Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the privilege of attending an iftar dinner at the Parliament House of New South Wales to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assisted migration agreement signed between Australia and Turkey. It was an honour to share this iftar dinner with my state and federal parliamentary colleagues and over 15 Turkish organisations that are active across Sydney in the areas of education, aged care, youth and cultural affairs.

The iftar dinner provided an inclusive and open platform for the New South Wales Turkish community, who are preparing to mark the 50th anniversary of this agreement, which paved the way for immigration to this country as guest workers. I was very fortunate that night to meet members of the very first group to come from Turkey. They arrived on a chartered Qantas flight in 1968.

The iftar dinner provided an opportunity to reflect on the great cultural, social and economic contributions of Australian Turks to our broader Australian community. Australia has thrived because of migration—and the Turkish community have made a large contribution to that—and we can see this in our schools, our workplaces, our businesses and, indeed, our culture itself. We are a better, bigger, bolder and smarter nation because of our multicultural fabric. I am particular proud of the Turkish community in my electorate of Fowler, who have shown themselves to be model citizens, successful in business and, certainly, very proud Australian Turks.

The iftar dinner was also a time to reflect on the spirit of Ramadan itself, a time in which Muslims are encouraged to remember those who are less fortunate in our community. Clearly, for many of us our thoughts are with those in the various parts of the globe that are impacted by conflict and violence. Particularly in my thoughts today is the senseless death of 12-year-old Australian Muslim girl Zaynab Al Harbeya, from Melbourne, who was killed earlier this month in a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad while visiting her grandfather. She was a young girl enjoying an ice cream at a local milk bar. This tragic event highlights the ongoing brutality of ISIS, who clearly show no respect for religion, nationality or borders.

In the past few weeks, we have also been rocked by a number of other terrorist attacks—in Egypt and Afghanistan, in Manchester and London, and in Melbourne itself. During the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, these acts of terrorism are not only crimes against humanity; they are also crimes against Islam. These recent terrorist attacks have been used as a platform to spread hatred and division within the broader community. This issue was aptly illustrated last week in a cartoon published by The Sydney Morning Herald, showing an angry man with a bomb strapped around his body, holding a knife in one hand, saying, 'We will not stop until we have eliminated every last trace of goodwill towards moderate Muslims.'

As a nation, as religious leaders and community leaders and as people of goodwill we must stand together and we must unite against these acts of terror and violence, which are clearly aimed at turning people away from those of the Islamic faith. To this end, I would like to recognise the significant role played by the Bonnyrigg Mosque—the Bonnyrigg Turkish mosque—which is in my electorate, in ensuring peace, understanding and goodwill throughout our local community. It is fair to say that much of the credit for this goes to the hard work of the imam, Osman Cavuslu; the mosque president, Muhammet Eris; and the adept Adem Cetinay, who is always either on the phone or visiting my office to talk about issues.

The humanitarian goodwill of the Australian Turkish community is also reflected in modern-day Turkey, with Turkey opening its doors to more than three million refugees, despite the domestic challenges it is currently facing. Turkey is also hosting and sheltering more than 800,000 school-aged Syrian children, which, again, is testament to their generosity.

I congratulate the Australian Turkish community on hosting the iftar dinner, and its 50 years of successful contribution to Australia's multicultural fabric. You should be, as we are, proud of your contribution to our great nation.