Key Points
- There are 389,392 Australian women who say their religious affiliation is Islam.
- Prominent Muslim women are celebrating Ramadan as a time for compassion and connection.
- Muslim women agreed that Australia is increasingly embracing different faiths.
According to the 2021 Census in Australia, 389,392 women indicated their religious affiliation as Islam.
SBS Urdu spoke to four prominent Muslim women who acknowledged that Australia was increasingly embracing a range of different faiths despite latest figures from the which show a fourfold increase in reports of in-person incidents of anti-Muslim hate with 78 per cent of these victims being women.
Senator Mehreen Faruqi
Mehreen Saeed Faruqi is an Australian politician and former engineer.
She became the first Muslim woman to sit in any Australian parliament when she joined the NSW Parliament in 2013.
Ms Faruqi became a senator in 2019 and is currently serving as deputy leader of the Australian Green Party.
Acceptance of religious diversity and faith friendliness in the Australian workplace are often points of discussion. Senator Faruqi says while she appreciates Australians being more and more aware of what Ramadan means for Muslims living in Australia, she wants to see more politicians not only join in iftars and at Eid festivals but addresses the core issues faced by the community.
This support is welcome but it seems superficial until issues that really impact us such as Islamophobia, discrimination and racism are addressed and not swept under the rug.Senator Mehreen Faruqi
She says that Ramadan is a time for reflection and giving wholeheartedly. "The joy of sharing home-cooked food at sundown with loved ones is even more meaningful during Ramadan when Muslims all over the world are fasting," she added.
I do yearn for my Ammi’s cooking and Lahore, where the whole city celebrates this holy month.Senator Mehreen Faruqi
"For me, (it's) pretty easy to retain my dual identity, which is a bit of a mix of Pakistani and Australian identities."
Senator Faruqi told SBS Urdu that diversity was one of the most beautiful things in Australia and that enriched the culture of acceptance and fairness.
She says that in Pakistan, a typical Eid day begins after Eid prayer and includes flavours of delicious foods, wearing new dresses, and giving and taking Eidi (cash gifts from elders to younger people). She says she greatly missed the atmosphere of Chaand Raat (moon night celebration that marks the end of the fasting month).
"I retain the tradition of having open breakfast at home on Eid day after the Eid prayer but miss the hustle and bustle of grand family celebration," she added.
Senator Fatima Payman
Credit: Cale Black
She and her family fled Afghanistan to Pakistan when she was five years old.Her father arrived in Australia via boat in 1999 with the rest of the family arriving in 2003.
Elected to federal Senate at age 27, she is the first hijab-wearing senator, the first Afghan Australian to be voted into a parliament, and the youngest member of the current senate.
Credit: Rehan Alavi
"The Australian social values of fairness, hardship, living a healthy lifestyle, and working on self-development are (also) a huge part of Muslim values," she said.
I think there are far more similarities than differences between Muslim and Australian identities.Senator Fatima Payman
Senator Payman said she agreed that Ramadan was playing a positive role in bridging Muslims and non-Muslim Australians.
She says that as a first-term senator, she had had the pleasure of inviting her work colleagues to mark the start of Ramadan and that had also been an opportunity for them to ask questions and for her to share "...the dos and don'ts of the full-day fast for an entire month followed by Eid celebrations".
She said her message to Australian Muslim girls was the same as the one she delivered in her first senate address.
“No matter where you are born, no matter what you choose to wear, no matter who you choose to believe in, and no matter who you choose to love, know that Australia is a place where you are welcome and that you can be part of a united collective,” she said.
Shaniera Akram
She told SBS Urdu that she usually took the month of Ramadan to self-reflect and change the way she saw things by gaining the strength to help her deal with things she could change and improve.
"Ramadan brings an opportunity to revisit my behaviours and the way I see and treat others," she said.
She said she had started saving her coins because she knew that on Eid morning, her daughter would be looking forward to her Eidi.
"Every year I bring in gold coins to Aiyla's class and give them their Eidi and tell the class about Eid and Ramadan and what it's all about, then we go through the kids and they tell me what charity they want to donate their gold coin Eidi to," she said.
If you teach children at a young age about different cultures and religions, it eliminates fear and prejudice and a happy memory is created for them which will form the foundation of respect for years to come.Shaniera Akram
As for food, she said she likes gajer ka halwa (carrot pudding) and loves to wear Pakistani traditional dresses.
Shaniera Akram loves Paksitani and Australian food equally.
Professor Samina Yasmeen
Professor Samina Yasmeen (AM) is an Australian Pakistani author and academic based in Perth.
An academic and researcher, and director and founder of the university’s Centre for Muslim States and Societies, she said she loved the very early morning ritual of breakfast while reading a book.
Professor Yasmeen says that at that time of the day "...everything seems so much more vivid and clearer".
"(I'm) not much for endless parties during the month but do love organising an annual Iftar through the Centre for Muslim States and Societies at UWA to share the happiness of breaking the fast with everyone," she said.
She said that she was sometimes nervous before Ramadan as to how she was going to balance busy teaching schedules with fasting but that disappeared once the month started.
Like every migrant Muslim, Professor Yasmeen said she also missed the humdrum of Eid morning coloured with her mum’s love, father and brothers leaving for Eid prayers, sweet dishes and lots of Eidi.
Remembering my mother’s advice to appreciate Allah's blessings, my husband James and I hold Eid dinner for friends, both Muslim and others. After all, happiness needs to be shared.Professor Samina Yasmeen
Professor Yasmeen said she and her husband, James Trevelyan, opened their door on Eid day and greeted everyone at a traditional Eid dinner. The couple's annual tradition had continued for decades, she said.
Professor Samina Yasmeen with husband, James Trevelyan, host Ramadan and Eid events every year.
"The perception of Muslim women has positively improved but there is much more needed to reduce the misconceptions about Islam and Muslims in the west in general," she added.
