Was a beautiful morning today, sitting at my desk watching
the sunrise, listening to the jungle as it wakes up. Sipping my coffee a message popped up on my
computer screen, as I read the message my pleasant morning began to take a
different direction. The message was
from a friend who was expressing their concern for the safety of Princess Pants
and me. I felt very loved and cared for
at their concern and know I am blessed to have such wonderful caring people in
my life however it took me a while and another coffee before I could respond to
the message. The message was not rude or
disrespectful at all but it brought up feelings of mummy guilt that only
another mother can understand. Mummy
guilt is terrible, I do not know any mother who would not defend their child
with their life and questions every decision they make from how much TV their
child is watching to have they chosen the right school. Mummy guilt is always there, sitting on your
shoulder making you think twice about your decisions. Now my friend had no desire to call into
question the decisions I have made for Princess Pants in bringing her here but
none the less the mummy guilt monster had been released. 
I am sure you are all now wondering about the content of the
message. I have spoken with my friend
and she is happy for me to share the basics of the message. Parts of the message read “I am so worried
for you and Princess Pants, the news said all westerners in the Muslim world
are targets for terrorism”, “You need to come home to your friends where it is
safe”. So here goes – this may not be
the most politically correct blog, if it offends anyone I’m not prepared to
apologise, this is my opinion and you are entitled to like it or not.
The world is crazy. The
world Princess Pants is growing up in is vastly different to the world I grew
up in. Do I worry about the threat of
terrorism? Yes but I am sure a lot of you do too. Yesterday as mainstream media broad cast the
new travel warnings to US citizens and their allies, I did take notice. I listened carefully as they announced their
concern for westerners in Muslim countries.
I took note of the embassies that were to be closed, the travel alerts
for countries across the globe and I felt sad that the world is such a
terrifying place. Did I question my decision
to take Princess Pants to Jakarta (apparently a prime terror target) in a
couple of weeks? Yes, are we still going
– hell yeah.
So here is what I would like to share with you all. I live in a predominantly Muslim
country. I chose to live here. I do my utmost to respect the culture and religions
of this country. I cover myself before
heading to town and I don’t eat in public during Ramadan (the month of
fasting). I do my best to understand this amazing country and all the diverse
people who live here. Do I feel
threatened by the Muslim population in this country, in no way at all. We have many Muslim friends here, they are respectful,
wonderful fun people. Do I feel I am
putting Princess Pants in harm’s way by living here – to be honest yes,
sometimes (especially when mummy guilt rears its head). What I do know is that if something happened
here and we needed help, my friends (regardless of their religion) would not
hesitate to help us. I appreciate the
concern of friends and family but please don’t ever question our well being on
the basis of the religion of the country we are in.
Terrorists have very little respect for the people they
target. Muslims, Christians and Catholics
are all at risk when terrorism strikes.
Does living here put us more at risk of being a target – perhaps but
only due to the amount of travel we do.
Could we become victims of terrorism in Australia – yes, any country is
at risk. As I type this, my mummy guilt
is subsiding. I know I have not thrown
us into a situation that puts us more at risk of terror attacks. We are in the same position as the rest of
the world. Please continue to care for
our well being and safety (those crazy Tokeks are still in the house) and know
I love you all for the wonderful messages of love and support you send me. 
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