I would like begin by recognising the original owners of this land on which we hold today’s forum – the Eroa and Cadigal people who have been custodians of the land for thousand of years.

Let me begin with an example of racism. Kevin Dunn, senior lecturer in geography in the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Faculty of Science at the University of NSW, noted in his article in the Sydney Morning Herald on March 20 - “ignorance, stereotyping, curiosity and tolerance: that's the richly varied mix of attitudes Muslims face in their everyday dealings with other Australians”.

He wrote: “when a survey by Roy Morgan Research in 2003 asked a representative selection of Australians to summarise their knowledge of Islamic beliefs, 40 per cent could give no answer at all. Half knew a little bit about Islam”. Sterotyping based on ignorance and fear is a major factor in the prejudice that now endangers what we often refer to as “the tolerant Australia” – one we proudly proclaim. We can see the ignorance and fear operating in the way use terms like “of middle eastern appearance” as if it were something other than code for young Muslim men. Having spent billions of dollars demonising just about the whole middle east as the cause of all our troubles, it is not surprising that the political economy, which this demonising serves, has convinced the population that it knows all it needs to know – you have seen the Twin Towers disappear – what further proof do you need.

This is a blatant act of inciting prejudice through ignorance and fear to achieve an economic and political end. But it is not the only one. Racism is embeded in the Australian psyche. We have built this nation on the lie of terra nullius and the continuing dispossession of Indigenous people and their land, language and culture. This has engendered a deep historical amnesia, a known medical phnomenon effecting victim and perpetrator when something is so shocking. To open our minds to the reality has deeply disturbing ramfications. But to remain ignorant and silent, especially now that we know the dispossession story has legs, is not only culpable but self defeating. It is another case of ignorance and apathy breeding misunderstanding which fuels anger and fear. This is then expressed and experienced as racism.

It is painful to listen to waves of Indigneous leaders, aunties and uncles continue to cry in the wilderness, as it were, to try to get some recognition of Indigenous discrimination, both in history and in their daily lives often broken and in pain.

This disgraceful beginning has plenty of descendants. The discrimination against women; the young and rural workforce and generations of migrants; refugees and asylum seekers are all examples where ignorance and fear have been the stock in trade of growing prejudice, division and disharmony. Australia has prided itself on being the greatest exponent of multiculturalism as well it may be. However, Ghassan Hage, the Sydney University anthropologist, in his book, White Nation, fantasies of white supremacy in a multicultural society, critiques multiculturalism in Australia naming it a tool of white supremacy. He argues that the dominant culture dictates what multiculturalism means and how it will be expressed whilst priding itself on its tolerance and acceptance. For many Australians it is very superficial referring to the enjoyment of exotic music, food, art and dance. But to what extent do those of the dominant culture really care, know or seek out the human stories of Indigenous or new Australians. We remain particularly cushioned from those that most represent our carefully constructed fears – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders; those of middle eastern appearance; “illegals” as they are wrongly called, and other undesirables – a name to cover all those we construct as “other” than us true Aussies.

In recent years Sydney has seen riots in Redfern, Macquarie Fields, Cronulla and Maroubra. Despite assurances from political leaders, these are indeed about race and disadvantage. It is time we asked why these two are brothers in arms. That they are rarely analysed together only adds to the problem. Only such an analysis can provide cohesive strategies for learning ways of reconciliation and acceptance rather than our mere tolerance even when offered ever so kindly. Our approach is to pretend it is about law and order rather than either race or disadvantage. Until we begin to analyse our social ills as products of historical and present racism and disadvantage we are destined to be imprisoned by fear and ignorance that produce unacceptable behaviour. Thus we are on a path that diminishes us all even with our multiculturalism.

I have been invited to offer a Christian perspective. What I have said so far forms the essential context and back drop for such a perspective. On the Religion Report on Radio National last week Stephen Crittenden interviewed Rocky Davis, an Aboriginal community worker converted to Islam in jail, and now trying to keep Aboriginal youth safe on our streets. Stephen Crittenden asked Rocky about his view on Christianity noting that he, Stephen, thought it was pessimistic. I quote Rocky’s reply in full to this question because I want to analyse it in some detail.

I quote Rocky: “Well basically people – I do, I do have – I’ll tell you exactly and I’ll explain myself and clarify myself. We believe in the religion of Jesus, we don’t believe the religion Jesus practiced was Christianity, the religion that Jesus preached is Islam, and we don’t believe that he ever preached Christianity. Christianity is a culture of invasion, and if anyone can tell me that it’s not, I need people to openly debate whether it be on live TV or in front of an audience, that Christianity was used as a weapon to invade all the world’s indigenous peoples, Canadian Indians will tell you, Maoris will tell you, Cook Islands will tell you, Africans will tell you, the English used Christianity to invade and conquer and enslave. Christianity were the founders of slavery. Not Islam. And I was never invaded by a Muslim country. Everywhere the Christians went, they plundered and they robbed and they murdered and they enslaved, and they raped. Christianity is a religion of child molestation. In terms of actual religious theology, Christianity is an unbelievable evil.” [end of quote]

Whether this is true, or should I say the whole truth, is irrelevant. Clearly he is in command of some indisputable facts. This comment is important. We can, if we wish and many would, dismiss it as the rantings of a poor ignorant ex-con Aborigine, but it has within it the seeds of an immensely important lesson for the dominant culture of this country which is at best nominally Christian. It is an important comment because:
1. This is how the disadvantaged feel. Their extreme exclusion, a surprise to those belonging to the dominant culture, is named very articulately. The marginalised often hide this from the dominant culture out of politeness or because of the fear it will be dismissed, a fear well founded on many bitter experiences. They know to be heard they have to behave – they have to play the rules of the etiquette of the dominant culture which for them is another oppression.
2. It is important because it is true – the most disadvantaged and those who experience most prejudice have been dispossessed and/or dismissed by the imperialism of the Christian West.
3. It is important because it challenges us with the problem in clear religious terms. Rocky’s early reading in our maximum security correctional facility was the biography and writings of Malcolm X given to him by another maximum security prisoner. He became a Muslim because it articulated accurately the plight of the dispossessed in our society. This reality the dominant culture never knows, but through ignorance and apathy unwittingly peddles. Rocky’s comment lets us see how well it is known by the marginalised, disadvantaged and dispossessed even when they can’t articulate it.
4. It is important because it is a rare insight into the world we must enter to build bridges across raging rivers of confusion and discontent.
5. It is important because it reminds us of the dangers when the dominant culture claims moral superiority uncritically and with little self critique.

Rocky’s ability to relieve Christianity of Jesus and have him appropriated by Islam is of course a shock. But there is so much in Christianity that would shock Jesus – maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised. However, I believe as a Christian I need to distance myself as much from the dominant culture as Rocky needs to. In fact Rocky reminds me that Jesus still has much to teach Christians. Jesus was a reformer of Judaism and while we may only surmise what he might think of Islam, I am sure he would find much to admire. Jesus had the ability to reach beyond the boundaries that enslaved the marginalised and dispossessed of his time by including them in places from which they were ritually and legally excluded. This was done by sheer daring and disobedience of his law. It was done in action that symbolically and literally reordered the society in which he lived. He hugged the leper which was a bit like hugging someone with AIDS at the height of the fear around that disease. So by action he proved it was safe to break the taboo.

Christians must do this today in Australia to break the taboo that surrounds the desperate and dispossessed. If we hug them in Jesus terms we will all be better off. This is the Christian gospel message. Now I realise this is a complex task but I also realise that to do otherwise is to allow fear, apathy and ignorance to produce prejudice and mayhem. Rocky’s point exactly.

Can we build the bridges to change the face of racism in Australia; to unmask its reality; accurately name its context, content and form, and take real symbolic action to melt the taboo surrounding its expression? I am confident that Jesus has some powerful wisdom and some useful practices to help us implement a program of transformation. Christianity doesn’t own Jesus but it is time we took a few lessons from his practice, sought forgiveness for past wrongs and hopefully one day become credible enough to share in the task of humanising the world with all the Rockys we can find irrespective of colour; ethnicity; religion; gender; sexual orientation or ideology. Maybe a pipe dream but Christians, like anyone else, can have pipe dreams. Whatever the motivation let us begin by embracing difference and especially those different from us.
Thank you.