My racist Parrot

My beloved cockatoo bird took advantage of my busy day and opened the cage door and ran-away.

I definitely did not expect him to escape; otherwise I would not put him on the balcony and turn my back on him.


I thought that my good treatment of him, giving him a big cage, a lot of food and talking to him constantly would make him more friendly and recognize my love and respect.

So what went wrong?

I start now to remember how he was getting angry anytime I spoke with him in Arabic. He would get upset, shout and try to bite. Then he would turn his back on me and start to shout out what sounded like “piss-off!”

I started to remember also how he was getting angry when my friends tried to speak with him in Arabic.

This was not his attitude when my Anglo friends tried to approach him and talk to him in English. He would be very happy, singing, talking and jumping around. He even tried to talk to them.

I also noticed how he was unhappy when I was giving him home-made Arabic food I cooked. He would throw this all over the place.
Then it would take me hours to clean his mess. This is not the same when I was giving him muffins or Aussie pies. He would catch them in his hand and eat them in slowly and in a very respectful manner.

Then I remember now how he was reacted when I was forced him to listen to Arabic songs. He would lose his mind, shake his head violently, try to close his ears with his toes and start shouting very loud to tell me to stop “the rubbish”.

My friend Ian asked me when he visited me: which language do you talk to him in (apparently noticing that he was happy when we were talking in English at that time). I said Arabic. He shook his head. I tried to prove to him that, and started to talk to the bird. His reaction was very violent.

Ian said (trying to avoid my embarrassment): it seems that he is confused about his identity!

Well, now after he escaped from my place, he still flying near my window and shouting very loud (only after midnight!). He will continue to shout until early hours of dawn. He is, seemingly, trying to take revenge for forcing him in my place and exposing him to our culture.

I start to think that my bird is Liberal. But not only liberals are racists in the society!

So, did racism reach even the animals?

I wonder if my bird knew that I am Muslim!! I wonder too, if this was one of the reasons why he escaped!!

May be he was very lucky to escape before the arrival of new Anti-Terror Laws and before the arrivals of ASIO and Federal police men in their helicopters.

I must say that since last week, I cannot hear him from my window!!!

Did ASIO take him for interrogation, especially as he lived in my place for some time and he could recall some “suspicious” conversations!!

I would be lucky if, because of his racism, he cannot recall any of our conversation.

What chance do we have in this country if even the animals became racists!!