Spacehamster’s Blog

Whenever I need to see Australia from an Aussie-Mossie(TM) perspective, Irfam Yusuf’s blog is my first port of call. Although both he and I are on opposite sides of the political divide, I find his viewpoint invaluable because it represents the Muslim viewpoint far better than I’ll find in any mainstream newspaper. And his article on Peter Costello’s back-handed response to Sheik Hilaly’s outrageous and offensive comments is no exception.

I find his article valuable because it highlights an issue I hadn’t considered - although Sheik Hilaly’s comments were hurtful and offensive towards women, Peter Costello’s concerted attack on the Muslim faith in Australia hasn’t helped matters any either. The wider Muslim community (by which I mean all Muslims living outside Lakemba mosque) unhesitatingly condemned the Sheik’s comments. But was this covered by the Murdoch papers? By the TV journos? No.

The biggest failure in this country is the lack of Muslim voices in the Australian media. And it’s to this country’s loss that voices like Irfam Yusuf are restricted to internet blogs and other web-only publications. People will only learn to overcome their fear and prejudice of Muslims by gaining more knowledge and insight into their culture. And Irfam Yusuf’s articles are a great start. Required reading.

I spotted this paragraph in an article on Bindi Irwin -

At one friend’s house, Bindi has opened up conversations about grief. “Why does she look so happy if her dad died?” came the question from my friend’s seven-year-old son. We had a similar conversation at our place a few years ago when a child at my son’s school lost a parent and many of the other kids didn’t understand how their classmate could play and laugh and not be constantly crying.

My friend explained to her son that, even when a devastating thing happens, you can’t be sad every minute of the day. And just because Bindi looks happy when we see her on TV, it doesn’t mean she’s not crying her little heart out in private.

It does raise some questions about the grieving process. No, you can’t be sad every minute of the day. In fact it’s often a huge relief to be able to enjoy life and laugh and play. Most people don’t cope well with constant depression and stress, especially from the deaths of loved ones. If we don’t take the time to enjoy life, we’d probably never stop crying.

People’s reactions to the grieving process always seem to differ between two extremes. It’s either “Why isn’t she more upset?” (re: Bindi), or “Just get over it!” (re: Diana). Both extremes are insensitive, and don’t take into account how diversely humans react towards different situations.

Stories like this always sadden me -

A TEENAGE girl’s decision to tell her father she was converting from Islam to Christianity sparked a stabbing frenzy that left her mother dead and her father critically injured.
…
In Adelaide, the family’s former neighbours and workmates described a quiet and strict father and a devout and forceful mother. The parents appeared to control almost every minute of Kaihana’s life, and had decided what religion and career she would follow. “I only saw the girl a couple of times - her mother took her to school and picked her up,” said a neighbour.

“She had to be a doctor - that was the way it was,” said another neighbour who talked regularly with Dr Hussain. Yasmin Hussain’s former boss at a local Indian restaurant - where she was renowned for her Islamic sweets, work ethic and passion for cooking - said the parents “sheltered” Kaihana. The restaurant owner said Kaihana was required to come to the restaurant on holidays and when the rest of her class at local Pembroke School was on camp.

Even though my childhood was nowhere near as oppressive as Kaihan’s, I can certainly emphathise with certain elements of her upbringing. Like the tremendous pressure that family traditions and expectations can often bring. It’s not something that I’ve never really been personally comfortable with. My philosophy is that I’ll perform far better as a person in whatever endeavour I choose, without the unrelenting pressure and trauma that rigid family traditions and expectations can bring.

I’m glad that I managed to get through my childhood and teenage years mostly unscathed…mostly. I still have bitter memories about some aspects of my teenage years - but I’ve resolved not to allow those bitter dissapointments to rule the rest of my life. As one literary character said: “It takes more courage to go on living, than to just give up and die.”.

Regardless of what the real facts of the case are, I sincerely hope that Kaihana has the same chance that I did to be able to leave the ghosts of the past behind her, and accept the joys, wisdom and benefits that adulthood can bring.

Yup - you read it read. A review of a Star Trek episode…from a member of the Star Trek cast. Either way, it’s an absolutely hilarious read. Wil has chosen to review some of the more…er…lacklustre entries in The Next Generation’s first season. His review of The Naked Now was something to behold. His review of The Last Outpost is even better. It’s long, but so full of funny snark and bite that the paragraphs just fly by.

Whether or not you’re a Trek fan, this is recommended reading.