Migrants are people who leave their countries to settle in another permanently. However, that is a one-dimensional definition that does not do justice to that unique and life-changing experience. I therefore feel compelled to share with you my migration experience and what it truly means to be a migrant.
I should state from the get-go that I am very well aware that my views on migration will probably be misunderstood, misconstrued or even vehemently opposed for being too radical, racist or bigoted. I am neither racist nor bigoted, but rather fair and principled. I believe in freedom, as long as it does not violate the freedom of others. Your freedom has limits and boundaries which end when my freedom of movement, freedom of expression, freedom of belief, or freedom of enterprise is violated or restricted. That is sensible freedom.
Where sensible freedom is, justice thrives and the human potential soars. It was that freedom that awakened in me the desire of migrating to Australia, and the culture of reward based on merit that reinforced my conviction in calling this great country home.
I am a true migrant. Unlike many migrants, I belong in this country. I had known that even before my feet touched the ground in Sydney back in 2001. It was only a couple of weeks after landing when a relative told me “I look into your eyes and I see the look of a man who’s never coming back.” She had seen many international students come to Australia; they were weak, vulnerable, unsure, uncertain, reluctant, shocked, confused and stressed. Unlike them, I was centered and focused. Why? Simple. I was home. My personal values, not cultural values, were compatible with those of the Western societies. They were so compatible that assimilating in the country’s culture literally required no effort.
The more compatible the migrants’ set of values are with those of the country’s citizens, the greater their need is for learning the language of the land. Personally, as a migrant, my core value was to reward or be rewarded based on merit. I therefore realized that in order for me to compete with the majority of Aussies, I had to speak and write the language just as good or even better than many of them. The language problem needed to be eliminated quickly for cultural assimilation to be validated.
I have been a resident of Australia for the last 15 years and I have never felt “un-Australian.” Neither have I ever been treated as an “un-Australian” as I have never given anyone the justification to. Frankly, I never came to Australia because of its multiculturalism. I had never heard of the term “multiculturalism” before moving to Australia. I chose down-under (as a 2nd option after the US because of its low-value dollar back then) because of its Western-oriented culture and Western-based values and principles. The act of migrating to me was a denouncement of the country I was born in and the culture it represents. Although I witnessed the ugliest and most hideous wars and consequently spent most of my childhood and teenage in the underground basement of a then-deserted public school, I did not desert my family and friends because of those despicable wars, I deserted them because I had realized I did not share with them the cultural identity. I always felt I could not fit in. I could not belong. As a result, I made a conscious decision to seek a new home, the land of Oz.
Now I recognize however that the culture I happen to resent is adored and admired by many. I respect those who admire their culture and have the decency to stay and fight for it despite the insecurities, hardships, struggles and even wars. In contrast, I disrespect migrants who claim to love their culture so dearly yet abandon it in search for safety, stability, career or financial gain somewhere else. They do not quite abandon it though do they? They abandon the country, in its geographical sense, but clings on to the culture which they also bring along into the host country. That is obviously not very convenient or fair for individuals like me who willfully left their country of birth precisely because of that culture.
Some migrants or refugees allegedly escape their homeland because of oppression, persecution, civil conflicts and war. They could choose to migrate to a country whose culture and values are more compatible with theirs but they do not, instead, they choose to migrate or escape to the furthest place on earth without the slightest intention of assimilation or integration. As a matter of fact, in many cases, they purposefully exploit the generosity of Australia and abuse the notion of openness and multiculturalism. They place themselves right at the heart of one of the most free and open societies in the whole world but then absurdly lock themselves up inside a racial and ethnic bubble causing their children a horrendous moral dilemma that is very likely the underlying factor to homegrown terrorism in most Western societies.
Do yourself, your children and society a favor. Once you migrate, integrate or vacate.
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