Lisa Macdonald
"In these bleak times of war, terror and hate-mongering, the sight of thousands of Muslim and Middle Eastern-background Australians marching side by side with non-Muslims against Israel's brutal attacks on the people of Lebanon and Gaza was tremendously inspiring", said Margarita Windisch, an activist with Melbourne Stop the War coalition and the Socialist Alliance candidate for Footscray in the Victorian elections.
The anti-war rallies around Australia over July and August not only gave a public voice to the widespread opposition to US and Australian militarism, they were also a public affirmation of the solidarity of ordinary people in the face of rampant racism and fearmongering.
"It took courage, and a strong commitment to justice, for the thousands of Muslim and Middle East-background Australians to join those rallies", Windisch told Green Left Weekly. "After five years of vilification in the capitalist media, secret ASIO surveillance and middle-of-the-night raids and arrests, it isn't surprising that so many have been terrorised into silence. Deciding to speak out, and organise, against unjust government policies takes enormous courage."
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks it is easier for non-Muslims and those not from Arabic backgrounds to protest against the Australian government's wars and occupations, and resist the assault on civil liberties being justified by the "war on terror". This is because state and federal governments are keen to demonise Arabic-speaking peoples as either "potential terrorists" or "terrorists".
Those who don't face the same sorts of pressures have a responsibility to match the courage and commitment of our sisters and brothers who risk a lot more when they protest, Windisch argued. "Our resistance and solidarity - in the campaigns, at the rallies, in classrooms and workplaces - is the best antidote to those who are attempting to intimidate and silence us", Windisch added.
Since 2001, the Socialist Alliance has campaigned against the imperialists' wars - on the peoples of the Middle East, on Muslims in Australia and overseas and on democratic rights. Socialist Alliance has organised with others in cities and country towns, in outer suburbs and on campuses, in the trade unions and other social movements to expose the institutionalised racism, and fight back against the major parties' xenophobia and Islamophobia.
"This racist terror war on the peoples of the Middle East, and all Muslims, can be beaten back. But we must continue to break the silence, and commit to keep organising with the communities under fire. Solidarity between the oppressed - regardless of ethnic background or religion - is a powerful tool in fighting for a just peace", Windisch concluded.
[Lisa Macdonald is the national coordinator of Socialist Alliance.]