Muslim Community

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:46): Recently, I was asked about my new job as a politician after a long media career. My response was that it is the best and most rewarding job I have held because of the engagement with various sections of our community in the metropolitan area and in the regions, and trying to achieve solutions and positive outcomes that improve people's lives. This job has opened my eyes to a new world of issues and experiences, and I am learning something different and new each day.

Last month, I attended my first ever iftar dinner to celebrate Ramadan with the Muslim community. I was unfamiliar with the traditions surrounding Ramadan. It is celebrated every year by Muslims around the world and is linked to the sighting of the new crescent moon that signifies the first official day of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the most sacred month in the Islamic culture. It started on 5 May.

The naming of Ramadan stems from the Arabic root 'ar-ramad', which means scorching heat. During Ramadan, Muslims aim to grow spiritually and build stronger relationships with Allah. Fasting is obligatory for all Muslims, except for the ill, pregnant, travelling, elderly or menstruating. Since the Prophet Mohammad broke his fast with dates and a glass of water, Muslims eat dates.

An iftar dinner is a fast-breaking dinner that takes place every night during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The first dinner was conducted by the Dialogue Institute of Australia and Pinnacle College at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 20 May, and it was well attended by many of my parliamentary colleagues. Being an Islamic practice, iftars have often been Muslim-only events. It is customary to invite whoever is fasting, whether the person is a close friend or a distant relative.

However, DIA and Pinnacle College took this tradition one step further and opened it up to non-Muslims. It was an enjoyable and informative evening, speaking to and hearing from various members of the Muslim community about their traditions, with which many Australians would be unfamiliar.

My second dinner was last Saturday at the Ahmadiyyan Mosque at Beverley. Again, this event was attended by MPs, councillors and members of other faiths, including Hindu and Catholic, where we all spoke about our own fasting traditions before sitting down to enjoy a fast-breaking dinner. This was also a groundbreaking event because the mosque invited Aboriginal elder, Uncle Tamaru, to conduct a Welcome to Country ceremony. This was the first time it had ever been done in a mosque.

I was unaware of the exemplary work of our Ahmadiyyan community. I am told that there are about 800 members in South Australia, who mostly emanate from Pakistan. They also invited me to their youth association forum and I was amazed to hear of the breadth of their volunteering. On Clean Up Australia Day, they cleared 2.2 tonnes of rubbish from our streets and parks. They have planted thousands of trees, take part in the Red Cross doorknock, make blood donations, assist the Salvation Army in its feeding the homeless initiative and take part in an annual winter appeal, where they distribute food and other necessities to the needy.

They are also involved in the Muslims Down Under movement, which is designed to better inform and educate mainstream Australians to what Muslims believe in. That message includes loyalty to Australia; freedom of conscience, speech and religion; separation of state and religion; power and equality to women; no discrimination; no terrorism; and service to humanity. Their slogan is quite impressive too: love for all, hatred for none.

This kind of work goes on quietly and is largely unrecognised and unheralded by the wider community. More importantly, it serves to break down many misconceptions and prejudices that still exist about Islam and Muslims. Ramadan concluded yesterday and now Muslims are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, three days of festivities where Muslims gather to pray, eat, exchange gifts and pay their respects to deceased relatives.