Looking for answers

Firstly, as a Muslim and a refugee I want to thank the wider Australian community for their kind words and affection and for showing their great support in this time of great grieving. And I also thank Prime Minister Scott Morrison for at least referring to this Christchurch incident as terrorism. I don’t, however, know who to blame. Has it not become the norm to always blame religion for all the divisions in mankind and to more specifically blame Islam? Have we also not been blaming all Africans for all the crimes in Melbourne? Has our government not blamed refugees and immigrants for all the problems from traffic to terrorism in Australia? Hasn’t an Australian senator been expressing his extreme views after this incident while what we need is unity? Hasn’t he blamed immigration and Islam instead of blaming the offender? Isn’t it like he’s blaming inclusiveness instead of exclusion for hate and bigotry? Isn’t it professed that Islam is against Western civilisations and cannot integrate in Australia, and does the other end not use the same arguments to establish the Western civilisations are against Islam? What can we expect when all that’s spread is hate? Until and unless we understand that offenders are individuals and not their religions or ethnicities, true peace can never be achieved.

– Ehsan Ullah Malhi, Claremont Meadows, NSW