- Too Migrant, Too Muslim, Too Loud, by Mehreen Faruqi. Allen & Unwin, $32.99.
This is a sad, confronting, angry and demanding book. The author, Mehreen Faruqi, born, raised and married in Pakistan, migrates to Australia, over 30 years ago. She comes with her husband and infant son, with some apprehension and a great deal of hope.
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She and her husband make a great success of their lives in Australia. Faruqi earns a Master's degree and a doctorate at the University of New South Wales, takes on a variety of jobs as a civil engineer and embraces her work, and her new country, with openness, intelligence and vigour.
Australia back then was also open, embracing and welcoming to newcomers. But things changed, pride in a multicultural Australia wavered and Prime Minister John Howard announced that he was "no fan" of multiculturalism. Bigots felt emboldened. Migrants, especially women of colour, became targets
Faruqi and her family move to Port Macquarie for a simpler lifestyle and more family time. They love and embrace living in a small town.
But Faruqi finds the discussion of ideas limited, delights in a dinner party of breadth, discovers that most at her table are members of the NSW Greens and joins the political party the next day.
It is, perhaps, a fatal decision. With her searching intelligence, her passion and her energy, Faruqi is quickly recognised as a Green going places. To the NSW Legislative Council in 2013, in fact, after standing in the general election for the seat of Heffron, then held by the outgoing State premier.
In the upper house, she embraces the Greens reform agenda with conviction and passion - abortion reform, marriage equality, environmental change. She discovers the awful sexism and racism in the chamber, but what she receives in her office and on her devices is far worse.
Readers cannot doubt the unflinching honesty of Faruqi's analysis of the current state of Australian politics (she joined the Senate in 2018). It may induce despair, great sadness and some frustration in many readers. Faruqi reminds readers that the Senate derives from the Latin for "old man" and is no more comfortable with it for that.
Yet this is not a book without hope. Standing in Heffron, with a miniscule campaign budget, Faruqi embraces old-fashioned door-knocking.
For the most part, she receives warm welcomes, earnest discussions, cups of tea and even, on one occasion, a plant to take home. Only a few doors are shut against her.
Perhaps Australians are not as our politicians and social-media warriors are. A very sad book, with some slight reason for hope.