Rejecting intolerance

In April 2024 I was privileged to take part in an extraordinary event. In the midst of the Israel-Hamas war, I visited our partner school, the Leo Baeck Educational Centre in Haifa for their annual Iftar dinner that marks the end of the Islamic month of Ramadan.

This is a dinner in which members of the local Progressive, secular and Orthodox Jewish, Christian, Druze and Bahai communities come to celebrate together with the local Haifa Islamic community. It amazed me that amidst the tensions of what became the longest war in Israel’s history, that the multicultural city of Haifa came together and sang Shir Le Shalom (a song of peace).

I reflected at the time that “The shared humanity, mutual recognition and indeed, love that was palpable in the room tells a story of optimism and hope for a better future for all people in this fraught, complex, inspiring and beautiful country.”

I’ve been thinking about this during this week following Senator Pauline Hanson’s atrocious comments on Sky News where she said, “I’m sorry, how can you tell me there are good Muslims?”

It should be self-evident that such a statement grossly mischaracterises Australians of Islamic faith. It collectively demonises a diverse community and ignores the positive contributions of individual community members.

Our own community has suffered a gradual build up of antisemitism which has led to feelings of isolation, misunderstanding and disrespect. It worsened and worsened, becoming more flagrant and violent until it culminated in the worst terrorist attack committed on Australian soil.

I believe that our experience should inspire us to be extra vigilant and highly attuned to attacks on the sense of belonging of other communities. It is incumbent on us to reject intolerance and instead to stand in solidarity.

Indeed in the aftermath of Bondi, I was moved to read heartfelt solidarity messages directed to our community from the Islamic Schools Association of Australia and the Islamic Museum of Australia.

At our school, we encourage our students to be builders of the society that they want to live in. This must be characterised as a society based in respect, mateship and fairness. It pains me that an elected leader should act in a way that undermines these fundamental principles. I pray that all Australians reject such dehumanising generalisations of Muslim people and, rather, commit to an Australia where people of all faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds are valued despite their differences.

Shabbat Shalom,

Marc Light

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