No sooner had my family and I left our car upon arriving at an amusement park on the NSW south coast than I was confronted by a man, frothing with anger, who swore at me and told me to “f---in’ go back to your country”. For context, I was born and raised on this continent. Australia is my birthplace. There is no other country that I call home.
Like most people of Palestinian heritage, however, my connection to Palestine is deep-rooted. It’s a connection that is nested within my very soul in a way that I find hard to explain to others.
What could be more Austalian than a beach holiday? Ramia Abdo-Sultan’s daughter on their recent getaway.
In fact, we had embarked on our getaway from Sydney with friends in an attempt to disconnect from the constant feelings of horror and grief we’ve been feeling, as violence spirals out of control in Gaza. I went away seeking an opportunity to reconnect with my spirituality.
That I wear a hijab and am visibly Muslim was provocation enough, apparently, for the man abusing me. Later, when I was watching my children play at the beach pool, a........