The wars in the Middle East and the real or imagined dangers that Australian-born jihadists might pose to this country, the intentions of the Federal Government to tighten up the anti-terrorist ‘fence’ on this land, and the visa frauds in the immigration system, have given us in the last few days a useful indication as to where the serious Australian media stand on the issue of multiculturalism.

When everything is smooth sailing, and multiculturalism is defined in terms of wine and food festivals, or in terms of inclusive government policies that rightly attempt to ensure the social cohesion of Australia, the work of the serious and credible media is easy. Whether we are talking about the Murdoch or the Fairfax media, the two mainstream opposite ends of the political spectrum in this country, multiculturalism and immigration are accepted, encouraged and celebrated.

However, when a crisis arises, incidents occur, in the coverage of issues with a multicultural flavour as well, that show the limits of understanding or acceptance of multiculturalism by the credible media mainstream of this land.

Day after day, for example, The Australian is demanding from the leadership of a religious and cultural minority that entered the country legally, through the official gates, namely the leadership of the Muslim communities, to take a public stand and denounce radical and jihadist Islam, because of the abhorrent atrocities of two Muslim Australians, two private individuals, in the Middle East.

The secular, the liberal, the Christian capitalist west, part of which is Australia, has an obligation to its history, to its culture and to its people to protect the defining characteristics of its society and its way of life from any real or imagined threats. Having said this though, we must never forget that the vast majority of the Muslim cultural and religious minority in Australia are law abiding and hardworking citizens of this country. They are people who work hard, like others, in order to raise their families, in order to pay off their mortgage, in order to live a good and prosperous life. Our human needs and aspirations and our family bonds for example, for most of us, outweigh our religious and our cultural beliefs. Culture and religion for most, regardless of their background, are fundamental tools of navigation that help people through life, they are not ends in themselves. This is what the Abbott government and the
Murdoch press seem to forget.

By highlighting without any qualifications, day after day, the real or imagined danger that might be posed to Australia by as few as two and as many as up to 150 Muslim Australians who fight in the Middle East, the Murdoch flagship is doing a disservice to its history, to its readers, to almost half a million Australians who follow the Islamic religion and to the entire country.

Readers are also reminded that at the end of April the Murdoch tabloid flagship, the Melbourne based Herald Sun, ran a main front page story which implied that 100 million dollars were paid every year to finance the ‘holiday lifestyles’ of numerous disability pensioners who live overseas and who are Greeks, Turks, New Zealanders, Croatians and others…

Less obvious, but equally lacking in sensitivity, given the current political circumstances, was the way The Age in Melbourne published as its main front page story, a few days ago, the incident of the Indian couple at the heart of the visa scandal in the immigration department, and managed to run away with 1.2 million Australian dollars.

The Age headline read: ‘Visa scam couple flee with $1.2 m’ and was accompanied with a photo of the happy looking Indian couple. When skin colour differentiates people, when indirectly you play with the stereotypes and the prejudices of the many, when violence against Indian youth was an issue not long ago in Australia, the serious and somewhat progressive newspaper called The Age should have known better…

Yes, the rule of the law should have universal application. Yes, the act of the couple was illegal and to the detriment of the many, the Australian state, the Australian people, the ‘victims’ who wanted to pay their way into Australia.

However…

When the international situation is so tense…

When the issue of border protection is so high in the local agenda and is used and abused by many, in order to achieve their own ends…

When minority groups are so susceptible to misunderstanding and prejudice in testing times…

The majority, the politically, culturally, economically and religiously dominant majority in Australia, the state, its institutions, its leadership, its leading opinion shapers and makers, the people, need to be very careful with the way they deal with issues of race, culture and religion, in this country.