By ANEEKA SIMONIS
A CHORUS of Berwick students called out a firm ‘yes’ when asked whether Australia was a racist country during a discussion with a young Muslim woman on the quest to change cultural perspectives.
The overwhelming response came during a talk held by inspiring Muslim engineer and author Yassmin Abdel-Magied at Beaconhills College in Berwick, on Thursday 10 March.
The 24-year-old Sudanese born, Australian-raised woman visited the school to launch her book, ‘Yassmin’s Story’, detailing achievements from her life to date including working on a remote Australian oil and gas rig at age 21 and founding Youth Without Borders at age 16.
Though a major theme underpinning the talk with the school’s Year 11 students was the importance of persistence and drive in achieving life goals, Yassmin also shared her perspective about growing up Muslim in the Western world post 9/11 attacks as a “brown girl”.
“I went from being a brown girl who wore funny clothes to the ‘face of all that was evil’ almost overnight. It is about trying to make sense of two different cultures, different expectations, different ideologies – embracing the identity of the third culture kid,” read a line on her blog.
She candidly told the class she would be racially vilified about twice a month on average.
Despite this, she holds high hopes her story about the positive impacts she has had on the community as an Australian-Muslim will help end the overwhelming negative attitudes held toward the religious group frequently linked with terror and crime.
Asked how the country could better transition with growing multiculturalism, Yassmin likened the nation to a “teenager” still trying to come to grips with who they are.
“We are still a relatively modern, young country and don’t know how to deal with some things,” she said.
“It’s like we are in the teenage stage and we are growing up. Hopefully we will grow out of it.
“Hopefully one day it won’t be a surprise to people to know a Muslim woman working on a rig.”
Yassmin was voted 2015 Queensland Young Australian of the Year.
She spoke the school’s Year 11 students as part of their Learning that Matters week which included talks by police about cyber safety, safe partying, as well as wellness and stress management session.
