Tauseef Mohammed is a 26 year old Secondary School Teacher from Darwin. He is of Pakistani heritage, more specifically, Punjabi. Most people call him Chip and he’s hilarious, caring and down to earth.  Anyway, I met Chip in 2013 on a 3 week study program in Greece.

Our lecturer for the program visited my school in Perth just before the trip and he showed me a previous assignment of this Pakistani Muslim boy who had done the program the year before. He was bursting with pride for this non-Greek who had been studying the language for such a short time, but was so good at it.

So, I proceeded to watch the video that this Chip Mohammed made in 2012 about Alexander The Great. I was in awe of how naturally he seemed to roll the Greek words off of his tongue. I was impressed and intrigued. Why does this 22 year old Muslim guy from Darwin want to learn about Greek language, culture, history and religion?  

Two months later, I met him on the trip and we didn’t have much to do with each  other. I respected that he was a Muslim in an Orthodox group and country. He didn’t seem to let the religious differences dilute his love for Greece or change the way he treated people. He was just one of the boys. So, we said our goodbyes on the last day and I didn’t think I’d ever see him again.

After the trip, Chip went off with some friends for three more days in Greece and I visited my relatives for three more days. Then, low and behold, I’m sitting in Thessaloniki airport on day 3 and I hear my name. It was Chip and I was thinking, “him again? What did I do to deserve this?” Just kidding… Kind of. He seemed happy to see a familiar face and I was too. We compared tickets and we had the same flight back to Doha. So, we met in Athens and we were forced to spend close to ten hours alone together, on planes and in airports. We never made an effort to get to know each other properly on the trip but you could say that fate eventually forced us to. At the risk of sounding like a cheese-ball, I’ve never felt such a connection with someone. We have kept in close contact over the years and contrary to predictions, he is now my best friend and I have nothing but unconditional love for him .

So, why would I, a person whose life and job revolves around being Greek, be so involved with a Muslim? What would I have in common with him? Don’t I watch the news? Aren’t I scared? Isn’t he “like all the others?” Won’t he change me to be “one of them?” These are questions that I’m subjected to constantly. I imagine that he has the same sort of questions about me. There are lots of people like Chip and I who are open minded, accepting and keep informed from sources other than your mainstream media. Unfortunately, there are people who believe the opposite. They react destructively from fear and categorise and stereotype an innocent majority because of a certain minority. I think we can all learn from someone like Chip. His journey to becoming an open-minded Muslim in Australia is inspiring and brave.

Here is the discussion that Chip and I had in regards to growing up as a Muslim in Australia.

 “I am a born and bred Darwin boy. Dad came to Darwin from Pakistan when he was around 6 or 7 and grew up in a very conservative household. He married mum through an arranged marriage. They never met before the wedding and he brought her over from Pakistan when she was in her early twenties. I grew up in a conservative Pakistani Muslim household. That meant no sleepovers, no school camps and no hanging out with girls. I went to Muslim School at least twice a week and I went to mosque everyday as a child to pray until my late teens, which is when things changed for me. 

 When I started going to university, I started studying ancient history and religions. This included Greek culture, language and history.  Even though I was a Muslim, I went to do my teaching prac at a Catholic school. That’s where I think things started to change because I looked into Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism… all the religions.  I grew up being taught that Islam was the only religion and way for me. I became open minded because I looked at the good side and the bad side of religion. I saw the ‘God caring and loving’ side and then I saw the fundamentalist and radical side of each religion. I saw religion and faith through a whole new lens. I looked into things deeper, through education.”

Do any family pressures accompany growing up in a conservative Muslim household?

“I honestly did not feel pressure from my parents. They are very supportive, very encouraging. They always gave me what I wanted and needed. I think growing up in a place like Darwin has given me a more laid back approach. I grew up in such a diverse society and I had no issues. I’ve always had friends from all over the world. I mean, the expectations for me were to grow up, get a degree, be religious and have a family with a Pakistani girl within an arranged marriage. I always grew up thinking that that would happen. It was always in the back of my mind. As I’m in my 20’s, I start noticing my childhood friends now doing that sort of thing. The guys and girls are getting arranged marriages now as part of the tradition.”

What are the consequences of marrying a non-Muslim woman?

“The consequences of me marrying a non-Muslim woman are that it would come as a shock and almost an embarrassment to my parents. This is because the girl isn’t Muslim and I am the only son in my family to carry on our Muslim name. Mohammed is the most sacred name in Islam, which will disappoint my parents if it isn’t continued.

I’ve just recently adopted an attitude based on my happiness and wanting to be with someone, no matter their religion or culture. If my parents don’t accept it, then I can’t do anything about it. I’ve always had a thing where I want to repay my parents with loyalty, trust, being the first in my family to get a degree and doing them proud. I just want to make them as happy as I can. That’s what Islam taught me- to repay them because you’re forever in their debt. There’s a saying that the prophet Mohammed said: “Paradise is at the feet of the mother.” So in our culture, your mum is like your key holder to the entry of paradise. I can’t enter heaven unless my mother is happy with me in God’s eyes. But now, I need to also live for my happiness and they have to accept it.”

Do you receive any prejudice from society because of your religion or culture?

I get pulled up at airports every time I travel. I get interrogated by the police a lot. Especially when I went to the USA. For 2.5 hours, I was interrogated by a US immigration officer and they had me monitored before I left Australia for security reasons. They asked me very personal questions and wanted to know everything about me. It was because of my last name and appearance. I always felt like I had to have my beard shaved clean there to avoid discrimination and look less ‘suspicious’ to them because of the current stereotypes of Muslims. Also, when I went to an interview at a catholic school, the Assistant Principal asked if I could be called by a different name, other than Mr. Mohammed, to avoid any problems.”

Do you think society is becoming more or less accepting of Muslim people?

“I think it’s very polarised. There’s one side that’s very fearful and very against Muslims, which is fed by media and ignorance and there’s the informed and more open side who are more positive and accepting of Muslims. Unfortunately, in Western society, there’s a large contingent of people who are negative and fearful towards Islam because of recent events. People should make an informed decision before they believe the lies that the media spread and the way stereotypes are being portrayed. People that are doing the inhumane acts, bend the rules of religions in general to suit their aims. It’s not just in Islam.

My education is the basis of who I am now. I am very thankful for it. That’s why travel has become such a big part of me. I’ve wanted to see the basis of religions first hand. I’ve noticed that religion is such a big part of culture and people’s lives.”

So, back to the questions posed earlier on.  What would I have in common with him? Don’t I watch the news? Aren’t I scared?  If you ask these questions about people of the Muslim faith, then please, get to know more people like Chip. Unfortunately, we are born into a world where we are categorised by our culture and religion. We are, however, born with individuality, hearts and minds. This means that you have the tools to make the conscious choice whether you treat people as stereotypes and as pawns in a class system, or not. Look beneath the skin and you will see that we all look the same underneath. We are all just human beings. Your religion, skin colour or gender does not make you superior to anyone else. Open your minds and your hearts and again, at the risk of sounding cheesy, just be kind. 

Lots of love,

Magda xx