Youssef Saudie

I’m already the only Arab in my school. They always pronounce my name, Youssef, as ‘Yosef’ or ‘Joseph’. But how can I blame them if I didn’t even know the name of my own birthplace until today? I can feel the sweat on the back of my knees as we sit cross-legged in class. This always happens in the summer in Alice. It feels like at any moment your skin could just melt right off you. Our teacher is about to tell us something. I gaze up at her pale white skin as she says, ‘We have a new student t

Matil Haddad has gone from hearing "gibberish" in class to getting the highest ATAR in her high school and being one of the top 20 students in the Northern Territory. She came to Alice Springs as a Syrian refugee four years ago, at the age of 14. At the time, she was the only person in her family who could speak English. "I was sort of thrown into this new world, and it was like 'OK, now go be an adult', and I was not ready; it was hard," she said. Being one of the only Arab families in Alic

For most Muslims across Australia, COVID-19 lockdowns have put an end to large celebrations of Eid al-Adha — the Feast of the Sacrifice — but that is not the case in Alice Springs. In the nation's red centre, people have been able to freely honour the occasion with family and friends. More than 100 Muslims have been able to visit Alice Springs' Afghan Mosque to celebrate one of Islam's holiest events that, this year, runs from July 19 to July 23. The Mosque's Imam Hamdullah bin Ataullah expla

Starting with a ukulele in the community of Santa Teresa was the beginning of lead member of Southeast Desert Metal Chris Wallace's passion for pursuing metal music. Mr Wallace comes from a family of artists with many of his uncles playing country music, but he was drawn to metal bands like AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. "I just wanted to be like one of those guys and [looking back] it really did pay off," Mr Wallace said. Arrernte band Southeast Desert Metal has gained national attent

Layla* was just 18 when she stopped using LinkedIn after what she said was an "uncomfortable" encounter. In 2019, she connected with someone on the social media platform through the "find nearby" option during a university networking event with the intention of building her professional connections. "Previously, I thought like it was pretty innocent, nothing to worry about," Layla said. After she connected with the man, she felt she was starting to build her network. "He just messaged me say

Kriti Gupta is hoping to return to Australia, but her visa will expire by the time international borders open again. The Indian national holds a temporary graduate visa (TGV) — also known as a 485 visa — which allows her to stay in Australia and work in a job that uses the architectural design skills she gained at university. "So my 485 visa is going to expire this year [in] October," Ms Gupta said. "I tried to book many flights so that I can come back as soon as I can, but unfortunately they

Anhar Al-Shameri is immunocompromised, but until recently, she wasn't sure if she could get the COVID-19 vaccine. "I don't know when I go to the vaccine clinic, what will they ask me? What kind of paperwork will they demand? Because I'm not sure where I stand, or where I am placed in this process," she said. Ms Al-Shameri, who lives in Melbourne, is a bridging visa holder from Yemen and has neutropoenia, a condition that has left her with low levels of white blood cells, making it harder for h

"The hijab is a part of me where I feel powerful and confident because I am 100 per cent myself," Ms Awamleh told the ABC. A professional fashion designer in Melbourne, Ms Awamleh has been working to normalise the wearing of hijabs and "modest" fashion. She said dressing modestly was not just for Muslim women. "I have this vision where I want to empower women to dress elegantly and powerfully, and it doesn't matter whether you wear a hijab or not," Ms Awamleh said. "I think women are beautif

It began in October 2021 when a group of Shepparton’s First Nations community members came together in a backyard to figure out how to change the situation on youth suicide rates in town. “We had a cuppa and said, ‘what are we going to do about this?’,” Yorta Yorta woman and founding member of Dunguludja Dana Jean Miller said. “Our kids have been exposed to way too much trauma here, and something needs to be done.” Shepparton is home to the largest Aboriginal community and one of the highest

A Taungurang woman has revealed doctors instantly assumed her father was an alcoholic during a medical emergency, and repeatedly asked about his drinking habits while he was writhing in pain. The Yoorrook Justice Commission on Friday heard the stories of Taungurung Elder Uncle Larry Walsh, with support from his daughter Isobel Paipadjerook Morphy-Walsh speaking on issues including forced child removal, policing, health and the criminal justice system. It is the second block of the wurrek tyerr

Majed Al Hanooch came to Melbourne as a refugee in late 2017 at the age of 16. It was “not easy” for him as he had to leave parts of his culture in Iraq because his family needed to find safety. He comes from a Christian family and if they stayed in their home country they could suffer religious persecution from ISIS. “I was kind of young but old at the same time,” he said. “I just got used to it”. Mr Al Hanooch is now in his first year of university studying computer science. But he has expe

Ashur* and his family escaped Iraq from ISIS wanting to find refuge in a safe place. He and his family lived in Tel Keppe located less than 12 kilometres north-east of Mosul. In 2014, when ISIS took over, they fled with nothing but the clothes they had on. They left their home, work and Ashur's oldest son could not finish university for fear of being bombed on the way. There were swarms of people fleeing on foot and crowded busses transiting to multiple destinations. In just a few hours mov

The grey areas for refugees settling into Australia

Hassan Jaber, 37, was born and raised in Kuwait. But he is a minority in his home country – a Kuwaiti-Bidoon. Bidoon is short for Bidoon Jinsiyya, meaning ‘without nationality’ in Arabic. “I’m from Kuwait, my dad’s from Kuwait, we’re not from any other country, but we are stateless in Kuwait with no rights,” Jaber told me. Being stateless meant Jaber was unable to pursue further education and other facilities available to Kuwaiti citizens. “Without any passport, without any medical care, with

What if you had no nationality? You are considered an illegal resident in your home country and lack basic human rights. This is the life of a stateless person. According to The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, “everyone has the right to a nationality”, and when they are not, people are denied access to healthcare and education. So why are people stateless? There are many reasons why someone could be stateless. Many people are born into it. It can be due to the lack of birth regist

The bustling markets at night. This is a photo of a "slow" night, according to locals. The population of New Delhi is over 30 million. By comparison, the entire population of Australia is only 25 million. The difference in population size and density emphasises the threat COVID-19 poses to India. Already, thousands have been forced out of their homes after being unable to pay rent, according to Prime Minister Modi. Millions are reportedly out of work.

From Bangkok, Thailand to Jaipur, India. It sounds like a plan. I’m ready to book it. It isn’t a morning flight. Good price. Let’s buy these tickets! While booking flights, one backpacker at my hostel asks, “oh, where are you off to?” “India!” I reply. Coincidentally they’ve also visited India, and asked me, “do you have a Visa?” This one question changed my whole trip. I don’t have a visa. Yes, pretty stupid. I could’ve made sure by googling it. It would’ve taken me a few minutes. But I’ve bec