Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave a bizarre speech at an Eid prayer today and likened the month of Ramadan to living under a pandemic. Yeah. Let’s break down the suss comments, shall we.
For many Muslims, today is Eid — AKA the celebratory day after the month of Ramadan, when Muslims were fasting from sunrise to sunset. It’s a day of wearing your fanciest clothes, visiting family, giving gifts, eating a lot of good food and just joy. Some Muslims will be celebrating it today and others will be celebrating Eid on Tuesday, but both days will generally kick off with an Eid prayer at the local mosque.
Morrison attended the Eid prayer at Parramatta in Sydney’s west, which was already cringe considering the anti-Muslim racism scandal he’s embroiled in, and his speech was… not it.
“Breaking this fast is, I suppose, a little like what the country is now going through, after two years of incredibly difficult times, as we’ve come through the pandemic,” Morrison told the crowd, per SBS.
“And now as we can see the dawn breaking, we can again reflect as you do here today, as we go into this new period, with hope restored by our faith, restored by our community.”
Ummm. I hate that I have to explain this but breaking your fast is *not* like coming out of a pandemic, because fasting is not this “incredibly difficult” thing forced upon Muslims.
Hey Siri show me disingenuous
— The Sage (@SarkySage) April 2, 2022
Contrary to the image the west often paints of Ramadan, it’s not a burden but a mercy for Muslims and we enjoy it. It’s a special time, we look forward to it every year, and it’s considered a blessing.
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: we like Ramadan, we don’t need non-Muslims to act as though it’s something awful or traumatic we have to ~endure~. In fact, it’s offensive. Is the implication here that our month is some kind of torture we subject ourselves to? I really do not appreciate worship during our holy month being compared to surviving a deadly disease, thanks.
I wish Morrison’s awkward speech ended there, but nope. He decided to continue prattling on about how Australa is a “rope”, of all things.
“Australia is the most successful multicultural nation on Earth. And, right here in Parramatta, there could not be a better expression of it, particularly on this day,” he said.
“Australia is like a rope with many different strands that weave together to make it incredibly strong. And I’m here with one of those important strands here today.
“Australia is a strong nation. And we have shown our strength over these difficult times and we will again into the future. But it has been your faith in your community that has upheld you over these difficult times and I know will into the future.”
It’s interesting that Morrison would bring up how “successful” our multicultural nation is considering he certainly hasn’t done anything to help it.
Friendly reminder that there are racism allegations against our Prime Minister that claim he said a Lebanese rival could not represent south Sydney because he might be a dreaded “Moslem”. A word which, if you didn’t know, is considered a slur among Muslims because it’s the term racists use to refer to us.
Including those stuck in detention for the ‘crime’ of seeking asylum. Let them free for Eid. #gameover #enoughisenough #ramadan
— Kazz (@Kazz201) April 2, 2022
The Morrison government’s track record re: its treatment of Muslims is problematic to say the least.
I haven’t forgotten the racist double standards Muslims had to face regarding Eid celebrations in the pandemic. Remember the mission to “save” Christmas? Muslims were demonised for wanting to see our families, and yet when COVID isolation rules threatened Christmas, our government just… eased restrictions.
Plus, there was the targeting of ethnic, muslim-majority areas last year when the NSW government enacted harsher lockdown rules for those in Sydney’s west, compared to the rest of the city.
If we go back to 2018, there’s the time Scott Morrison scapegoated the Muslim community and told us it’s our responsibility to identify and call out terrorism. Even further back, all the way in 2011, Sydney Morning Herald reported that Scott Morrison suggested capitalising off anti-Muslim sentiments for votes in a cabinet meeting.
One woman at the Eid prayer begged Scott Morrison to fast track visas for people fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan. His past disregard for Afghani refugees (and others from Muslim-majority countries) tells you all you need to know about how this man really feels about Muslims.
But sure, come to our events and pretend that you care. We all see right through it.
