On Tuesday 1 September 2009, the annual Affinity Friendship & Dialogue Iftar Dinner and the Australian Affinity Awards ceremony was held at the Strangers Function Room, in the NSW Parliament House. For the first time in its nine year history, this auspicious event was co-hosted by Affinity and the three major NSW party Parliamentarians.
With a spirit of sharing common values that unite Australians from all cultural and faith backgrounds this Friendship & Dialogue Iftar Dinner celebrated diversity with the key representatives of various sectors across NSW and interstate. Invited guests included parliamentarians, journalists, consul generals, senior members of academia and multifaith community leaders.
The organisers hope this celebration of diversity will continue to enhance and deepen the relationship between Australian Muslims and members of the wider community.
The evening begun with acknowledgements by the Master of Ceremonies, Mr Osman Koralia, immediately followed by the Azan, the call for prayer by Imam Bilal Aksoy from the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque.
Official welcome speeches were then made by the co-hosts for the evening. The Hon Paul Lynch MP from NSW Labor Party commended the pioneering work that Affinity has undertaken over the course of nine years. He applauded and remarked, “The Dinner is a concrete manifestation of our multicultural society … underlying such a society of course is the principle of dialogue. Can I congratulate the Affinity Intercultural Foundation for their organisation of this Dinner and their ongoing contribution to a harmonious society.”
Mr Anthony Roberts MP from the NSW Liberal Party offered his greetings and support for the facilitation of such positive models. Mr Roberts remarked “I would like to thank the Affinity Intercultural Foundation for this chance to acknowledge and pay tribute to the important role that multicultural communities play in our great nation.”
Mr Adrian Piccolli MP from NSW Nationals Party reflected over his experience as a second-generation migrant to Australia and said “It is with pleasure that I celebrate with you tonight in the spirit of peace and harmony, during this special time– the Ramadan period … All of the people present here tonight recognise that living in harmony is all about respect, inclusiveness and a sense of belonging for everyone. It is therefore with much pleasure that I join you tonight”.
Mr Mehmet Saral President, Affinity Intercultural Foundation remarked, “As God’s most valuable creatures on Earth, it is an obligation upon all human beings to love, respect or at least communicate with one another. In particular when we live in a wonderful country like Australia, it is imperative that we achieve a society, which lives in harmony, cohesion and mutual understanding”.
The Spirit of Ramadan was then presented by Mrs Zuleyha Keskin Vice President, Affinity Intercultural Foundation. Mrs Keskin shared her reflection “of the spiritual experience and facility weaved throughout the fasting of Ramadan … a historically celebrated phenomenon of most spiritual journeying …not exclusive to Muslims”.
With dinner followed the warm conversations with guests and interfaith and intercultural colleagues over the years. Food for thought was followed by a memorable presentation by Prof James Haire from Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Charles Sturt University as the keynote address.
On the importance of interfaith and intercultural dialogue, Prof Haire reflected his “lived interfaith” over many years. He remarked that Abrahamic faith traditions share deep commonalities and are therefore to be “protectors of one another”. His strong message and support for dialogue activities left conversations continuing well after his presentation.
What followed such fine sentiments were a melodious orchestration of spiritually provoking spiritual music by Omer Faruk, (Ney) Lautaro Veloso (Classical Guitar) and Erhan Boduk (Bendir). The echoes of the speechless instruments bore a different level of meaning in the Stranger Room’s auspicious atmosphere.
During dessert, the Australian Affinity Awards presentation’s began. In the following categories were the corresponding Award recipients for their outstanding efforts:
Interfaith Dialogue – Professor James Haire
Muslim Community – Mr Hazem El Masri
Academic – Professor Ross Chambers
Public Service – Mr Gavin McCairns
Media – Mr Andrew West
Education – Mr Jonathan Noble
Youth Interfaith – Ms Toung-Vi Phan
Youth Community – Mr Khalid Rasouli
Amidst the large presence of special guests and leadership of NSW, few shared their reflections of the evening. Some memorable remarks made were:
“We need dialogue … I may not be perfect” Rev Fred Nile
“I thank Affinity for the opportunity granted at the Islamophobia Conference this year to share the reflections and lessons from the holocaust” Mr Robin Margo, President NSW Jewish Board of Deputies
“I am a proud American who loves Australia … I see a great display of multiculturalism here tonight …. I fondly applaud the initiative” US Consulate General
On behalf of the NSW Community Relations Commission, Mr Stepan Kerkyasharian Chairperson, congratulated the organisers and commended the positive spirit of cultural exchange over the Friendship & Dialogue Iftar Dinner.
Friendship & Dialogue Iftar Dinner seems the hallmark of NSW interfaith and intercultural calendar. The inaugural tri-partisan support of the program is a good indication of this significant contribution towards a harmonious and socially cohesive Australia.
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