Speech given by one of the youth participants of the Youth Panel project

Good afternoon ladies, gentlemen and fellow students. My name is Hakan Guden and I am here today representing Sule College and more broadly the Muslim community of Australia . There are a few reasons why attending this forum attracted me with such enthusiasm. I believe today will serve as a way in which I, an Australian born Muslim, can shed some light onto to this religion I practice called Islam. On a more important note however, I believe that by broadening each others' minds on each others' beliefs, we would in some miniscule manner, have promoted peace within Australia.

There is a great Latin saying which was my old school's moto, I'll never forget it, Concordia per Diversitatem. This literally translates as unity through diversity. Australia is an excellent example of this. Through our diversity and our cultural differences, we are unified. Now how are we unified by being different? The answer to that ladies and gentlemen is in the essence of Australia 's culture. When we identify ourselves as being Australian, we also say that we are culturally diverse and this is a major part of who we are. Us identifying ourselves as being culturally diverse yet at the same time sharing the same nation, is being unified. And this diversity or multiculturalism is the foundation on which the Australian culture has been formed.

Now, on a more personal note, I would like to get to the theme of today, my identity in Australia . Now, I am just as Aussie as the next bloke and I do enjoy slapping the occasional chop on the barbie. I am a strong patron of Australia and I have found a way, after 17 years of life, to balance my ingrained Turkish/Muslim culture with the Australian culture I am surrounded by. I believe the cultural conditions under which I grew up in were optimal for achieving a balance between my two worlds. My brother and I both grew up in a strongly Australian-oriented household, barbeques frequent, the ride-on mower in the shed and the veggie patch out back, yet I still was able to maintain a prominently Muslim belief system.

I want to take this opportunity to talk about this word tolerance I keep hearing in the media. I despise this term. Nobody should have to tolerate anyone else. Tolerations refer to when one, out of desperation, ceases to react to one's wrong doings. Now why should anybody have to tolerate Muslims when the majority is not doing anything wrong? I believe we should work towards a more peaceful acceptance and appreciation for each other. We need to work together to build friendships. We are all connected by our humanity so we must respect and protect each other's dignity.

The other day I was listening to popular radio station on where a prominent radio presenter resides. He said “If we went to a Muslim country we wouldn't be able to practice our religion, so why should we let them practice theirs here?” This comment spat on all I believe in Australia . Australia is a multicultural society with its foundations built on migrants, why should we do the same as an extremist government? And by the way, a real Islamic state allows other religions to practice their faiths and should accommodate them and help them in anyway possible.

I strongly believe that I'm Australian however I still do acknowledge I have a strong Turkish connection. My place within Australia is sometime blurred by the media but I do not believe the media is a fair representation of the Australian peoples' views. Unlike many youth whose parents are migrants, I do not have an identity crisis, nothing has ever been clearer than my identity. I am an Australian. I am an Australian born Muslim.