GordonMoyes.com

The best thing we can do with that obnoxious man with his un-Australian values is to ignore him.

The self-titled ‘Mufti of Australia’ does not speak for all Middle Eastern people, not even all Muslims. He has little influence outside the Lebanese community and with English-speaking Muslims, especially young Australians. His recent statements about women being like meat left out for wild cats, was totally repugnant and should be rejected by all Australian women, especially with the implication that they are responsible for any sexual assault they may suffer.

Australian Muslims number about 1% of the population, but to read the media and to listen and view the radio and television would give the impression they are extremely numerous and all opposed to the Australian way of life. The terrorist attacks on New York and on Washington alerted us to extremist fundamentalist Islamic terrorists. This was followed by the deadly rail attacks in London, France, Spain and other places. For years we have known of the fundamentalist attacks on Christians in Indonesia, the Sudan, Egypt, Arche, West Papua, all countries in the Middle East and many other places. Tens of thousands of Christians have died in these persecutions. The Australian media basically ignored them.

Then in Sydney there were the disgusting gang rapes by Muslim men with their unbelievable attitude to young Australian women. The outspoken and high profile Sheikh attributed their behaviour to their exposure to Australian culture. He also made statements that have led to accusations of anti-Semitism and support for Islamic extremism.

Then in western Sydney, dozens of young Muslim men were involved in street riots, drug dealing offences, re-birthing of stolen cars, drive-by shootings, and the shameful and unprecedented riots on our beaches. On top of everything came the influx of asylum seekers from Muslim nations, the Tampa affair followed by riots and fires in detention centres. Meanwhile, in Melbourne, the two Pastors were set up then charged under Victoria’s Anti-vilification laws for warning about what the Koran teaches and fundamentalists practise.

No wonder people of Middle Eastern appearance and all Muslims are regarded so badly by so many ordinary Australians. Then Sheikh taj el-din El-hilali from the Lebanese Mosque in Lakemba comes out with his ill-considered and offensive comments and once more the excuse is given that he was misinterpreted by poor translation, misunderstood because of cultural differences as he and his apologists have said before with his offensive statements, and that everything was a result of a media campaign. The media proved he was a liar but it is hard to prove any campaign apart from what he initiated.

Most people have forgotten that for one hundred years Australians had warm relationships with the Afghan traders who were the life-blood of our inland. Our Anzacs spoke with admiration of the Muslim Turks who fought against the AIF in the Middle East in the 1st Word War. While we acknowledge the persecution and threat of extremists, we must get back to building better relationships with Muslim Australians as we once had.

There will be other loud mouths like El-hilali, but we must remember they do not speak for all of the people of Middle Eastern backgrounds and not even for all Muslims. He is best now ignored as irrelevant. His own community have him on a short leash and will be watching his every word. They do not want any further worsening of community relationships.

We are going to face enough problems with fundamentalist Islamists in the future without getting too uptight about some loudmouth who is best ignored.

GORDON MOYES

Thursday, 16th November, 2006, 8:38 am | Cross-Bench Comment