Iranian-Australians Shocked by Lone Terrorist

A day on from the 16-hour siege in a Sydney cafe, Australians are taking stock of what happened and asking what steps might have been taken to prevent it.  Two hostages, Tori Johnson, the café’s manager, and Katrina Dawson, a barrister, were killed during the crisis, along with the man who kept them hostage, Iranian Mohammad Hassan Manteghi, also known as Man Haron Monis.

Like most Australians, Iranian Australians watched with shock and disbelief as events unfolded. But as news emerged that the gunman was Iranian, many expressed remorse, shock, shame —a sort of responsibility they did not want –purely because they shared a nationality or birthplace with the man who terrorized 17 people for hours.

“Most Iranians are feeling ashamed and sort of guilty,” said Ali Shahnazi on a Facebook group discussion.  Damon Aryan agreed. “Trust me. You don’t want to be ashamed of what you are not responsible for.”

In the hours that followed the siege, Iranian-Australians set up at least two Facebook pages to express solidarity, and to galvanize a public show of support, including Sydney Iranians solidarity with friends and families of SydneySiege victims and Iranians condemn Sydney siege, which posted a photograph of Johnson and Dawson, expressing sorrow for everyone who had suffered.  Others used the hashtag #IranianswithAustralians to organize a vigil on December 23.

“What surprises me is that, at least on my Facebook page, where I have both Iranian and Australian friends, it is mostly Iranians who are posting different personal analyses of the hostage crisis, as if trying to defend their national identity,” said Hasti Nariyan.

Mana Salsali, who also joined the chat, agreed. She said Iranian men in particular were inclined to feel guilty.  “This is not the first time that they have felt this pressure. I have talked to lots of my friends who immigrated to Australia and — generally — men have felt this pressure more from society and in their working places than women have.” She added that she felt, broadly speaking, that women found it easier to be accepted in Australia. “My understanding is that this is because lots of Australians might still seen Iranian women as victims and men as the dangerous ones, who could cause problems”.

But, posting on the same thread, Ali Shahnazi said he had not really felt that the Australian media or the general public had reacted specifically to the fact that the hostage-taker was Iranian or Muslim.

“I managed to go to [Martin] Place today and carried a sign, as I am Iranian and want to express my feeling to the families and friends of victims,” said Damon Aryan. “Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of the two hostages killed here. This is not Iranian spirit. Proud to be Iranian, Proud to be Australian.”

The last census, conducted in 2011, recorded that Australia was home to 34,453 Iranian-born people, an increase of 52.8 per cent from the 2006 Census, almost 45 percent of them live in New South Wales.

Australia’s problem with immigration is well documented. Over the last years, refugees from Iraq, Iran, and Sri Lanka have attempted to seek asylum there, traveling to the country by boat, often from Malaysia.  The increase in immigration has led to heated debate across society — one survey conducted earlier this year reported that 60 percent of Australians want a tougher stance on asylum seekers — and there are fears that the Martin Place siege will reignite tensions.

Sepitman Farhang, who has lived in Sydney since 2009, said he did feel that attitudes about Iranians were shifting, not least because of the widespread coverage the “boat people” issue has received. When he managed a restaurant in the city, he said, sometimes he would be asked if he had traveled to Australia via boat once they found out he was Iranian. He had to politely tell them that he had traveled to Australia to study and then applied for citizenship after he completed his studies.

Representatives of Australia’s Muslim communities said they are confident that what happened at the Lindt Café will not lead to an increase in anti-Muslim sentiment in the city.  

The  #illridewithyou initiative was still trending well into Tuesday night Sydney time. The campaign was launched following a Brisbane woman’s gesture to accompany a Muslim woman as she left a train on December 15, worried that she might be targeted for what was happening in Sydney.  It led others around the country to speak out in support for Muslims in Australia, sending a clear message that they did not consider them to be in any way connected to the actions of one deranged, self-styled cleric.

But far right group Australian Defence League launched their own campaign, using the hasthtag #IWillNotRideWithYou, and urged people to gather at Lakemba, a part of Sydney with a large Muslim population.

Posting on Facebook, Hasti Nariyan said that many people have questioned why it was that a man convicted of being an accomplice in the murder of his wife and who was awaiting sentencing for more than 40 sexual offences was not behind bars in the first place. Now that the Iranian Australian community could face further scrutiny from the media and the public in general, he says many Iranians are angry at the government.

“The government needs to address the problem,” said Sepitman Farhang. “Someone who has committed these crimes should not be living in the community. He obviously had serious mental issues.” Farhang said this could have a detrimental effect on how people view the Iranian community.

“It’s a black mark on our reputation,” he said. “Many of us left Iran because it wasn’t the place we wanted to be. We wanted to start from scratch, and get away from a regime and a government with a mentality we didn’t share. We felt we couldn’t change anything. But unfortunately, this makes it difficult for us.”