CANBERRA – Mehreen Faruqi, a Pakistani-origin Australian national whoemigrated to the country in 1992, has made history as the island nation’sfirst Muslim lawmaker to be appointed in Australian Senate.
Mehreen was ushered in to the Australian Senate on August 15th. She hadpreviously served as an MP for the Green Party at New South Wales. She hasthe political credentials as well as the experience. She also happens tohold a doctorate in environmental engineering.
Mehreen Faruqi was first elected to the state parliament in 2014, becomingthe first Muslim woman in Australia to hold political office. What makesher ascent to Aussie politics all the more significant is that it happenedduring a time when Australia continues to grapple with a rising tide ofracism and anti-immigration mood.
Mehreen hopes that her new political role can help her fight fora “positive future for Australia where we are stronger for our diversity.”She’s no stranger to racism as well, after being subjected to more than hershare of such events. Perhaps this is what influenced her campaign’s themeof combating the rising spate of incidents behind minority groups inAustralia.
In her exit speech for the New South Wales parliament, she made it a pointto mention how a vile culture of “toxic, racist, and sexist trolling”followed her around when she was an MP. All because from where she camefrom, and the color of her skin, she laments.
She has spoken out against politicians who are campaigning on a platform ofhate, those who want to deny a voice to marginalized minority groups inAustralia. She criticized an Australian Senator, Fraser Anning, who spokeof a “final solution” on immigration.
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She is already making waves for taking a bold stance against suchanti-immigrant lawmakers. This is what her response was to Anning:
I’m a muslim migrant, I’m about to be a Senator and there’s not a damnthing Fraser Anning can do about it.
Faruqi says that no matter how hard she tries to assimilate and integrateherself as an Australian citizen, the generally polarized climate in thecountry against minorities and immigrants mean that her compatriots willnever accept her as one of their own. She hopes that she can changemindsets during her stint as a Senator.
Faruqi will be serving at Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Shewants to speak for the rights of not just Pakistani-origin and Muslimcitizens of Australia but for all non-white Australians.
