Highlights
- Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi publishes her first book, ‘Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud’
- She migrated to Australia in 1992 with her husband and infant
- Through her book, she encourages migrants to participate in the system to influence change
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi, the first migrant of Punjabi heritage to occupy a seat in the federal Parliament, has recently published her first book.
Part memoir, part manifesto, Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud chronicles an immigrant’s journey in Australian politics.
“This book is not just my story but the story of the struggle of many immigrants like me from South Asia who have migrated to Australia and made it home. I believe that our stories of hardship are important and our voices need to be heard,” Senator Faruqi tells SBS Punjabi.
She adds that she wants to use her position to effect a change to the current Australian political scenario.
“I wanted to write this book while in Parliament and while I have some influence because I want people to know what politics and parliament are like and what can we do to change it for the better," Senator Faruqi says.
Mehreen Faruqi's book cover: Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud Source: Supplied by Mehreen Faruqi
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A representative of the Greens Party in the Senate from New South Wales, Ms Faruqi says it took her two years to finish the book.
“During COVID, the lack of support to temporary visa holders, the ill-treatment of international students triggered me more and I realised that telling our stories of injustice are more important right now than ever and ordinary citizens shouldn’t suffer in silence,” adds Senator Faruqi.
Originally from Pakistan, she says writing this book was “a beautiful interaction with herself”.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi Source: Supplied by Mehreen Faruqi
“It offered me the chance to ponder the two lives I've had, in Pakistan and afterwards in Australia, and reliving the journey of my life to write this book was challenging during the current times," Senator Faruqi says.
For new migrants who try to assimilate into their new home, she advises that they have to participate in the system and influence change.
“People outside have always given me hope that I am doing something right. Change can start from a dinner table conversation or even with a phone call. So, start wherever you can, nothing is too big or too small to light the spark that will make a difference,” advises Senator Faruqi.
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“I am an avid reader and read every night. At present, I am reading Sydney-based author Bri Lee’s book about the education system in Australia and how colonialism at the heart of education is making our education worse,” Senator Faruqi says.
“My book will leave readers hopeful that we have the power to agitate, to be loud and we have the power to change the world,” Senator Faruqi concludes.
Click on the player at the top of this page to listen to this interview in Punjabi.
