By Liron Dorfman Kiryat Motzkin, Israel, and Philip Sahar St. Paul's Anglican School, Australia
Hello, Philip! I read your message carefully, and while doing it I was thinking how right you are. In my country, Israel, we were all very interested in your last elections. Particularly, we were interested to know how much power Mrs. Hanson and her party would have after the elections. We sighed a sigh of relief when it was found out that she was kicked out of the parliament. You Australians did the right thing. She, born in Queensland, is sure that giving back to people the right to move with guns is the right way, and this idea is terrifying. People can't take the law into their hands, and her ideas might lead to that. This woman may have had the intention to bring you back to dark times in the history -- times when only the white men had the power to live in their way, times when people who were part of minorities had no rights. The way it was years ago is definitely the wrong way, and it should not repeat in the future. We Israelis are very concerned when there may be any kind of discrimination. We remember how bad things were in the past of our people. We feel that these kind of people, people like Mrs. Hanson, must not get power anywhere in the world. You can find a lot of benefit in multiculturalism no matter what are the elements that "combined" it. The way you presented it is great. We Israelis had asked ourselves in the past who is the real "Israeli"? People from all over the world came to settle in our country and built it. At first, we believed that there must be some kind of "melting pot" -- some kind of process that at the end of it, all people would leave the background, the customs they brought from their former countries, and then, all Israelis would be the same. Now, 50 years after we established our country, people have begun to understand that the "melting pot" process cannot exist. Each community may preserve its "old" habits, and it is for the benefit of all the Israelis. We all can still learn at least something from each community. This is the best consequence of the multiculturalism in my country and can also be the same in Australia. Liron Dorfman
View of Old Jerusalem
I used to think that if we were all blind the world would be a much happier place, one filled without prejudice and replaced with love, and respect to each other. But then a harsh reality clicked in my brain We would always achieve another way to group and label people, either by the way we talk, walk or breathe. Everyone wants to be different, yet difference has its limits in today's society. And until everyone can look beyond these walls built with the hate, we can never experience full peace. Why are we encouraged to strive to be an individual, to find our inner souls? But when someone's individuality is their color and beliefs, they are harassed and stared at because they have an individual aspect about them, which is easier to recognize. Surely, we must be acting like children, not wanting different cultures in our home because we fear them. What makes them different from you and me! What is Australia's national identity? Well if this question was asked two years ago, Australia would be a recognized as a country that welcomes migrants from Asian background. Australia was striving to be multicultural. If you look at Australia now, we realize that Australia is a country which tries to depart from multiculturalism. We have become a nation of hate and greed, we will not support those in need of money. Well I'm sure that everybody realizes why the perception of Australia has changed. Why do we need multiculturalism? Multiculturalism is about all people sharing the core values and principles of the society and at the same time allowing individuals and groups the opportunity to have different approaches to religion, lifestyles, family structures, and food preferences. This diversity is socially enriching because it permits and facilitates diverse social interactions and traditions. Without multiculturalism, our Australian way of life may die. Philip Sahar