704 我仍是中國人嗎?

雪梨西區發生的亞述教會主教被剌傷事件, 震撼了澳洲社會。在其後五個半小時, 教會外面發生的暴亂事件, 有超過700名當地居民, 圍著教堂, 要求交出兇手, 並且破壞警車, 造成多名警員受傷。這些暴徒都不是穆斯林, 總理當晚與伊斯蘭領袖召開視像會議, 其後這些領袖呼籲雙方要冷靜、團結、並彼此尊重, 不要破壞澳洲的種族和諧。

過去三十年, 澳洲社會吸納了不少不同文化的移民, 但對穆斯林的偏見卻日益增加。不錯, 有不少恐怖分子是穆斯林, 但絕大多數的穆斯林都是愛好和平, 不過把穆斯林等同暴力及不能融入社會的看法, 卻是十分普遍。同樣, 把華人看成為要消滅普世價值的共產黨或是要經濟侵略澳洲的中國人, 對澳洲構成威脅的偏見, 也不斷地增強。

我們相信多元文化移民, 絕對有權利保留自己的生活文化方式及價值觀, 因此不能容忍社會歧視任何一個民族。不過華人也要考慮成為澳洲人後, 自己是否對這一個國家盡忠, 及融入這一個社會。

我日前在微信收到一個視頻, 是一個商會在周日於本迪戈舉行拜祭先僑活動。其中, 墨爾本新任總領事作為主禮嘉賓致詞。總領事強調駐澳領事館是澳洲華人的家, 這和中國的政策, 把全球華人都看成為具備中國國籍的政策有關係。最近澳籍華人成蕾及楊恒均被視為中國國民被拘留,並且澳洲領事館無法探視及支援, 就是因為這一政策的表現。

制作這視頻的人, 使用了《我的中國心》這歌曲, 作為背景音樂, 歌詞就有這樣的一句「就算生在他鄉也改變不了 我的中國心」。這句歌詞, 相信不少華人都熟識, 我在香港的時候, 也很有共鳴。香港被中國割讓給英國, 成為殖民地, 一直到上世紀七十年代, 華人都是二等公民, 因此不少當時的香港人都會認同中國(不管是中華民國或是中華人民共和國)為祖國, 這一首歌曲, 在香港流行, 是很容易理解。但今天若從澳洲人看來, 這正是一種拒絕融入澳洲社會的態度。 其實今天移民澳洲的華人, 都是甘心情願地來到這裏居住的人, 這樣的思想, 是否仍然適合, 值得我們去思考。但華人若仍堅持有這種思想的話, 相信我們很難得到澳洲主流社會的信任。若有一天, 澳洲與中國發生衝突, 相信這也會為在澳洲生活的華裔澳洲人, 帶來災難。

社長 周偉文  

Am I still Chinese national?

The stabbing of a bishop of the Assyrian Church in Sydney’s western suburbs shocked Australian society. In the five and a half hours following the incident, over 700 local residents gathered outside the church, demanding the surrender of the perpetrator, and vandalizing police cars, resulting in multiple injuries to police officers. These hooligans were not Muslims. On the night of the incident, the Prime Minister held a video conference with Islamic leaders, who later called for calm, unity, and mutual respect, to maintain racial harmony in Australia.

Over the past thirty years, Australian society has absorbed many immigrants from different cultures, but prejudice against Muslims has been increasing. While it’s true that many terrorists are Muslims, the vast majority of Muslims are peaceful. However, the common perception that Muslims are synonymous with violence and unable to integrate into society is widespread. Similarly, the prejudice that Chinese people are either Communist Party members seeking to eradicate universal values or economic aggressors targeting Australia continues to grow.

We believe that multicultural immigrants have the absolute right to retain their way of life and values, and therefore cannot tolerate discrimination against any ethnic group. However, Chinese people should also consider whether they are loyal to this country and integrate into this society after becoming Australians.

I recently received a video on WeChat, showing a chamber of commerce of a Chinese city holding an ancestral worship event in Bendigo on Sunday. Among them, the newly appointed Consul General of Melbourne delivered a speech as the guest of honour. The Consul General emphasized that the consulate is the home of Chinese Australians, which is related to China’s policy of considering all Chinese nationals worldwide as having Chinese nationality. Recently, Australian-Chinese nationals Cheng Lei and Yang Heng Jun were detained as Chinese nationals, and the Australian consulate was unable to visit or support them, because of this policy.

The video used the song “My Chinese Heart” as background music, with the lyrics “Even if born in a foreign land, my Chinese heart cannot change.” Many Chinese people are familiar with this lyric, and I resonated with it when I was in Hong Kong. Hong Kong was ceded to the UK and became a colony, where Chinese people were second-class citizens until the 1970s. Therefore, many Hong Kong people at the time identified with China (whether it was the Republic of China or the People’s Republic of China) as their motherland, and this song was popular in Hong Kong, which is easy to understand. However, from the perspective of Australians today, this is a rejection of integration into Australian society.

In fact, Chinese immigrants to Australia today are willing to come here voluntarily. Whether this kind of thinking is still suitable deserves our consideration. However, if Chinese people continue to adhere to this kind of thinking, I believe it will be difficult for us to gain the trust of mainstream Australian society. If one day Australia conflicts with China, I believe this will also bring disaster to Chinese Australians living in Australia.

Raymond Chow, Publisher