The infamous question, we’ve all read it in the paper, heard it on the radio or even had the privilege of being asked the question directly. Is it possible to be a practising Muslim and adopt Australian culture? The answer to that question that is thrown at us on a consistent basis is yes, yes and yes. Believe it or not, it is possible. As Dr Zachariah Mathews so eloquently put it, “Yes, I can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
The matter of the fact is immigrant Muslims who choose not to ‘assimilate’ into Australian culture often lose out to their ‘Australianised’ counterparts. But before I tell all, shatter your beliefs and break your hearts, let us first define what Australian culture really is.
In reality, culture may be defined in tens and hundreds of ways. But for the sake of this argument I will be adhering more closely to two definitions. I will call them dynamic culture and real culture. Dynamic culture is inconsistent, it changes with time and place, inevitably moulding to each generation. Australian dynamic culture integrates food, sport and social activities into one hot melting pot. It can be defined as a good old Aussie BBQ, beer in one hand, steak in the other. It’s a game of beach cricket in sandals, short shorts and a singlet. Or perhaps even a vegemite sandwich and Four ‘N’ Twenty meat pies. Every country has its own dynamic culture that is affected by the next generation.
Each generation ads its own flavour, ads its own rules and creates a new social culture. In fact, it may even differ from one city to another. Those who live in the outback may have a different culture to those who live in the ‘burbs, or the city. Trying to keep up with dynamic culture is like holding on to hot beads. It’s difficult to keep up, so most people stick to what they know.
Adversely, we have something called real culture. Real culture is more solidly built. It’s that thing that defines what a nation is. It defines the people living within that country. Let’s take Australia for example. What is real Aussie culture? It’s about having a fair go. It’s about being sincere and genuine. We love to chat. As long as you are honest, as long as you have the courage to say “Mate, I don’t have a clue,” and you don’t have an ego that could fill Lake Eyre, then you understand real Aussie culture. This is the culture that has developed over the decades and this is the culture that will endure. One day, meat pies may become a thing of the past. We may even turn to bush tucker. But the next generation will know this is real Aussie culture.
Do I need to wear short shorts and drink beer to be an Aussie? No. Do I need to love cricket and rugby league and AFL to be an Aussie? No. But as a real Aussie would, I respect these traditions. Even though we may not endorse them, we still respect them. That is what a real Aussie would do, agree to disagree. It is Australian to respect other people’s opinions.
I have adopted real Aussie culture. I respect Aussie tradition, I respect that dynamic culture. In fact, I love cricket, I love Aussie BBQ’s. But I am still a practicing Muslim who touches my head to the floor five times a day, because God asked me to do so. I am an Australian Muslim. Yes, you read right. An Aussie Muslim. The same way there are Aussie Christians, Aussie Jews and Aussie Buddhists.
Let your mind wonder, you are in the Western part of Middle East. No, you have not been kidnapped, you are not a hostage. There is no terrorist called Abdullah who is about to blow you to smithereens. You are a holiday maker. You are soaking up the Mediterranean sun, breathing in the warm salty air. The wind is playing with your air (unless you are wearing a scarf, it will be tickling your face). You catch a few foreign words every now and then. The birds are circling above. The sound of ships arriving at the docks meets your ears. It is a beautiful day.
It’s overwhelming. The (dynamic) culture is so vastly different. The smell of food makes its way to your willing nostrils as you parade the streets of Beirut, the capitol city of Lebanon. You are astounded to see the way that people dress; the way they interact with each other, the way they drive is nothing like suburban Australia. You think to yourself, these people would all be booked for numerous offences if they were in Sydney or Melbourne. It is like nothing you have experienced before.
But does it matter that they are so different? You realise that it doesn’t matter as you turn a lane and you are welcomed by the sight of a capacious street market, the likes of which you have never seen. Human nature thrives on variety. To you, it is a breath of fresh air. Picture the whole world full of people who are all the same height, the same build, carry the same features and all speak in the same accent. Would the world not be a boring place?
Without you even realising, you begin to act as the locals do. You begin to speak the same way they speak. You begin to understand their mentality. All of a sudden it becomes so familiar to you. You feel at home. You have accepted that you are in their country, so you must be as they are. It is an unwritten law of travel that a person becomes one with the land, one with the people.
Those who do not accommodate themselves tend to suffer; they do not enjoy their time. They are stared at. They can even offend the locals. They feel more alienated than they ever have. The problem is they have rejected the real culture of that country and its peoples. Instead of enjoying the warm sunlight, it suddenly becomes a burden. You cannot bear the heat, the stinking humidity. You feel like you are out of your element. It is the result of your own lack of understanding that has placed you into this predicament.
Now take an individual Lebanese man, woman or even a whole family. Teach them English; teach them what the real Aussie culture is about. Teach them that that is the culture they must adopt, then throw them into the mix. Bring them to Oz. Based on what you’ve read so far, the reaction should not be surprising at all. They would be able to get along with Aussies.
Sure they look different, sound different and eat exotic foods but they are still able to relate. “I believe that we, as new Australians, should be able to ask questions. If there is something we don’t understand, we have to ask,” one man who preferred to remain anonymous explained. Instead of sounding like a broken record player, “Yeah… Yeah… Yeah.”
There are numerous Lebanese immigrant Muslims who have taken up the real Aussie culture, or assimilated. They raised their children as Muslims living in Australia, not as Muslims living in Lebanon. They integrated into them the Islamic beliefs whilst maintaining the real Aussie culture and educating them about the dynamic form of culture. The result? Young Australian Muslims who acknowledge their Middle Eastern background yet identify themselves as Australians. I like to call them the ‘conflict free’ youth.
There is no internal struggle, they are not confused. This has the positive effect of allowing them to be one hundred per cent focused on their life, they are mostly hard working individuals who are well educated and are usually better off. Ahbab Al Mustafa, an Australian band that sing and write Islamic ‘Anasheed’ are the epitome of young Aussie Muslims. The members, who mostly come from Middle Eastern backgrounds, have been able to achieve success both as educated Australians and as dedicated Muslims. They are as Aussie as Aussie can be, or as we call them, true blue.
Adversely, Muslims who immigrated to Australia and did not learn the language, who did not commit to learning the real Australian culture tend to feel alienated. They are living in Australia as though they are still in Lebanon. It is a fundamental clash of ideas and it simply does not work; the same way that you cannot fit a square into a circle.
The repercussions can be seen in their children. I will refer to these young Muslims as ‘conflict’ youth. They have been brought up to live as Lebanese in an Australian society. The constant internal identity struggle is detrimental. They do not know who they are or where they belong. They feel alienated on both fronts. The result? Muslim youth who cannot focus, who struggle daily and tend to be uneducated. They end up on the streets and usually get on the wrong side of the law.
The question “Is it possible to be Australian and Muslim at the same time?” is in fact an invalid question. What we should really be asking ourselves is how do we help these youth to overcome that internal struggle? Those families who were never able to progress from their war ravaged homes, what are we doing for them?
All you need to do is take a look around. The facts speak for themselves. We must drop our prejudices and open up our minds and our hearts, only then will we truly see.
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