In front of a gathering in Kuala Lumpur of South-East Asia’s most influential Muslim scholars, the leader of a mosque in country Western Australia took centre stage. Imam Alep Mydie had travelled there from Katanning, a farming town 300 kilometres south of Perth. His message to the conference of ASEAN scholars was clear — that the commitment to multiculturalism in Australia was alive and well. “I put forward how we all live [in Katanning] together, and how the mosque is open to the public,” Mr Mydie said.
“I asked them, ‘have you guys opened the door, for people to ask questions, any questions?'”
Mr Mydie championed the open-door policy of his local mosque to invite dialogue and develop trust in the town of less than 4,000 people.
“That’s what we did in Katanning, we opened the mosque and opened that fear of the unknown for others to understand who we are. And it has worked for us.”
Photo: The open-door policy at the Katanning mosque aims to develop trust in the community. (ABC News: Aaron Fernandes)
Lured by promise of a better life
Critics of Australia’s immigration policy say integration is failing in many parts of the country, pointing to urban congestion and gang-related crime as examples.
The Federal Government has flagged plans to introduce a test to see whether new migrants fit with Australian values, and to raise the English language requirements.
Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Minister Alan Tudge told the ABC the goal was for Australia to pursue an “integrated” form of multiculturalism and avoid pockets of monoculture taking hold.
“If people reside together and largely communicate in their mother tongue, then they are slower at integrating in with the mainstream population. Now, ideally people blend together and merge together,” he told the ABC’s National Wrap program this week.
But in a town like Katanning, both the cultural and economic impact of overseas migration can be seen.
Migrants have built a mosque and established festivals to celebrate diversity.
Photo: The mosque was established a town of fewer than 4,000 people. (ABC News: Aaron Fernandes)
Each generation has been lured by the promise of work in the local abattoir.
Malay migrants from the Christmas and Cocos islands were the first to arrive from the early 2000s, joined by arrivals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Congo and China.
“I always remind my children that the reason our mum or dad or parents came here is to better our lives. That’s the philosophy and attitude that is embedded in us,” Mr Mydie said.
“Regardless, if you work in an abattoir or picking up rubbish or local government, that is the goal of the parent — to better the children.”
Imam Mydie at Katanning Mosque
Acceptance is a two-way street
Further south, in Mount Barker, the local community college recently opened its doors to Hazara migrants for the end of Ramadan.
Hazara women, who attend the college once a week for English literacy classes, brought their children along in traditional dress to share Afghani food and culture.
Photo: A Mount Barker school opens the door to Hazara migrants. (ABC News: Aaron Fernandes)
For these women with developing English skills, it is a step towards integrating with mainstream Australian society.
Stay-at-home mum Leedah Haidary said she wanted to know about Australian culture and share her own.
“We want to share our culture with everybody,” she said.
Photo: Leedah Haidary (right) and Nooria Naseria say they want to learn about Australian culture, as well as sharing their culture with others. (ABC News: Aaron Fernandes)
In 2016, a report by the Productivity Commission found some tensions existed between some immigrant communities and the broader community in Australia, but said “there is widespread acceptance of cultural diversity by the Australian community”.
While the traditional robes of Afghani dress might stand out in Mount Barker, religious intolerance has never been a major problem there.
Since the early 2000s, refugees have been largely respected for their commitment to work and raising families.
Mr Mydie, said that in finding success in Australia, no-one in the region had to abandon their heritage.
“I think the Muslim community in WA should continue to practice what we have been practising — it is a two-way street,” he said.
“In Katanning, we have embedded ourselves, we’ve shown uniqueness in such a way that people respect us.
“Regardless of our [different] points of view … you can understand other people’s way of life and adopt other people’s culture within your culture.”
A challenge for migrants, and the community
If the integration of migrants in regional WA is remarkable for its lack of controversy, then the challenges faced by new arrivals in Perth are perhaps more complex.
Jo Tuazama arrived in Australia in 2008 as a refugee fleeing civil war in the Ivory Coast.
“When I arrived here … I was seeing a lot of hope and opportunity because I come from a place where there was no hope,” he said.
“Being a refugee … you are told all is well here. Yes, all is well here but you have to work hard to get it. It’s not free.”
As Mr Tuazama began his new life in Australia, he said he experienced racial profiling and discrimination.
“There are a lot of institutionalised racism here, there are also systemic racism here, where people look at you and just judge you by appearance,” he said.
“[I told someone] that I work as an engineer at Joondalup Hospital and she said, ‘Are you fixing the wheels on the trolleys?’
“I said, ‘No, I don’t fix wheels on trolleys, I do biomedical engineering’.”
A work in progress
Mr Tauzama is now the president of the WA Organisation of African Communities and has established a range of community programs to boost confidence among African youths.
“There are Africans here who are doing very well … doctors, lecturers, engineers,” he said.
“Those beautiful stories don’t get told, but when there is something negative it takes the whole media and we [are] generalised as ‘Africans’.”
It is a problem that he is working to solve, in partnership with WA Police.
Photo: Jo Tuazama has been working together with Inspector Don Emanuel-Smith to improve the relationship between police and African youth. (ABC News: Briana Shepherd)
Mr Tauzama and WA Police Inspector Don Emanuel-Smith have worked for 10 years to improve the relationship between police and youths.
Both sides said it used to be a relationship that had been characterised by mistrust.
“In the beginning it was a bit difficult because people had reservations, and fear, and apprehension about police,” Inspector Emanuel-Smith said.
“Gradually, in meeting and greeting people, the reservations are broken down and now 10 years later I’m embraced by the community and my staff are embraced by the community.”
Inspector Emanuel-Smith said there was a misunderstanding of the experiences of migrants among the general public, including police, that needed to be overcome.
“Having gone over to some of the refugee camps in Africa and having a look at where these people have come from, I got a clear understanding that police over there perhaps didn’t do the right thing,” he said.
“A lot of people were persecuted, so in trying to engage with them here there was [questions of] ‘do I trust this policeman?'”
Mr Tauzama said attitudes were slowly changing.
“When I came over here, I have seen some people … living the same way that we used to do in the camp,” he said.
“I saw there was a need to help so that they can adjust themselves and forget this whole ideology of being a refugee.
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