Reflections on Bondi

Tell the truth

In light of a second Bondi massacre, this time targeting the Jewish community celebrating Hanukkah, I believe we all need to double down on truth telling.

I don’t like to talk about issues broader than feminism, because I’ve deliberately become political active in a single-issue campaign. I have felt compelled in recent years to come out and speak clearly about my support for the Jewish community in the face of rising antisemitism in the world and particularly in Australia.

A number of people became friendly with me in gender critical circles, knowing that I am part of a Muslim Lebanese community through my marriage. Because of my outspoken love for the Lebanese people, and my expressed wishes for the prosperity of the Lebanese nation, erroneous assumptions were made about my support for terrorist organisations, that I was keen to correct. I know and love a lot of Lebanese and Syrian people, and all my Lebanese and Syrian friends are against terrorism, many of them have fled the horrors of terrorism in Australian democratic liberalism.

The assumption that I would be somehow against the Jewish people having their own homeland, because I am related to Lebanese people, is a very naïve and frankly a very western idea. Believe it or not, Lebanese people have different political, religious and ideological views. When I speak to Lebanese people about politics, because I am ethnically British and Christian, they are never surprised to find that I support the existence of the sate of Israel.

After October 7, there was very disturbing scenes at the Sydney Opera House, and I wasn’t surprised by the anti-Jew chants. I said, out loud, that my experience of the Muslim Lebanese community in Sydney, is that there is an element of anti-jew sentiment among politically minded Muslims, and there is an extremist politics present among the some devout Muslims.

In my opinion, this extremism is marginal in the Lebanese community, but I won’t have people tell me it doesn’t exist, when I have had several face to face conversations with Muslim people who are openly supportive of terrorist groups, who’s aim is to eradicate the Jews.

I talked of Lebanese and Syrians because these are the only Muslim communities that I have had an ongoing relationship with over many (32) years. I was being told by British socialists, who have never stepped foot in a western Sydney Muslim home, that the Arabic speaking people chanting anti-Jew hate at the opera house, were just a few dickheads. As soon as I started to say I have seen systemic anti-Jew ideology among Muslim communities, I was branded a racist by a certain set of gender critical politics.

In my very white suburban Brisbane upbringing, I hadn’t encountered any anti-Jew rhetoric, until I met Muslim people in my early 20s. The day before my wedding day, my father-in-law gave us instructions, in English so I could understand, about the seating arrangements at the wedding reception. He made it clear that his ex-wife, (my mother-in-law) was deeply despised by him. He said to my husband “sit me next to a Jew, but don’t sit me next to your mother”.

I am sure, that had my father-in-law been placed next to a Jewish person, he would have been as pleasant and charming as any narcissist would be. I don’t even think my Father-in-law hated jews, I just think that it was imbedded in his cultural rhetoric that Jews were the lowest form of human life. When he searched for an example of someone of the most repulsive class, the Jew was what came to his mind.

Of course, many Lebanese Muslims don’t think this way. A lot of my middle eastern born friends will say they grew up with antisemitism, but became committed to rejecting illogical and harmful beliefs about Jewish people.

My husband and I are both Christians and we were taught, in the Baptist church we attended, to respect the Jews as the people who carried the word of God throughout the ages. My parents both grew up during the depression and the second world war and were very clear about how dangerous antisemitism was. Because of my faith, because of my upbringing and because of the realities of history, I find Jew hatred, not just offensive, but a danger to peaceful society that I won’t see grow without saying some words. This is hardly a remarkable stance.

I believe human hatred is real, that incitement is real. We have now seen two massacres in Bondi, one targeted at women and the other at Jews. I believe that the Australian government has been negligent in addressing hatred toward women and hatred toward Jews and I don’t feel comfortable speaking about one and ignoring the other.

We have a government who is making laws against hatred that has led to Kirralie Smith being sued for $95,000 for calling men “men”, laws that mean lesbians can’t have a dating space for women, laws that ignore systemic misogyny in gender identity ideology, and the application of laws that ignore the dangers of Islamism brewing in suburban Mosques.

I believe the political apology for overt anti-Jew sentiment, is directly responsible for the open massacre of Jews on the streets of Sydney.

I am not surprised that the hero of the Bondi Hanukkah massacre was a Syrian gentleman, putting his life on the line to fight violent extremism, the kind of extremism that has destroyed his nation.

I don’t like to hear some of the obvious racism toward Arabic speaking people from the Middle East from the political right, and I push back against it where I can, but it is only being inflamed by ignoring the problems that are evident in Islamism.

It really is time to take back our nation by speaking the truth without fear of being called names, and I will continue to do so.

My heartfelt sympathies are with the people who lost their lives to Islamic terrorism in Bondi and to the Jewish community whom I continue to stand with against rising stupid hatred.

All the very best to all who read my blog. Blessings to you for Hannukah, Christmas and the new year. I will be enjoying time with my family and praying for peace in Australia.