Once again the thorny issue of forcing men and women to sit apart became a news headline this past weekend. The United Muslims of Australia event at Olympic Park had clearly designated seating for men and women on opposite sides of the hall and this was divided by a steel barrier. What seems to be the issue is whether this segregation was voluntary or imposed by those running the meeting.
It follows a ruling by the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal that journalist Alison Bevege was discriminated against at an earlier event when she was instructed by event organizers to move away from a seat she had taken amongst men and sit at the back of the room - with the women, and that involves an entirely separate issue. The relegation of women to play a lesser role than men.
The "United Muslims of Australia "people claim that the seating arrangements were voluntary and the women "chose "to sit separately. In this case, there is no record of anybody being asked to move because a seating ban was in force and the NCAT ruling only occurred because a journalist provocatively challenged her right to sit amongst the men and took it to the tribunal when it was refused.
The "herd instinct " is the common denominator in many such choices. When an average person enters a room and sees a group of men sitting in one area and a group of women in another, it is usual for them to seat themselves according to their gender. The laws of Australia insist that such gender discrimination is unlawful if it is decreed as an condition of entry.
That is where we stray into territory where Angels fear to tread ! Some of the worlds religions insist that men and women pray in separate groups and in the Christian world we have clearly marked separation in male congregations in Monasteries and women in Nunneries. This gender separation also exists in most Asian religious cultures.
"New Order "thinking people in the western world seem hell bent on tearing down the old order and forcing their views because "change " has become the new "normal ". We are seeing this manifest itself in the push for same sex marriage and the acceptance of homosexuality. The old shibboleths have fallen and society must play by new rules.
At the same time there has been a backlash from the traditionalists and dark forces like Islamic State have emerged to try and impose a more constricted way of life by forceful brutality. On one end of the spectrum the rule book has been torn up and discarded, and on the other a veil of darkness has descended that eliminates all forms of self choice.
At the moment, the object of venom from the forces of change in Australia is the Muslim religion. Religious war in the Middle East and Afghanistan has seen followers of Islam fleeing to formerly Christian countries and resistance here takes the form of objections to new mosques and rejection of dress codes we deem unusual. In particular, the Islamic head scarf identifies Muslim women in our community like a beacon.
The average Muslim family living here has similar aspirations to the rest of the community. They bring a welcome addition to the Australian cuisine and a small percentage are firebrands and religious extremists. Such has been the experience with all the nationalities that have eventually combined to form the national Australian identity. It seems strange that we are singling out the custom of men and women being seated separately at Muslim gatherings at the same time we are considering implementing women only train carriages on our rail system - which is common in India and Japan.
This separation of the sexes will naturally cease in religious institutions when the women involved decide that it is appropriate. At present it is being whipped into a frenzy by bored editors seeking to fill pages with a little excitement - and glory hunting journalists seeking to make their mark in the world by creating news stories !
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