The Prime Minister's new parliamentary secretary, Ed Husic, has been subjected to a torrent of racial abuse online for being sworn in to his position with a Koran.
Mr Husic became Australia's first Muslim frontbencher on Monday when he was appointed to Kevin Rudd's new-look ministry as parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister and parliamentary secretary for Broadband.
"This is a wonderful day for multiculturalism, and everything it stands for in our country," Governor-General Quentin Bryce told Mr Husic during the swearing-in ceremony in Canberra on Monday.
Ed Husic, with the copy of the Koran with which he was sworn in as a parliamentary secretary. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen
However, after receiving dozens of messages of congratulations on his Facebook page, the comments quickly turned to disgust and outrage that he had chosen to be sworn in on the Muslim holy book.
Advertisement
Some called it un-Australian and unconstitutional.
"Our allegiance should have been to Queen and Country first Ed. That means saying the oath on the holy bible not the Koran.... Shame, Shame, Shame," posted one user, Ross Peace. "I am so disappointed in this government that they don't have the spine to stand up for the Australian way of life."
Another user, Therese Pearce, said she was "disgusted and embarrassed" for the Australian people.
"Hell i might just have to use snow white and the 7 dwarfs next time i take the oath for australia," she posted.
One user, Anna Dean, claimed his decision to be sworn in on the Koran undermined "our culture and country and constitution in this way".
Another user, Carrie Forrest, accused him of disregarding Australia's constitution and pushing for sharia law.
Mr Husic has previously said that he is a moderate Muslim who does not involve himself heavily with most of the religious customs and behaviours of the faith.
Asked about his religion in 2010, he told the ABC: "If someone asks me, 'Are you Muslim?' I say yes. And then if someone says, 'Well do you pray and go to a mosque and do all the other things that are associated with the faith?' I say no.
"I often get told that I describe myself as non-practising when in actual fact I don't go round saying that. Like I just say 'I'm Muslim'."
President of the Anti-Discrimination Board and Chairperson of the NSW Community Relations Commission Stepan Kerkyasharian said it was "a sad day for any society" when someone is abused because of their religion.
He said Mr Husic could act as a valuable bridge between the Muslim community and would put Australia at an advantage in the international community.
"It should be an interesting and positive milestone that someone of migrant heritage has come to Australia and has now, through our democratic process, reached a position of leadership," he said.
Mr Husic, 43, the son of Bosnian Muslim migrants, became the first Muslim to be elected to Parliament when he won his western Sydney seat of Chifley in the 2010 election with 51.58 per cent of votes, almost double that of his next competitor.
In 2010, he was sworn into Federal Parliament alongside members from several religions. Kooyong member Josh Frydenberg and Melbourne Ports member Michael Danby were sworn in on the Jewish bible.
Lawyer and community rights advocate Mariam Veiszadeh said there was too often an assumption that being a good Australian citizen and a good Muslim were "mutually exclusive concepts".
"You can be a devout Jew and a good Australian parliamentarian who serves your country just as equally as you can be a practicing Muslim and a good Australian citizen and politician," she said.
"It is ignorant for people to conflate irrelevant issues and it stems from the Muslim bashing that has been going on in this country for a decade."
Fairfax Media is seeking comment from Mr Husic.
Read more:
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/shame-shame-shame-australias-first-muslim-frontbencher-abused-for-taking-oath-on-koran-20130702-2p8l2.html#ixzz2XqogTEwII feel so sad that he has to be bullied into saying he's not practising. #culturalMuslim #atheistMuslim
Topic: 'Shame, shame, shame': Australia's first Muslim frontbencher abused for taking o