Last night, on Channel 7’s Today Tonight, a slightly provocatively titled story called Burqa Rage was broadcast. The video can still be seen here. I was informed of this broadcast via an email from Amra Pajalic. Before going further, I should say that I have met Amra Pajalic before and have very favourable views of her novel The Good Daughter, but these factors have no bearing on my opinion of Burqa Rage.
 |
| Three non-Muslim women in burqas |
The premise of the story was to examine non-Muslim Australians’ reactions to Muslim women wearing the burqa. The focus was three non-Muslim women having the experience of wearing the burqa for a day. Although the story was only six minutes long, some light was shed. The women went to various public places such as a shopping strip, a bank, and driving a car. The response was sometimes vocal and hostile, although in the bank, neither security nor the bank staff treated the women in a noticeably different manner, which they found surprising, given that motorcycle helmets, for example, are banned in bank branches.
It is hard to infer too much in a short story like this. However, the impression I got from those who were vocal in their abuse, wasn’t so much blatant racism, but more the fear of difference. Dare I say it, while I would like to think that I wouldn’t descend to open hostility in an equivalent situation, I have to admit that I have some fears about difference too. Of course, for all I know Today Tonight may have only chosen the most atypical and hostile reactions to the burqa, and perhaps most of the time the three women were treated like anyone else. On the other hand, the three women did say they were distressed by some of the reactions. One even said that she was ashamed that people could be so intolerant, even racist. In turn they hope they will be more respectful of difference in future.
The story ended with a short studio interview conducted with some of the co-authors of the book What a Muslim Woman Looks Like. The book aims to break down stereotypes of what a Muslim woman looks like, through presenting a diverse series of profiles. In the studio interview, they advocated that people need to be less judgemental and see beyond the burqa, and that it is used as an expression of belief and spirituality.
Having long since switched off from the sensationalist style of tabloid TV current affairs, I was quite impressed at the reasonable even-handedness of the story.
