SUSPENDED FOR SINGING “JINGLE BELLS”
The following email from a mother in Adelaide, South Asustralia has just been passed on to me
I am a Mother of a 13 year old Australian boy. He is a loving & caring
child. He is NOT a perfect child & in fact I pretty sure only one of them has
ever been born in over 2000 years BUT he IS generally respectful of adults &
a polite young boy. I know he has both good & bad points BUT what has
happened to him recently is absolutely ridiculous.
On Wednesday at lunchtime my son & 2 of his friends were told off for
singing " Jingle bells " in the school hall way.It was free time & not
lesson time. They had just come back from singing practice. In Australia as
the rest of the world ,it is a pretty much a normal thing for kids to be
excited at Christmas time. For heavens sake's they ARE kids AND are allowed
to be happy & enjoy themselves.
It appears that about a month ago one Muslim child joined our school
community & he is in the classroom next to my son & his friends.Well this
child went up to my son in the hall & punched him in the stomach for singing
Jingle Bells & then went to a teacher & said that the boys were offending
his religious beliefs by singing Jingle bells. The Vice Principal was called
& the 3 boys got into trouble ! In the meantime this boy said IF any of them
sang Christmas songs again that he would "knife them".
Anyway my son & his friends were NOT singing an actual Christmas Carol ONLY a
Christmas song - Jingle bells ! IF they wished to sing something like Silent
Night or the First Noel it would have also been quite in their rights
to.Australia's IS suppose to free- we are NOT the old Communist Russia
after all.
Then on the Wednesday night what is usually expected to be our School
Christmas Carols night turned out to be a Multicultural night.There was NOT
one Christmas Carol sung. There was a short Japanese play,our kids doing a
South Pacific dance performance & heaps of songs about Father Christmas.At
one stage there was a song about snow in USA.There was an American flag on
stage.No where in the whole night an Australian flag to be seen.IF it was
truly a multicultural night AND we are in Australia shouldn't ALL different races of Australia be considered - including the white Anglo-Saxons ( the majority ) who where the 1st ones to settle in Australia after our native aborigines ?
The parents voiced their annoyance by refusing to sing the only 2
community Christmas carols which were " Santa Claus is coming to town" & "
Rudolph the red nose Reindeer."
Our new principal has gone too far. For the past 11 1/2 years I have been
on school council & we have always had actual proper Carols with a song book
provided..It's been a friendly picnic type atmosphere with families sitting
side by side with folding chairs, snacks & soft drinks in Eskies.This year
we had it in the High school next door’s hall.
Australia is basically a Christian country. When I go overseas my family &
I try & learn some of the culture before we go so WE can respect their
traditions & religion. If people of other countries are welcome with open
arms into my country to live & raise their families should the majority NOT
be shown the same respect by newcomers?
My son & my family ARE being discriminated against because we are white
Anglo-Saxons.
I can NOT understand IF it is good enough for virtually every council area
in Australia to have Community Christmas Carols then WHY can't our kids sing
Christmas Carols at a school functions ,let alone a Christmas song in the
school yard or hallway without being told off.
I am NOT saying people of ALL religions should NOT be free to express
their beliefs BUT what about my son & OUR families beliefs & my son's
friends. Are NOT OUR beliefs being trodden on? Why do WE as Australians who
are a majority Christian nation have to be discriminated against & suffer &
deny our beliefs ,culture & heritage because there is a vague possibility
that it MAY offend a minority that have come to our great country to
live. After all did they not probably come here to make a better life for
themselves & their children ?
After the past couple of day’s incidents I had a big talk to son about
what is it to be born an Australian or a free citizen of ANY country. I
spoke about freedom & democratic rights. I mentioned that as he knew already
that his ancestors had fought in many wars for the freedom of their
generation & future generations of their families to live in a free &
democratic society. I reminded him of his Irish & English ancestors coming to
Australia for better lives for themselves & their children.I told him no
one including ANY teacher had the right to tell him he could NOT sing
Christmas Carols OR Christmas songs - IF it was in his own time & in the
school yard..I said IF anyone told him off for singing he was very politely
to remind them that he WAS an Australian living in a free & democratic
society & it was his right to celebrate Christmas.
Well my little talk proved to go against my son today - my son & 3 of his
friends were suspended from school.
It seems my son told his friends that they could sing IF they wanted to &
that it WAS their rights as Australians. to do so. At lunch time in the
playground they were having fun & singing Jingle bells. The one & only Muslim
child who had threaten to "knife " the boys IF they sang again - complained
to a teacher about having his religious beliefs offended. WHY could he NOT
walk away ? He WAS out to cause trouble ! The teacher's came over & then the
Vice- principal THEN it was a case of poor minority child - let's protect
him. Why not a case of majority rules ?
I also have no idea how this family is surviving in Australia at the
moment. You can NOT walk into any shopping centre without seeing Christmas
trees,nativity scenes & having Christmas Carols blasted at you from every
direction. Does this family not eat or go shopping for the 8 weeks we have
Christmas in our shops ?
My family & I have travelled extensively overseas & every time we do we
try to learn a little about the culture of where we are going.This way we
know how to act & avoid offending. We wear appropriate clothes into temples &
shrines & do not walk on offering in the street. IF it is good enough for US
as Australians to do this then WHY can not people who come to Australia do
the same thing ? I always thought THAT was how a democracy WAS supposed to
work.
I think one of the most interesting things will be to see IF these
teachers at school ARE REALLY going to stand up for these principles & give
up their 6 weeks paid holidays - after all IF it is NOT the right thing to
celebrate Christmas AS an Australian - should these teachers NOT be
available to teach these children who do NOT celebrate Christmas.I am sure
it would be hypocritical of them to take 6 weeks paid holidays at the tax
payer’s expense IF they will not let the majority of children in the school
celebrate Christmas as their families presume they will.I think it will be a
cold day in hell before they give up their paid holidays -after all they
ONLY get about 12 weeks holidays a year when the average Australian worker
gets 4 weeks.
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