Fear and hate
Let’s just say that I am a Muslim woman of middle-eastern origin. My husband and I have lived in Australia for 15 years. We are the proud parents of a young son aged five. Shahrdad is dark, charismatic and asks us lots of questions and we would do anything to protect our son.
We regularly travel back to Tehran to catch up with extended family and immerse our son in culture and language.
What will he have observed as the norm for him and his family by the time he is ten and the new anti-terror laws come under review? Will he think that all Australians spend anywhere up to three hours getting out of ’security’ at the airport after their arrival back from an overseas trip? Will he learn from us that venturing out in our white van causes suspicion?
What I am to tell him of our chosen homeland when, at the sunset clause stage of these new anti-terror laws, he is 15 and he has been stopped again and again, since he was 13.
How will I explain assimilation to him when none of his ‘white’ friends want to go out with him as they are sick of getting stopped by the cops?
"[…] that a particular suburb, there’s a threat about to emerge from that, or you’ve got credible intelligence information that some group of people in a white van are going around the countryside and they’ve got explosives on board. It gives you the capacity to search any white van, for example, if you put this act into place. It gets an instant response from the police. Now the Federal Government’s not talking about that, but they should be." – Kim Beazley
And how am I going to explain the concept of an opposition to him without him laughing out loud?
September 28th, 2005 at 10:05 am
The biggest bomb we have in this country at the moment is the opposition.
The biggest test for these anti-terrorist laws is going to be the Commonwealth Games when our streets are going to be full of “terrorist looking” athletes.
September 28th, 2005 at 10:34 am
“Yesterday, London and Madrid. Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Allah willing. And this time, don’t count on us demonstrating restraint or compassion.”
September 28th, 2005 at 11:55 am
Ferntree Gully, Victoria on your birth certificate?
September 28th, 2005 at 1:02 pm
Yes, true blue me.
September 28th, 2005 at 1:19 pm
Small blog world. William Angliss Hospital?
September 28th, 2005 at 2:23 pm
Yes. I go back to the gully regularly to check in on the olds.
September 28th, 2005 at 8:08 pm
Suki, we have a white Hi-Ace van.
All protest stickers, now peeled off.
Should we now feel safe from local, Maxwell Smarts?
Let’s face it.
The war on ‘errorism’,(sic,us), seems endless.
September 28th, 2005 at 8:36 pm
Can you imagine a time if you sell your van and your ad says,
“…as far as white vans go this one is highly inconspicuous with limited capsicum spray residue and no baton damage.”
September 28th, 2005 at 10:51 pm
My friends, it’s time…
White Vannists United Against Tyrrany!!
September 29th, 2005 at 5:25 pm
What about the ‘Vanesta Liberation Front’?
Weezil, let’s face it, your suggestion would pass all security checks. The first word, “White” , would help Maxwell Smart know we are all good .
Very clever and my suggestion dropped.
September 30th, 2005 at 12:00 am
Joe, dunno.. “White Van Pride” has kind of a ring to it… and you could cheaply modify neo-nazi ‘white pride’ stuff with a marker to save on printing costs.