Australia has become a broad multi-cultural society, like many Western countries. Being essentially secular there has not been a great deal of trouble accommodating other cultures, but can those cultures accommodate Australia. Broadly the answer is yes, but there will always be the exceptions and the Australian head mufti, Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly personifies that exception.
There have been a number of vicious hate rapes in Sydney, and young men who would claim to be Muslems warriors are languishing in high security prisons as a consequence.
So who is to blame for the behaviour of these young hot-heads?
Sheik Hilaly's Ramadan sermon confirms his continued role in stirring trouble. From the reports:
He blamed women who "sway suggestively" and who wore make-up and no hijab (Islamic scarf) for sexual attacks.
"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat?" he said.
"The uncovered meat is the problem.
"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."
To their credit, many Australia Muslims are as horrified as the rest of the country, and have called for him to be removed. Hilaly is holding firm, but losing support rapidly.
These are more than mere sexist slurs, they are an incitement to vicious, mindless behaviour.
"I unreservedly apologise to any woman who is offended by my comments," Hilaly has since said. But his sermon comes on the back of years of trouble making.
Little wonder the Muslim community is concerned, as for the most part they simply want to get on in their adopted country. There is no place for the Hilaly's in an open, secular society.
6 comments:
Women who "sway suggestively"? Were they watching the RNC's "Harold Ford Jr. luvs the white women" ad too?
REB, the same hypocricy teachers at least.
NYE, some of the woment of the vicious rapists actually tried to justify their acts.
Fortunately they are a real minority.
I hope they deport him to the Sudan where he can rape all the women he wants because they are non-Arab.
Reminds me of a rape case in the U.S. where the defense was basically, "the dress she was wearing was to blame."
Didn't work out for the defendant.
I guess in the wonderful wacky world of religious repression, no-one is responsible for their reactions.
I thought a later argument that the sermon was delivered in Arabic to avoid offending Western ears was cute as well.
They can't dislodge this Mufti, but will probably get rid of the position instead.
The Islamic community in Australia is generally pretty upset with him.
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