Leading British Imam, Dr Abduljalil Sajid, and his wife Jamila visited Australia in 2006 as guests of Initiatives of Change on a mission to support efforts to build trust between Muslim and non-Muslim Australians. Imam Sajid, who is active with IofC’s Agenda for Reconciliation programme, was Chair of the Muslim Council for Religious and Racial Harmony, Vice-Chair of the UK chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace and Secretary of the UK Ethnic Minorities Representative Council.
Arriving in the wake of the Pope’s controversial speech in Regensberg quoting a Byzantine emperor on Muslims and violence, and landing in Sydney during the controversy over Sheikh Al-Hilaly’s comments on women’s dress, the Sajids’ visit attracted considerable interest, including many interviews on radio and television and in the press. While many interviews were focussed on current local controversies, Imam Sajid was always able to broaden minds with his approach:
First, it is necessary to include everyone in the dialogue, including those with ‘obnoxious’ views, rather than simply condemning. No group should be isolated, because isolation and alienation lead to extremism. Minorities need to be empowered more than controlled. Minorities too must claim their place in the wider society by showing their loyalty and participating actively in work for the common good. This is a commandment in Islam.
The Imam supported the call for sermons in mosques to be given in English, for the sake of the younger generation of Muslims and for the sake of integration (not assimilation) into the wider society. But non-Muslims need also to understand the importance of Arabic as the language of the Qur'an. Integration has to be a two-way street: both the minority and the wider community need to show more understanding.
If Australia can use its special advantages as a nation to achieve this it will be an important model for the world.
All this is backed up by the long track record of the Sajids as community ‘bridge-builders’. They have lived in, and understand, eastern and western societies, and in their 30 years in Britain have been pro-active in reaching out to those different from themselves. The examples of their work at local and national level in the UK have been instructive and encouraging to Australian officials and ordinary citizens working to develop our multicultural society.
The following brief reports are from the different cities they visited:
Perth
Four hours after his arrival in Perth from Indonesia Imam Dr Sajid’s first appointment was a live broadcast on ABC Radio 720. From there he went to the Mirrabooka Mosque and spoke to several hundred Friday worshippers. The previous week this mosque had been subjected to a drive-by shooting as worshipers, including women and children, prayed inside. Their third event that day was a symposium at the University of Western Australia convened by The Centre for Muslim States and Societies.
The following day, Saturday 7 October, an interfaith evening titled Gateways to Building Community based on integrity and trust drew 180 people from Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. State Premier Alan Carpenter met with the Sajids over a lunch in Parliament House graciously hosted by the Hon. Kim Beazley Snr and Mrs Beazley. Mrs Jamila Sajid joined a group of Perth women for an afternoon tea, telling many fascinating stories of her life including luncheon with Queen Elizabeth and addressing a gathering of several thousand people at a book launching in Pakistan. The agenda of the regular meeting of the ‘Western Australian Heads of Churches’ was amended, to enable Imam Sajid to speak to and engage in conversation with those present.
Adelaide
The Sajids reached out to the Adelaide community through a public meeting; a visit to Flinders University to talk to about 100 Muslim students during Friday prayers and later to speak with academics; a small group meeting for those interested in furthering interfaith dialogue; individual interviews and five radio and press interviews. The public meeting was held in partnership with IofC and St Pauls City Ministry and was chaired by independent state MP, Kris Hanna. Around 140 people attended from a wide cross section of the Adelaide community – Police, Family Court, Equal Opportunities Commission, Immigration, Public Service, Business, Church representatives, along with the Muslim and Jewish communities. The Topic was Why Terror? There is an alternative - Creating trust and developing community based on common values.
Brisbane
More than 60 people attended a dialogue on Islam and the middle way – Why terror? Is there no alternative? at the Multi-Faith Centre in Brisbane’s Griffith University. They included Christian ministers, lay people and several Muslim imams. Dr Sajid was welcomed by pro-Vice Chancellor, Professor Max Standage and introduced by Professor Toh Swee-Hin, director of the Multi-Faith Centre. Skillfully fielding questions on the Middle East, Imam Sajid said that the world’s problems could not be solved by simply blaming others but that moves towards peace would need to be based on a ‘change first in ourselves’. The next day, Dr Sajid spoke to the Local Government Association of Queensland, drawing on his own experiences as a Muslim trying to build community in the UK.
Gold Coast
Elanora Uniting Church hosted an evening for the Sajids to speak on Being a Muslim in the West chaired by Duncan MacLeod. In his blog, http://www.pacifichighlander.postkiwi.com, MacLeod reported on the event, commenting: ‘The story that stays with me is the impact of hospitality on Imam Sajid’s life and work. Staying in a London hostel [the] Imam was forming a poor impression of life in the UK. Coming from a large gregarious family he was used to lively conversation. But in his first year in London he only encountered people intent on maintaining privacy, whether that be in the hostel, on public transport or in lectures. It wasn’t until he responded to an invitation for a Christmas home stay that he discovered a family that lived out values of dialogue, service and hospitality. The family turned out to be that of a Christian minister. It was in his interaction with this family that Imam discovered in himself a passion for living a life of passionate faith, more than the loyal submission he’d been living up to that point. From that point he set up Islamic societies and became involved in interfaith projects that helped form a warmer environment for migrants… I came away from the gathering encouraged to keep on taking initiative in building relationships with people in my own community, despite my own fears of rejection or feelings of discomfort.’
Sydney
The Sajids' nine-day visit to Sydney (20-29 October 2006) had been set up over several months by the hosting team, but many things came together at the last minute. It so happened that the Imam's good friend from UK, Sir Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth, was also visiting Sydney and warmly welcomed him to a reception at the Great Synagogue where he was meeting a dozen other Jewish and interfaith representatives. There was a mounting wave of media interest, thanks initially to the press releases sent out to 55 outlets by Ken and Trish Harrison.
With the issue of government pressure for local imams to preach in English, and later the controversy over Sheikh Hilaly's sermon on women's dress which was publicised in front-page articles in The Australian and in other media, there was much response to Imam Sajid's sensitive voice of reason from an Islamic perspective. In contrast, the London Times correspondent grossly misinterpreted his restraint as support for Sheikh Hilaly's remarks. John Laws (Radio 2UE) spoke to him for 20 minutes in an almost completely constructive interview and expressed his admiration at the end. Altogether there were 7 radio interviews, 5 press articles (plus mentions in other news stories) and 3 television appearances. Rachael Kohn interviewed the Imam for Radio National's The spirit of things (broadcast 5 and 6 November).
One of the first Sydney events was a women's tea party at the home of Lao Australians, especially to hear from Jamila Sajid.
In the suburb of Mosman where the Sajids stayed they were received by the Mayor. A public meeting in Mosman's Community Centre drew a crowd of 120 at short notice, including media people and social activists. The next day the NSW Community Relations Commission arranged a breakfast hosted by the NSW Minister on Citizenship, for the Imam to speak to 10 heads of State Government Departments (held in a beautiful reception room with a panoramic view of Sydney Harbour). Later in the morning he was welcomed to the Parliament by the Speaker and spoke to a group of MPs who had come to meet him over morning tea. The Sajids then called at Government House and met the popular Governor of NSW, Prof Marie Bashir.
The Imam spoke in four of the city's main mosques and Islamic centres: Dee Why, Annangrove, Lakemba and Rooty Hill, and addressed a group of Christian academics at Macquarie University. His visit reinforced the ongoing work of bridgebuilding between Sydney's many communities which had happened recently through the series of Muslim-Christian community dialogues, the women's Peace Circles, and an international Initiatives of Change conferences. The Sajids visit continued in Canberra, Wagga Wagga and Melbourne.
On 11 November they flew to New Zealand and then on to Fiji where they participated in an IofC conference there.
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