Fortunate to have been to Australia several times. Though every exposure is limited in time and space, it did allow me to have a first-hand appreciation of life and living downunder.
For a country the size of the world's smallest continent, Australia is vast and the landscape varied. With a land area of 7,741,220 kilometers or 2,988,902 square miles, it is the 6th largest country in the world. The Philippines has an area of around 300,000 kilometers or 115,831 square miles, ranking 72rd in the world.
With a population of roughly 22 million (2008 census), it is 52nd biggest country in the world. Compare that to our country, we rank 12th place with 90 million people. In ratio term, there are around 5 Filipinos for a single Aussie! In short, they have so much land area for few people, while in the Philippines have few land area for so much population!
While it is in the vicinity of the Southeast Asia, it is a first world country or part of "The West". Like Malaysia and Singapore, it used to be part of the British Empire. Until now, its Head of State is still the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, represented by the Governor General.
Migration has been a key to its increasing population. The indigenous peoples form a minority. Up until a decade ago, migration has been largely exclusive for Europeans based on a string of laws lumped as the "White Policy".
The "Missing Generation" is an after-effect of government colonial policies. Then PM Kevin Rudd had apologized on behalf of the government for the injustices and sufferings caused by the "white only" policies. Just for this act, I salute the prime minister. It requires strong political will to do this. A weakling politician can't do this. So we reflect when can we have an apology like this to heal the divide in Mindanao and the woulds of injustices? Perhaps hen we have strong political leaders. Who do you think among the presidentiables have the guts to replicate PM Rudd?
Then and now, Australia has evolved and continues to evolve. A number of Muslims are choosing to migrate here. Perhaps, compared to other countries, the government policies that hinge on multiculturalism and a largely open-minded and welcoming atmosphere are contributing to this influx of Muslim migrants.
Some historians suggest that Muslim presence in this continent dates back as early as the 17th century when Makassar traders from present-day Indonesia started trading with the indigenous population of Northwestern Australia. Australia as a British colony saw Muslim involvement with the coming of so-called Afghan camel drivers brought in to aid with the exploration of the vast inland of Australia.
Today, Muslims make up roughly 2 percent of the population. Howver, more than one monolithic group, the Muslim population is as diverse as their nationality, language and ethnicity. As of 2001, one-third are Australian-born. Most are foreign-born. More Muslims live in Victoria than in any other states.
Unfortunately, unemployment rate is higher among overseas born than those born in Australia. Average wages of Muslims are much lower than those of the national average, with just 5% of Muslims earning over $1000 a week compared to the average of 11%, according to a 2007 parliament e-brief . Undoubtedly, education will continue to play a big role in preparing the next generations of Australian Muslims.
The number of Islamic Schools is a testament to the magnanimity of Australia's multicultural policies. A few of these we have visited during my study tours. What catches my attention, more than the physical aspects of these schools, is the mindset of Muslim educators who insist on bringing together the secular Australian curriculum with the Muslim religious obligation and be able to align this integration with the Islamic teaching of holistic education and the paradigm of "dunya wal akhirat", doing so in a confident and firm manner.
This paradigm is what I hope Filipino participants grasp during their In-Australia study tours as they struggle with the question of how to resolve the Mindanao problem through education or how education can contribute positively to peace building; a paradigm that is engaging and sustained, rather than based on angst and short-term gains; not dwelling on past glories, but creating shared futures better than the past ones; a paradigm that genuinely resolve to address the root cause of the problem, rather than a justification for "turf wars".
Rather than dwell on the minor discrepancies which are often in the "branches", Muslim educators in Australia argue in favor of consistency of their action with the "roots" of Islamic teaching. In so doing, they are able to overcome the often, but superficial, obstacles to promoting education in Muslim community. The "Muslim Australians" brief to the Parliament is a good reading to understand Muslim integration into the Australian Society and how Australian Muslims are reacting to and affected by the current global campaign on terror.
To end this discussion, I recall a female educator in one of the Islamic Schools in Victoria that I have visited before. She said, we are here to stay for good. We have made our choice to be Muslim in Australia. So we are not here to be tolerated, we are here to be accepted. To be tolerated means we are doing something wrong. Being a Muslim is not wrong. Therefore, nothing to be tolerated. We are just different as those other Australians whose religion is other than the dominant one. This to me is one of the essence of being Australian. An essential fabric of any society, including the Philippines, which we failed to understand fully. We are merely moving forward, without accepting the reality that we, Christians, Muslims and Lumads, are meant for each other.
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"The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant, which the wind bends it sometimes and some other time it makes it straight..." - Al-Hadith
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