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Transcript of Oral History
C R E A T E D B Y 7 B B A S S H I G H 2 012
HomeTalking to Islamic
Migrants
Table of Contents
1
1
Acknowledgments 2
Wafa’s Story 3
Khaled’s Story 5
Badih’s Story 7
Mrs Abbas’ Story 9
Amna’s Story 11
Hillal’s Story 13
C H A P T E R 2
Acknowledgements
Bass High School teacher Ms Koutzas wanted to create an oppor89nit: for st9dents to inter-‐
act with their local communit: while meeting their histor: syllabus outcomes. Such an oppor-‐
89nit: arose in histor:, whereby year 7 st9dents were beginning a topic on Islam. Aster consul-‐
tation with the class teacher Mr Kelly, it was decided that a relevant task for year 7 st9dents
would be to focus on Muslim migHants’ interactions with the West. As this book has shown,
this task has been an enriching exLerience for ever:one involved.
Specifically, teachers decided to organise an oral histor: project where st9dents Oom Mr
Kelly’s year 7 histor: class would interPiew Muslim AustHalians about their exLeriences as first
generation and second generation migHants. The Communit: Liaison Officer – IngHid Winter
and the director of Bankstown Youth Development SerPices (BYDS) – Tim CarHoll, helped or-‐
ganise the following generous people to come to the school in order to be interPiewed by the
year 7 st9dents: Zoubaida Abbas, Wafa Zaim, Amna Elghoul, Khaled Sukkarieh, Badih
Habib and Hillal Kara-‐Ali.
This oral histor: project allowed the year 7 histor: st9dents to develop their interPiewing
and writing skills as well as increase their confidence when interacting with members of the
communit:. Last, and by no means least, this project allowed histor: st9dents to appreciate
the breadth of events exLerienced by the different members of the AustHalian Islamic commu-‐
nit: and their interaction and integHation into AustHalian societ:.
2
I N T E R V I E W 1
Wafa’s Story
Wafa Zaim, a Lebanese born Australian Muslim, is the current Centre Manager of
the Muslim’s Women’s Association, an association which she helped found in 1983.
Both her and her husband decided to immigrate to Australia from Syria with
their 2 children 30 years ago.
When Wafa first came to Aus-
tralia, learning English was not
too difficult since she had a
background in French. It was hard moving to a new country but she felt very wel-
come in her new neighbourhood at Georges Hall. She also felt very comfortable and
at home when she moved to Belfield. Her and her family lived there for 7 years.
Wafa’s neighbours in both Belfield and Georges Hall played a large role in Wafa
feeling so welcome and at home in Australia. Although they did not speak Arabic,
they made an effort to assist Wafa and her family in their settling. Wafa felt very
safe in Australia and loved it because the landscape and weather reminded her of
her home back in Lebanon.
Wafa misses her family and relatives who are still in both Lebanon and Syria, but
is glad she can keep in contact with them via the internet. She is able to contact
3
them much more frequently these days because of the introduction of things like
Facebook and Skype.
Wafa has travelled to many countries around the world but feels very at home in
Australia. However, she did identify 2 main changes in the last thirty years since she
migrated to Australia, one positive and one negative.
One positive change is in the equity and accessibility of services in Australia. Ex-
emplified in services for new migrants, interpreter services and access to govern-
ment and non-government agencies.
The main negative change involves the sense of safety and security people previ-
ously felt compared to now. People used to leave money at the front door for the
milkman and the newspaper, whereas now you do not feel safe walking down the
street after sunset.
Wafa really enjoys her work at the Muslim Women’s Association because she has
the chance to help and influence so many people in the community – both the Mus-
lim community and the wider community. Wafa believes that education is very impor-
tant, and is very proud of her own educational achievements as well as her children’s
achievements. There are numerous Masters Degrees in the family. She was a private
school teacher when she first came to Australia . When she became a Social Worker
at the Muslim Women’s Association she organised English lessons, parenting classes
and other social services for many Muslim women.
Wafa has had many great experiences over the
years and has enjoyed contributing to the Islamic
and Australian community. Wafa also believes that
multiculturalism in Australia is one of the country’s
greatest achievements, due to the way it encour-
ages belonging and integration in the community.
4
I N T E R V I E W 2
Khaled’s Story
Khaled was born in 1964, in Lebanon and moved to Australia at the age
of 14 in 1978. He had to get to Egypt with 5 siblings and his parents to get
his visa to go to Australia. He felt excited and upset because he left his
family and friends behind to come to a different country.
Khaled learnt English in Brisbane and attended Oxley high school in
Brisbane, where he lived in Milton a street away from Suncorp stadium.
Khaled lived in Brisbane for a year before moving to Parramatta in Sydney
with his family in 1979 where he attended school years 8-12.
Multiculturalism was very good back then. He wants his children to em-
brace multiculturalism. His country has a lot of history and he wants his chil-
dren to be proud of a having a Lebanese heritage. Although he has a new
family in Australia he misses his grandparents In Lebanon. He has four sis-
ters, with three in Australia and one overseas.
Khaled also helps his local community by being involved in Islamic organi-
sations. He is currently a project manager and a trainer. He volunteers in
the Islamic council of NSW. He used to work for Telstra for 18 years but re-
5
cently his job was made redundant. As a child he wanted to be a lot of
things like a football player and many more things but it was many years
ago so he can’t remember. He recommends that everyone should have a
goal and it is important to have a dream.
He always thinks about his past and won-
ders what life would be like if he didn’t move to
Australia. He felt strange visiting Lebanon be-
cause he has been in Australia for a long time.
He went to Istanbul, Rome and Mecca, as he
likes to travel a lot. In some countries there were mosques that were up to a
thousand years old. Khaled likes to travel be-
cause you have the chance to meet different
people from different cultures. Out of all the
places he has travelled, his favourite place is
Mecca and his favorite food is gelato.
Khaled wants us to be grateful for what we have because there are
poorer people that don’t have the education, clean places to live and food
that we have. Lebanon and Mecca are Khaled’s favorite places. He remem-
bers praying on the steps and street outside the mosque in Mecca, where
there seemed to be millions of peopleat the Hajj (pilgrimage).
Khaled has 4 children and encourages them to value education and to
travel to Lebanon to learn about their culture and heritage. In Lebanon he-
experienced many deaths and tragedies and he was very sad but helped
when he could.
6
I N T E R V I E W 3
Badih’sStory
Badih Habib, a 57 year old man who migrated from Lebanon, does not
show his years. Mr Habib migrated to Australia when the war broke out in
Lebanon, where he worked as a teacher. As the war spread to his area he
had the urge to move to a peaceful country and decided to choose Austra-
lia. He arrived here in 1977, at the young age of 22. He also decided to move
to Australia because he had family here.
Mr Habib first worked for a week in a carpet
factory when he came to Australia. He later
worked in an electrical business for 20 years. Mr
Habib highly values education and now works as
a Community Liaison Officer at Bass Hill Public
School. This seems to be a very fitting job for
somebody who values community and parental
involvement in student education. Mr Habib has also been involved in count-
less parent information sessions and Parent and Community meetings at
Bass High school, where he now is the Vice-President of the P and C asso-
ciation. He believes it is essential for parents to be involved in their chil-
7
dren’s education and that requires them to support school events and at-
tend information nights that would benefit their child’s future.
When he first arrived in Aus-
tralia he had to gesture with his
hands to make himself under-
stood when buying food and
water. This was a difficult expe-
rience at first, so he tried his
best to learn English when he attended English classes. His English im-
proved considerably and he was able to communicate without any prob-
lems, and now he is able to represent and interact with parents as they help
their children at school.
Mr Habib went to Lebanon for holiday in 2008. He misses many as-
pects of Lebanon, but he wants his children to
stay in Australia because he has been in Austra-
lia for more years than he has spent in Lebanon
and he believes there are more economic and so-
cial opportunities in Australia.
Mr Habib likes the level of multiculturalism in
Australia but believes politics should not be
brought too much into the policy and the de-
bate as this can cause tension among differ-
ent groups and identities in Australia.
8
I N T E R V I E W 4
Mr’s Abbas’ Story قصة السيدة عباسMrs Abbas is a kind, polite woman who is the mother of current and former
Bass High students. She is a gentle person, with lovely manners, and she
was happy to share her story with us.
Mrs Abbas was born in Lebanon and was one
of 11 children. She moved to Australia at the age
of 15, due to the civil war in Lebanon. She felt
that Australia would be a safe place for her, and
she was excited about coming here though sad to
leave her family. She really looked forward to seeing the Opera House.
After she had been in Australia for three months, she married. Austra-
lia was a chance to make a new life, and although there were difficulties liv-
ing in a new country, and having to learn a new language and way of life,
she believed that Australia would provide opportunities for her and her
family that were not available in Lebanon due to the war.
Children are a huge part of Mrs Abbas’ life, and it is not surprising to
find that she has nine children. Raising her chil-
dren well means everything to her and it is a full
time job. The family spend most of their time to-
gether and on their farms. One of the main
crops they harvest is tobacco.
9
Mrs Abbas believes that education is important, and she has taught her
children to respect their teachers and to value education. Two of her sons
are studying law and she is very proud of them. While the children are at
school or university, she cooks and cleans. There is not a lot of time for
other activities, but Mrs Abbas is very happy to serve the family.
Cooking takes up a large part of her day, and a huge plate of food is
prepared each evening to feed all eleven people in the family. As some peo-
ple like different things, she often prepares
more than one type of dish. Mrs Abbas enjoys
weekends, where the family gets together with
her brother or sisters’ family for lunch. At
these lunches, there are more than 20 children.
Although she is only 37 years old, she has
older children and one of them, Rayanne, is married and expecting a baby.
Mrs Abbas is looking forward to being a grandmother.
Mrs Abbas teaches her children about their religion, Islam, and how it is
important to be kind and to do the right thing by others. She prefers that
they spend time at home together, rather than going out with friends.
Mrs Abbas is extremely generous. When she realised that some of the
students had never tasted Lebanese food, she made
us a delicious lunch of chicken, rice and nuts with a
large bowl of salad. We wish that Mrs Abbas had been
able to share the meal with us. She is such a friendly,
caring person, and we are pleased that she shared her story with us.
10
I N T E R V I E W 5
Mrs Amna Elghoul is currently a Primary school teacher, who works
at Auburn Public School. She also works at the Muslim Women’s Society
in her spare time. Overall she is a determined, intelligent and friendly
woman, who has made valuable contributions to both her religion as well
as her community. Her father came to Australia when he was in primary
school due to the civil war in Lebanon. She has two small children, which
makes them fourth generation Lebanese. Amna considers Australia her
home and is excited about the opportunities that this provides for her chil-
dren’s future. She hopes to integrate the Australian way of life with her
Lebanese and Islamic heritage, because this is a major part of her life.
To begin her wonderful story we will start
with her struggles in the first years of her life. It
all began in Auburn West Primary School and
this was a bright beginning for her early life.
There was no such thing as bullying or racism
in Primary School. However, things changed by
the time she got to high school. Amna believes
that the tragic events of the September 11 ter-
rorist attacks affected the way some people see Muslims around the
world. She experienced and saw racism after the attacks on New York.
Amna’s Story
11
Amna believes the media has not always played a positive role in represent-
ing Muslims and their beliefs.
Moving to high school was a major event in her life. But it was unfortu-
nately very hard for her, because back when she
was a teenager, the image of Muslim people was
dark in everyone’s mind. Even so, with her great de-
termination and her family’s encouragements, she
pulled through those difficult times.
She did extremely well in her HSC, and continued her education by at-
tending University.At university, she chose to be what she loved most, a Pri-
mary School Teacher. Her family placed little to no pressure on her and it
was probably this reason why she also achieved great results at University.
She once again, after finishing University, visited her old Primary School.
This is where she began her teaching career.
At present, as mentioned above, she still works at Auburn Public
School. Her goal now is to make a difference to the thinking of the
younger generation. In her spare time, she dedicated her talents and expe-
rience to the Muslim Women Society. This is where they provide ESL (Eng-
lish Second Language) classes for both adults and children and provide
other important educational and social activities for Muslim women in the
community.
12
I N T E R V I E W 6
Hillal ’s Story
Hillal is a 22 year old male whose parents came as refugees from
Lebanon. They wanted to give their children a better life and escape
the civil war in Lebanon. Australia was a peaceful country full of prom-
ise and opportunity.
They have spent the last 17 years in Gran-
ville. It is Hillal’s favourite place and this is
where he attended school. This area feels
like home to him.
Hillal has plenty of relatives in Lebanon.
He considers them to be very hospitable,
but doesn’t want to return there because he considers Australia home.
He has created his own personal history here now
and has many memories. It is no surprise that he
feels that this is the place for his future family and
ambitions.
Hillal sees Australia as an amazing place due to
its great diversity and many identities. He believes
13
the policy of Multiculturalism has worked well in Australia because it is a
place where everyone is accepted for their
uniqueness rather than be judged for being dif-
ferent from others.
Hillal is proud of his family history and wants
to preserve it and pass it on to his own family
one day.
Religion plays a major part in Hillal’s life. It influences and motivates all
his decisions. His belief in Islam impacts on how sees the world and the deci-
sions he makes for his future.
Hillal really values education. At the moment he is about to complete a
Master’s degree.
14