Archbishop of Sydney

Statement to the Deliberative Poll on Muslims in Australia

Old Parliament House, Canberra

By + Cardinal George Pell
Archbishop of Sydney
3/3/2007

Mr Chairman, Fellow Australians

When I met the Sunni Mufti Kabbani in Lebanon in 2003 he asked me to help protect the Muslim minority in Australia, I readily promised to do so.  This is one reason why I am here today. Basically, however,  I am here because I am a committed Australian.

It is curious that the word ‘religion’ is met with twice only, and in the second last paragraph of the Overview of this Deliberative Poll on cultural, political and social divides between Muslims and non-Muslims.

#  ‘The Deliberative Poll survey asks multiple questions around the issues of refugees, assimilation, religion and cultural differences.’
#  ‘ … a comparison of trends of opinions within Australia on several sub-topics, for example immigration and religion’.

Yet most of the obstacles in the way of assimilation or integration of the Muslim community into Australian or any non-Muslim society are generally couched by Muslim leaders in religious terms, in the context of the Qur’an and Islamic Religious Law. Religion is not a ‘sub-topic,’ as the Overview suggests:  it is the Topic.

Muslims should be treated like any other minority in Australia; justly, with respect.  They should not suffer discrimination.  We don’t have to be close friends but we should try to get to know and understand one another and our religions, talk to one another and encourage our young people to know each other.  No one is obliged to think like the majority of Australians nor change his religion.

All those who choose to come to Australia come as immigrants, not as colonists i.e. they should be committed to freedom and democracy, refrain from advocating violence or indulging in hate speech, while their political allegiance must be to Australia, not overseas.  All immigrants,  Christians, Muslims, non-believers should meet these criteria.

I have met many wonderful Muslims in dialogue over the years, but there are Islamists who are at war with us in the West.  Most of the victims of extremist Muslims are fellow Muslims.  So it is important to distinguish accurately your real friends from your enemies and those who only seem to be friends.

Obviously I speak as a Christian and a Catholic, committed to one version of the principle of reciprocity.   Not an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but commitment to the principle that the rights we justly offer to all citizens here, including Muslim minorities, should be rights that are enjoyed by non-Muslim minorities in the Muslim world.  This is not the case as I believe this conference could not be held in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia!  In fact Christians are being harassed and even persecuted in many countries ranging from Nigeria, through Sudan, where some are being sold as slaves, and the Middle East to Pakistan and Indonesia.  I would like to know where our friends stand on these matters.

In a pluralist and free democracy every group is criticized at some time or other.  As Prime Minister Howard remarked last year, if Catholics rioted every time they were criticized there would be regular riots!  It is not appropriate that Muslims regularly reply to criticism with insults, denigrations and evasions, while avoiding the point at issue.  We have seen too much of this from some Muslim personalities.

Within a secular democratic society harmonious integration of minorities is achievable because all citizens, belonging to the majority culture, or minorities, are acknowledged to be equal in the eyes of the law. Equal rights, however, carry with them equal responsibilities. Problems arise when minorities demand special consideration that places them outside the law as it applies to all other citizens. Flexibility and adaptability are called for when refugees and immigrants arrive in a host country. But there is a limit [in adapting to minority demands] beyond which a democratic host society cannot go without losing its identity.

I come in friendship, prepared to help and look forward to the discussion.