Former AFL premiership footballer Bachar Houli will launch this year’s Brimbank Readers and Writers Festival on March 17 with his inspirational autobiography book ‘Bachar Houli: Faith, Football and Family’.
Houli, who was the first devout Muslim to play AFL, will kick start the ten day festival in company with ABC writer, freelance journalist and producer Paul Bateman to discuss his life so far.
The book, which was co-authored with acclaimed broadcaster, writer and fellow Muslim Waleed Aly, delves into the importance of social cohesion, understanding, tolerance and inclusion for people from all walks of life.
Told through Houli’s journey to becoming a three-time AFL premiership player, he hopes the book can give people confidence to show their true identity and to have an open mind.
“When I first started playing for Essendon Football Club, the faith of Islam was getting criticised for a lot of things out there that clearly wasn’t under the practice of Islam and I felt like it was my duty along with a lot of other community leaders to stand up and speak the truth and educate others about what our faith represents,” Houli said.
“I was privileged enough to have that opportunity at the Essendon Football Club and the flow on effect at the Richmond Football Club and even the wider AFL community to teach them that Islam is truly a religion of peace and welcoming people just like any other religion which promotes happiness, peace and tranquillity.
“I am truly thankful for people around me accepting who I am because I am different to every other player, I have limitations and things I couldn’t do as part of a normal footballers day to day life.”
No alcohol at social events and the month of Ramadan were two moments where Houli had to differ from the team to uphold his true values and faith.
Houli was thankful that those around him were able to understand his circumstances and he hopes that this can pave the way for people from all backgrounds to come in and feel like they can be their true selves.
“My teammates were very understanding, very respectful and there was respect from both ends and that’s what helped the situation,” Houli said.
“Obviously I was trying to do it from my end to make my journey in football a little bit easier but also thinking about the next generation growing up and society.
“Giving them the confidence to achieve what they want to achieve and at the same time upholding their identity and what identity they belong to.”
“And that’s one thing I always encourage brothers and sisters from my community to be proud to be an Australian Muslim.
“We are very fortunate in the country we live in and everything they give us, they allow us to practice our faith and our cultures very freely, in fact they encourage us.
“I wanted to pass on that message through the book and to the wider community.”
Houli expressed that this was a lesson for all in society and not just Muslim Australians
“It doesn’t just refer to Muslims, it refers to someone who has differences, who belongs to a different faith, who belongs to a different culture that is not part of the norm in that environment.
“We want to say ‘hey, you can continue to be yourself and go hard and achieve whatever you want in your life and when you have strong values, uphold them but obviously there are ways of doing that’.”
Houli explained that it couldn’t just happen overnight in some situations and that it needed a bit of time to build connections and create greater understanding.
“You need to use wisdom, you need to assess the environment, you need to potentially build connections with people around you and then you can lay out your foundation and once you do that, the sky’s the limit.
“You can just be you and that’s why I love playing AFL and love being a part of this great organisation because they accepted me for who I was.
“I was never shy to step away and pray. I was never shy to step aside and say ‘the month of Ramadan is approaching, I need to go a little easier during training but I promise I will make it up’.
Houli was grateful for what he was able to achieve and the environment he was able to be a part of in his footballing career.
“I am extremely proud of what I was able to be involved in,” Houli said.
“When I went to the footy club, I just loved being there and I was just very comfortable.
“When you’re comfortable in an environment, it makes you want to go to work and that was me pretty much every single day because I could just be me, I don’t have to be someone else.”
Houli hopes that more Australians can have an open mind to people from new and emerging backgrounds.
“I just want to continue encouraging all Australians to keep having an open mind about things,” Houli said.
“Do not judge based on the minority of people out there in society and I’m talking about people from all walks of life.
“You can’t define a whole community by a small group of people.”
Houli is the founder of the Bachar Houli Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation established in 2013 that aims to develop young leaders within the Muslim community through football development, employment, leadership and identity.
Houli’s event at the Brimbank Readers and Writers Festival on March 17 will be the first of 20 no-charge events, running until March 26.
The festival will cover a range of entertaining, insightful and inclusive events over 10 days, at locations around Brimbank and online.
Details: brimbanklibraries.vic.gov.au/writersfestival
