was to get the viewpoint of the Muslim community leadership.
“I put out lots and lots of feelers and received one call back from a very senior leader from a prominent Islamic organisation. And over the course of a 90-minute phone conversation, I could hardly believe my ears.
“He had said that protestors burning the Australian flag should be arrested, charged and deported if they are not citizens. The “ISIAS brides” are terrorists, and if the Australian Government doesn’t stop them returning, we will be at Sydney Airport to stop them ourselves. And this doozy – Australia needs to be a lot more careful about the type of Muslims they are letting in.”
Next stop, a Harmony Day event in Ryde.
“It was a great local event, and everyone was lovely, but it was somewhat disheartening that the first person I tried to talk to couldn’t speak English.”
Finally, the Persian community Nowruz celebrations at Top Ryde.
“What a great event. Although it was obviously overshadowed by the war with Iran and the appalling and tragic murder of tens of thousands of young protesters, the love and warmth was palpable. This was a migrant community eager to integrate into Australian society whilst retaining their cultural heritage”, said Hendo.
“My overall conclusion is that if all our disparate communities unite as one, around our many shared values, and come together to reject the extremists, we can chart a positive future for Australia. But it takes real leadership, and that seems to be in short supply.”