For Palestinians in Australia Eid can be a festival of betrayal

Just three days after Eid al Fitr, Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison released a statement in celebration of Israel’s so-called ‘Independence Day,’ declaring Australia’s promise to ‘stand by Israel every step of the way’. Describing Australia and Israel as ‘sovereign and free democratic nations,’ Morrison unequivocally repudiated the sovereignty Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here, and Indigenous Palestinians there.

In a statement released on the same day, Anthony Albanese, leader of the Labor opposition party, who recently claimed victory in the general election, sang Israel’s praises extending ‘friendship and support’.

I stumbled across these statements the day revered Palestinian journalist Shireen Abou Akleh’s was murdered by the Israeli military. I felt numb. Not only because another Palestinian has been murdered with impunity, but because as Palestinian diaspora communities advocating in Western countries, we must fight so hard for people to recognise our humanity, our right to resist, our right to speak out.

We must fight so hard to persuade ‘progressive’ journalists, academics and artists to support our liberation struggle, embrace the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. We must fight so hard to lobby politicians and persuade them that our cause is just and worth taking the inevitable risk of being defamed and vilified as antisemitic, with all the consequences that entails.

''We know in Western countries like Australia, Muslims and especially Palestinians, have little material power or lobbying clout. But we have moral power and need our so-called leaders to trust in it. We need them to remember their responsibility to pursue justice, speak truth to power, protect our communities from being exploited for political gain.''

What made matters worse, is that two weeks prior, at the Eid prayers held at two of Sydney’s most prominent mosques, it was our Muslim brothers and sisters in positions of leadership and influence, not our Zionist enemies, who betrayed us in our fight.

Among the politicians in attendance at one mosque was none other than Australia’s former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, one of Israel’s staunchest alibis and friends. He is credibly alleged to have urged his party to exploit anti-Muslim sentiment to win the 2011 election and is alleged to have won a preselection fight against his opponent in 2007 by suggesting his opponent was an electoral risk because “of rumours he was a Muslim” who was “being investigated”.

Attending alongside Morrison was one of the federal Liberal party’s most prominent former right-wing ministers, Alex Hawke. Over at the second major mosque, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, part of the State Liberal party’s conservative right faction, a defender of Israel, climate-change denier and Trump sympathiser, stood on the mosque front steps. Flanked by a group of Muslim men, he was given the platform to address a crowd of thousands of Muslims.

How do we make sense of this spectacle and festival of betrayal? How do we make sense of Muslims allowing these politicians to use the community as a shield and alibi for their Islamophobia, their Zionism, their racism? 

I oscillate between rage, pity and despair.

Undoubtedly, there are these who do so for the selfies and photo ops, the rubbing shoulders with the powerful. There is a seduction there for those who harbour a deeply internalised inferiority complex. Colonialism passes on intergenerational complexes and deeply sedimented emotional and cognitive postures. 

Marginalised, demonised and interiorised, there is a thrill in being ‘seen’ and ‘celebrated’ by those at the very top. The joyful festivities of Eid deliver the perfect PR moment for a community accustomed to being noticed mainly through a negative lens.

On social media pages I read countless messages by Muslims: “thank you for attending our prayers!” “We appreciate you taking the time to join us on Eid!” and so on. The contemptible politics of a Prime Minister, Immigration Minister or Premier are forgotten because of a deep longing to be accepted and approved.

What is painful about this is that the longing comes from knowing that those from whom acceptance and approval is sought are those with the power to withdraw it.

There are others, not interested in the selfies, but who nonetheless defend these politicians attending and speaking at our Eid prayers. Is it cognitive dissonance? Political naivety? Rub shoulders with Zionist-defending politicians one week; tsk tsk at Whatsapp videos showing the brutal moments of Shireen’s murder by Israeli military the next?

"We have to work with all sides.’’

“We know we’re being used but we must use them back”.

This exposes a truly remarkable short-term, morally bankrupt political strategy.

We know in Western countries like Australia, Muslims and especially Palestinians, have little material power or lobbying clout. But we have moral power and need our so-called leaders to trust in it. We need them to remember their responsibility to pursue justice, speak truth to power, protect our communities from being exploited for political gain.

What is so devastating is that some of these leaders genuinely believe they have a political strategy.

‘Realpolitik’, ‘a seat at the table’ etc. After two decades, has this worked? How many politicians have smiled over baklava at Eid and then locked our brothers and sisters in detention centres? Politely listened to the Eid Athan, and then released statements offering unequivocal support to Israel three days later?

Whilst Morrison, Hawke and Perrottet had everything to gain by crashing our Eid, the Muslim community had everything to lose. What possible leverage can a community wield over Islamophobic, racist, Zionist politicians who are celebrated and fawned over, instead of being shunned and condemned?

I guarantee Morrison and his colleagues were laughing at the Muslim community. ‘We insult them, vilify them, turn people against them, support regimes that oppress them and still they invite us to their prayers and let us speak to their crowds?!’ What Muslim community organisations and mosques did was self-destructive, emboldening these politicians to maintain their racist, Zionist policies and views.

As for Palestinians, the impact of these politicians attending our Eid prayers cannot be dismissed. It hurts. Deeply. How can we expect politicians or people in positions of influence to take the risk of supporting our cause especially at a time when governments are ramping up efforts to criminalise BDS, and adopt the IHRA Definition? How can we expect allyship and solidarity when our own Muslim leaders and Imams betray us? Can we dare to hope that in a month, when we attend Eid Al Adha prayers, our mosques and Imams will finally understand that the only political strategy worth pursuing in this world is one based on justice, truth-telling and dignity?

 

Randa Abdel-Fattah is a DECRA Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at Macquarie University researching the generational impact of the war on terror on post 9/11 youth and the award winning author of over 11 novels. 

Follow her on Twitter: @RandaAFattah 

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Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The New Arab, its editorial board or staff.