Consultations Homepage || Meeting Notes: 4 June 2003
Consultation with Maronite Youth Organisation at Our Lady of Lebanon Church (Harris Park, Sydney), 4 June 2003
The meeting was attended by 12 invited participants from the Maronite Youth Organisation, the youth group of Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Harris Park, Sydney.
The meeting was facilitated by Omeima Sukkarieh and Susanna Iuliano (notes) from HREOC.
1. What are your experiences of discrimination and vilification?
General
Experiences of discrimination and vilification varied among participants. One participant explained, “I’ve never experienced discrimination…” and felt there had been no rise in discrimination or vilification against people of Lebanese background. However, most participants reported experiencing some form of discrimination or prejudice because of their appearance or perceived ethnicity or religion. Many felt that this discrimination stems from the broader public’s failure to distinguish between Lebanese of Christian and Muslim background or between Arabic speaking groups of different ethnic origins.
“At first they discriminate against you because you look like a ‘wog’ – then since September 11, everyone discriminates against you because you look like a Muslim.”
“People assume I’m Italian. When I say I’m Lebanese they ask, ‘Are you Christian or Muslim?’”
“Forget for a minute Muslim and Arab – everyone sees Lebanese. They do it to give us a bad image. Most Arabs call themselves Lebanese, giving us a bad image.”
“People think Muslims or Catholics – we’re all the same…”
Some participants felt that prejudice and discrimination against them increased after September 11 while others felt that reporting of the Lebanese gang rapes in Western Sydney in late 2001 had more influence in shaping prejudice.
“After September 11 it went to a new level – people think you’re different.”
“The gang rapes were worse than September 11…”
At work
Only some participants had experienced discrimination in their workplaces.
“I come from a multicultural workplace of 300 people. They can distinguish between religions. They can distinguish between an Arab, a Christian, a Phoenician, a Muslim. The people I interact with know the difference between fundamentalist and mainstream. Educated people know the difference – they read the papers.”
“Working at Pizza Hut you get lots of discrimination between Lebanese and Aussies.”
More participants felt that discrimination was more of an issue in seeking employment. Several participants believed that advertising their Arabic language skills or Lebanese origin to a potential employer could jeopardise their chances of being hired.
“I’m hesitant to say I’ve experienced discrimination, but when I was looking for a job my resume said I spoke Arabic. I didn’t get one interview. Then when I took this off my resume I got 4 interviews. It might have been a coincidence…”
“I’ve actually said I was not Lebanese at one stage, just that ‘I am Australian’…”
“Sometimes it’s too difficult to say you’re Lebanese because you can’t be bothered backing it up explaining, ‘Well I’m Lebanese Maronite’.”
At school
No participants reported that discrimination at school was a problem.
“Our parents’ intention was that we fit into mainstream Australia. At school, when we got to a certain age, we hung out with everyone…”
Several of the male participants explained that discrimination was more related to ‘place’ rather than ‘race’. Rivalries between groups grew out of differences related to where parents originated from in Lebanon and where young people were raised and educated in Australia.
“More problems happen within groups – not between groups.”
“It’s about where you came from – Granville or Parramatta - not race…”
“Amongst Lebanese there is discrimination according to what village you or your parents come from…”
In shopping centres, banks, government offices etc
Participants felt that discrimination in Sydney was strongly related to the social structure and physical layout of the city. This impacted on their sense of safety and feeling of belonging in certain areas around the city, particularly outside of the western suburbs.
“Sydney is socially segregated by neighbourhoods – people don’t go out further west.”
“I work in North Sydney and it [discrimination] is definitely there. If I walk into a bank in a suit, I get weird looks. You do sense something different because you look Arab.”
Another issue raised by several participants was about access to services (such as banking and government agencies) by non-English speaking people. One participant explained the difficulties he faced interpreting for his parents and felt that private companies should be more responsive to the needs of their non-English speaking clientele by allowing nominated family members to assist with transactions on their parents’ behalf.
“My parents struggle with services because they can’t speak English. Banking is difficult when English is not there – you have to solve their problems all the time…Centrelink has interpreters – they make an effort, but Telstra don’t cater for it. I don’t think companies should necessarily provide interpreters but they should allow a nominated person to translate on behalf of parents.”
In the street or on public transport
Only one participant reported an incident on public transport:
“My sister and I were returning from the city on the train and a man was pointing at us calling us ‘wogs’ and saying to his little kids ‘wogs bring trouble!’.”
Another participant, a Maronite Sister, mentioned how she often receives negative comments from fellow motorists and passers-by because of her religious attire. She felt that wearing the Maronite Sister’s habit makes her a conspicuous target for discrimination, especially on the road.
In the media
Participants were keen to comment on media misrepresentations of Lebanese in Sydney. Both ethnic and mainstream media were seen to be perpetuating stereotypes and fostering prejudice towards and amongst Lebanese Australians.
“All ethnic and mainstream papers have their own agenda. The media is corrupt – you can’t do anything about it full stop. What can we do? We cop it all the time? We just keep taking it and the kids do the best they can. We just need to grin and bear it.”
“My dad listens to Lebanese radio. Misconceptions are out there everywhere. Ethnic people do the same kinds of discrimination to other ethnic groups – they dish it out too.”
Participants also felt that the media was reluctant to publish positive stories about people of Lebanese background and cited this as an example of discrimination. For example, the Maronite Youth Organisation found it extremely difficult to get media coverage of a fund-raising exercise in which they raised $180,000 for the Millennium Foundation (a charity for leukemia research). The group found it so difficult to attract media attention that in the end a private sponsor paid for an article about the fund-raising drive to be published in the Daily Telegraph.
“The media are so quick to say anything negative about the Lebanese community, but are so reluctant in putting up their tremendous efforts in bettering the whole community.”
Police
Several of the young male participants felt they are scrutinised by police in their cars or in public spaces.
“I’ve seen people walk into the football and be searched for knives...”
“They definitely target Arabic looking youth – and tarnish everyone with the same brush…”
However, another participant argued that police target all youth, not just Arabic speaking young people.
“Police just struggle generally with young people anyway – kids are rebellious.”
2. What is being done to fight anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice and discrimination?
Maronite Youth Organisation
Participants described how in 2002 they had raised $180,000 for the Millennium Foundation, a charity that funds treatment of leukaemia. The group raised money through social functions such as harbour cruises, cabarets, dance parties, golf days and charity collections at the youth mass held every Sunday at Our Lady of Lebanon. The group felt that efforts like these helped to counter stereotypes perpetuated by media reporting of the Sydney gang rapes. However, they found it extremely difficult to gain any public recognition for their fund-raising efforts from the media.
NSW Police IMPACT Project
Participants described their involvement in the NSW Police Service’s IMPACT (Innovative Models of Police and Community Training) program (formerly known until September 2002 as the Police and Community Training Program.) The aim of IMPACT is to raise awareness among police and youth service providers of the unique issues faced by young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and ensure the provision of appropriate services. One participant explained how the Maronite Youth Organisation took part in a training package based in Parramatta with the police which aimed to break down cultural barriers and inform young people about their rights and responsibilities. The project is now being adopted in other police Local Area Commands in Sydney.
3. What more could be done to fight anti-Arab and anti-Muslim prejudice and discrimination?
The meeting proposed the following strategies for achieving some of the six objectives identified by the Isma project.
Promoting positive public awareness
While participants felt it was important to increase cross-cultural understanding about other religions, they felt this was best done socially rather than in a formal educational setting.
“Forcing kids to learn about other religions will not work. It will only work if it’s not force fed and done socially.”
“When we studied religion [at school], we hated it. We wanted to know about our Maronite religion but not others.”
Challenging stereotypes
Participants felt a strong need for more positive media representation of Lebanese Australians. The need for more positive commentary from politicians was seen as key to challenging stereotypes effectively.
“We need more positive stories about what the community contributes – you don’t hear it…”
“Bob Carr’s comments don’t help – he shouldn’t paint everyone with the same brush.”
Providing community support
Participants felt that practical support for the community has improved in recent times with the provision of a state government funded youth worker.
Strengthening relationships between communities
Networking with other agencies representing young people was seen as vital. More generally, the group also felt it was important for representatives of the Maronite Church in Australia to engage with people outside the Lebanese community. Participants provided an example of how this was done during the 25th anniversary of the parish when Bishop Ad Abikaram invited members from the broader community to the celebrations.
