Shakira Hussein, PhD student in the School of Social Sciences at ANU, writes:

Like many Australians, I did a large part of my growing up on the beach, enjoying most of my time there. I’m also Muslim, of mixed Pakistani/Scottish background. I wouldn’t pretend that young Middle Eastern/Muslim youths don’t hassle women on the beach. Of course they do. But since when have young white Australian males not done the same?

As teenagers on beach trips, my friends and I (with me the only non-Anglo among us) put up with the most revolting sexual harassment from young men – none of them Middle Eastern. And young women then (and now) were expected to take it all in good part – only humourless feminist dykes would object to being sexually harassed, and at times sexually assaulted, on the beach! Or so we were led to believe. From the stories of teenage female friends, not much has changed on that front.

But the same young men who’d think nothing of engaging in that kind of behaviour now say they won’t put up with “our” women being harassed by “their” men (or even with “our” women engaging in consensual relationships with “their” men). I don’t defend sexual harassment or loutish behaviour by young Muslim men. But they did not create the ugly side of Australian beach culture. It was there already. Lately, I’ve been to the beach several times with female Muslim friends, some of whom lived most of their lives in countries far from the ocean, others who are strong swimmers, even when fully dressed and wearing hijab. It’s a very Australian outing, no matter how you’re dressed or what’s in your picnic basket.

How the hell do I explain to my young daughter the news footage of the last few days? Or reassure her about our planned summer beach holiday? And will I feel comfortable in future suggesting to newly arrived Muslim immigrants that we take a trip to the beach so that they can find out what Australia is all about? Will I hell.