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www.pakistan.com.au
SYDNEY 29 August (Press Release to Sada-e-Watan): President Pakistan Australia Association (PAA) Ejaz Khan has taken exception to recent media outbursts from some local quarters against the wearing of Hijab (headscarf) by the Muslim women.
In a press statement issued here Ejaz said that such an irresponsible attitude would undermine government’s efforts to better integrate various local communities including Muslims to the Australian society. The PAA president reminded the critics of certain dress codes that the multiculturalism was one of the key ingredients of the Australian society. "By raising questions about the different dresses people wear we are in fact attacking the core value of the Australian society." He said.
"As Australians we should all respect, celebrate and promote multiculturalism," Ejaz said and added, we wouldn’t judge the people on the basis of their dress, language and colour because it would create friction not friendship among the people belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds. The PAA president also emphasized that by creating artificial cultural barriers within Australian society they would achieve nothing but the unrest and hatred among the people of various communities who had long been living peacefully and contributing immensely to that beautiful country. While comparing multiculturalism with the rainbow, Ejaz said, "this beautiful work of nature looks attractive because it presents us with a lovely mixture of different colours." The Australian society likewise would look more attractive and peaceful if the masses were allowed to practice, celebrate and promote their unique cultural values freely. "As Australians we should honestly and genuinely follow the policy of integration with respect to multiculturalism and not the one of discrimination," Ejaz said and added, Pakistani community would continue to uphold and promote the core values of Australian multiculturalism and would foil any attempts aimed at undermining those values.
