Does Australia have an identity or are we just multiculturalism?

[The Bad Templar]

Actually, that's not what you said:

Women are considered women at 18 aren't they...where's the contradiction? Please point it out.

"Your kids can't wear the hajib if my kids can't wear a crucifix" isn't about your freedom, it's about petty jealosy.

Still purile I'm afraid.

And you are distorting my argument... I would not personalise the issue as me vs. muslim. I would demand equal rights from the authorities, which is what I have argued all along.

I would fight for the rights of the muslim and the jew if their children were being discriminated against in preference to my own children's religious (or racial) freedom. This is the principle I learn from the life of Deitrich Bonhoeffer, who unlike many Christians, stood up to the Nazi persecution of the Jews.

 

[The Bad Templar]

Perhaps we can learn something from the Sikhs....

However, the Minister of Divinity of Sikh Dharma who contacted LifeSiteNews.com explained that the action of the school against Morris was the "height of wrongful discrimination" since "I hold her commitment to wear her crucifix sacred in the same way that I choose to uphold my commitment to wear my kara each day." Minister Khala continued, "Ultimately, these kinds of outward reminders are symbols of our constant striving to remember God in all that we do. I ardently pray that this school may learn to appreciate and give encouragement to students who have learned the value of commitment in their lives."

http://catholicexchange.com/vm/index.asp?vm_id=31&art_id=31121

 

[ebia]

Women are considered women at 18 aren't they...where's the contradiction? Please point it out.

So children don't have a right to practice their faith anymore? Or is that just Muslim children?

Still purile I'm afraid.

And you are distorting my argument... I would not personalise the issue as me vs. muslim. I would demand equal rights from the authorities, which is what I have argued all along.

You have an equal right - to wear that which you believe to be required by your faith.

I don't have a problem with schools opening out to allowing a broader range of religious symbols, but I also understand why many choose to not - because it is rapidly abused into becoming jewelry for the sake of jewelry and it become very difficult to draw a line. To suggest it's a conspiracy against Christian children doesn't hold much water when Catholic schools have generally not allowed children to wear crosses and crucifixes but do allow the hajib. It's a pratical issue about what do we need to allow vs what keeps our rules enforceable.

I believe that all muslim children in Australia can be brought up in the muslim faith... however I believe that on an issue like modesty... the wider society should be reflected.

Because modesty isn't a big faith issue to you, but it is to many Muslims.

I don't believe that a young muslim girl has the capacity to voluntarily submit to a cultural modesty practice which influences her future sexuality and place in a patriarchal society.

So you don't really support the right of parents to bring up their children according to their religion unless you actually agree with the principles being taught.

And, as I've said before, my experience (from what I've seen in a variety of schools including Catholic schools and a Melbourne suburban government Girl's school that has a higher proportion of Muslim girls than any other in Melbourne) is that Muslim girls who wear the hijab are no growing up to endure male oppression than the general population. If anything, banning the hijab from state schools will force more of them into the Islamic schools where such prejudice will be reinforced.

In support, the Quranic and ahadith injunctions refer to women and modesty not children.

Women, in this sense, includes teenagers. Children at primary schools have no need to wear the hijab, but it does affect secondary schools.

You've completely ignored several things I've said, so I'm going to leave it here unless there are some new developments.

 

[Kris_J]

"There is no Australian identity just a mixture of different cultures and traditions"

Do you agree with this statement or disagree?

Spiritualgirl

There is an Australian identity - its history. Now it depends on how you interpret history - the Aborigines certainly do not interpret history in the same way as white Australians do. eg. bicentennial/white invasion day.

You will have a singular "australian identity" when you manage to have every single Australian agree on Australian history.

Another thing to consider: What does a "Cosmopolitan city" which (Sydney is one) mean to you?

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=cosmopolitan

 

[The Bad Templar]

You've completely ignored several things I've said, so I'm going to leave it here unless there are some new developments.

"Mr. Pot, Meet Mr. Kettle"

 

[Blessed-one]

*note: I didn't spend the time reading all 7 pages, so I'm just going to put my 2 cents in regarding the thread starter's question.


I'm currently doing a training course to teach migrants english with Mission Australia and we just had a very interesting session on culture. We were given a scenario of Australia sinking into the sea and how this poor African country (not made up!) is willing to accept every Australian. We were asked to write down what difficulties we'd face, what things we'd have to change and what we might not be able to change.

The one big thing in the 'not to change' column is religion.

and the other things that we should change are things like: attitudes, expectations, diet, manners etc etc.

as for attire, such as religion attire, we agree that it isn't important.

We discussed a bit about Australian custom, which stumped us. Then the teacher gave some examples. Such as a man would allow a woman into a lift first, a woman walks side-by-side with a man, hand shake and saying please and thanks (manners, common curtesy), don't ask people about how much they earn (money) etc etc. So yes, I believe there's something common in us all despite our different cultures. Let's face it, it's hard to come down with a single definition of an Australian culture. The land was originally an Aborginal land. White Europeans moved over, the other northern Europeans moved over, and so did Asians, Africans, Iranians etc etc, all with their own reasons.

But as a modern society, there's something that ties us together.

of course, as a modern society, it also produces some negative products like what someone has said 'greed'.