Islamophobia: Australia's Newest National Sport

To date the Government has not demonstated why additional so-called anti-terrorist powers are required.  Their argument simply seems to be that additional powers are required because of the rise of IS in the Middle East and because the AFP and ASIO (the experts) have requested them.

Of course the AFP and ASIO will request additional powers.  I'm pretty sure they've  also requested additional funds as well but this of itself doesn't mean they need them to do their job.

I understand that since September 11 there has been 19 Australians convicted of  offences under existing anti-terror laws and several terrorist attacks thwarted.  This indicates to me that the existing laws and powers are sufficient and additio0nal powers may not be required.

As the "Haneef" case of 2008 shows, the AFP and ASIO don't always get it right and Parliament should not give them additional powers unless it is absolutely certain they are required in order to protect Australians  against terrorist attacks.  

I look forward to hearing from the government as to why additional powers are required.

With all the talk about Isis and nazis. People should remember that hitler was elected and used the fear of communism to seize power. Suspend parliament and declare himself dictator.

"Since the raids, a torrent of hate has been unleashed towards Muslims across the country. Last week, a Muslim woman in Auburn awoke to find her car spray-painted with anti-Muslim slogans."

A "torrent of hate"?  No mosque burnings, forced conversions to Christianity, sexual enslavement, beheadings or ethnic cleansing of Muslims --so far the Kuffar population has been remarkably restrained. 

Of course Abbott and his cronies are using the 'security threat' as a distraction, but let's get some perspective, so far, there has been no "torrent of hate", just some incidents of bigotry. 

Does that also apply to Dagos, Chinks, Niggers and Gooks?

Yeah, good one Aaron. Ten out of ten for logic. But I guess I we couldn't really expect much more intelligent commentary from you, given the dim-witted remarks made by my work colleage, Aaron, in the lunch room today. 

And then there was that majorly foolish episode in Exodus, when Moses' brother, Aaron, made a Golden calf for the Israelites to worship. Sacrilege, that was. Just dumb.

When are you Aarons going to contribute anything meaningful to society?

If you want to be taken seriously, perhaps instead of whining that no-one listens to what you have actually said, but just calls you the stupid idiot that you are, you might, just might, start by making sure other Aarons treat people with respect, and think before they open their numbskull mouths.

Sure, I might not be making a lot of sense, but I'm making a hell of a lot more sense than this ugly idiot, https://www.facebook.com/174728679261341 , so why should I make any sense when I'm talking to you?

The other point is that if you keep sticking fire crackers into an ants nest eventually you will get stung. When that happens just wait till the guys with the crackers shout 'I told you so, they are dangerous'. Then they will plan to use bigger crackers to get revenge and on it goes. Insanity in action. 

This government is terrorising Australia and making us a greater terrorist target at the same time. 

My Macquarie dictionary defines 'prejudice' as: any preconceived opinion or feeling, favourable or unfavourable. So to have a positive or supportive opinion of Islam, without first reading the Koran, is to be guilty of prejudice.

Whenever Islam's evils are exposed, you always get someone claiming that Christianity is 'just as bad'. Such people like to demonstrate their ignorance by pointing to the Old Testament, which was written for a small ethnic, political and religious group, fighting for its existence and a small slice of territory in the Middle East. They also point to Matthew 10:36, in which Jesus warns his followers that their families will become angry with them because of their acceptance of the new faith, and tells them to expect to be persecuted for following Him.

The idea being that if Christians no longer burn people at the stake, then Muslims can be expected to give up aping the seventh century warmonger Mohammed, and therefore will never be a danger to non-Muslims. 

It is difficult for anyone who has read the Quran, to take seriously the claims of moderate Muslims that the activities of ISIS are unislamic. ISIS is following the Quran to the letter, and behaving in much the same way as Mohammed did in the seventh century.

It is a very sad day when Australians don't hate slavery (Q4:25), the marriage of prepubescent girls (Q33:49), wife-beating (Q4:34), and the denial of legal equality to women (Q2:28).

I watched Julia Gillard on TV last night.  What did we have and what have we got now ?

The Old Testament of the Holy Bible was mostly written in circa 500 BC in present-day Iraq and the Holy Quran was written in the early 7th century AD. One can cherry-pick horrendous examples of punishments from either that reflect the mores of the time e.g.  stoning to death for adultery, apostasy or blasphemy.

What matters is what people  practise today and that in turn is determined by their progression to modernity.  Thus an eminent and highly-honored Australian Muslim academic, Professor Riaz Hassan ( Department of Sociology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia) has written a very important book, “Inside Muslim Minds”,  that deals in a scientific fashion with the actual attitudes of the people of the highly varied, 1,500 million-strong  Muslim World who constitute about 20% of Humanity. Everyone should read and every library should carry this important book. This is a “must read” for anyone commenting on Islam, Muslims and the horrendous, continuing  Western occupation and devastation of the Muslim World - thus the  neoliberal greed- and racist Zionist-promoted US War on Muslims has been associated, so far, with  12 million Muslim deaths from violence or violently-imposed deprivation whereas Muslim –origin non-state  terrorists have  murdered only  2000 Westerners in the  last half century (the US did 9-11; see “Experts: US did 9-11”: https://sites.google.com/site/expertsusdid911/  and  “Muslim Holocaust Muslim Genocide”: https://sites.google.com/site/muslimholocaustmuslimgenocide/  ) .

A notable finding is that the Muslims of Kazakhstan with the benefit of 70 years of secular, Communist  rule  have attitudes on all kinds of matters similar to  those of secular Australians. However the progress to modernity of much of  the Muslim world has been hampered by genocidal Western imperialism,  genocidally racist Zionist colonization and ethnic cleansing of Palestine and Anglo-American subversion and  wars for oil and hegemony  (see Gideon Polya, "Book Review - “Inside Muslim Minds” by Riaz Hassan.  Understanding Muslims for Peace, Justice & Planet", MWC News:, 17 January 2009”:  https://sites.google.com/site/bookreviewsbydrgideonpolya/hassan-riaz-inside-muslim-minds ).

I have the extreme good fortune to know many, many  Muslims who range from non-adherence except for weddings, funerals and feasts (like most Australian  Christians) to strict observance.  My numerous Muslim friends from the non-observant to the strictly observant are all unfailingly  courteous, generous, peaceable  and hospitable – great assets to Australia.

Unfortunately lying, racist, holocaust-ignoring  Mainstream media and politicians have created a “terror hysteria” fantasy world for Western citizens that utterly ignores the horrendous realities of invasion, occupation and devastation of US- or US surrogate-occupied Muslim countries  including (West to East) Occupied Somalia, Occupied Palestine, Occupied Syria,  post-occupation but devastated Lebanon, Occupied Iraq, Occupied Afghanistan, US robot-bombed Waziristan in Pakistan and acutely US- and Israeli-threatened Iran that is a world leader in the fight against opiate drugs from the US-restoration of the Taliban-destroyed Afghan opium industry that kills about 0.1 million people annually including  about 500 Australians.

There is an ongoing Muslim Holocaust that is simply ignored by the West and only briefly alluded to in “Inside Muslim Minds”. Thus post-1950 avoidable deaths (excess deaths, deaths that did not have to happen) total 1.3 billion (the World), 1.2 billion (the non-European World) and 0.6 billion (the Muslim World), these estimates being consonant with estimates of post-1950 under-5 year old infant deaths totalling 0.88 billion (the World), 0.85 billion (the non-European World) and 0.4 billion (the Muslim World). 16 million people die avoidably each year on a Spaceship Earth (roughly half of them Muslims) with a racist, anti-Arab anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, genocidal, pro-Zionist and Zionist-dominated  US  at the helm. Yet this ongoing Muslim Holocaust is utterly ignored  in the racist, lying, Zionist-dominated Western Murdochracies (for details see Gideon Polya, “Body Count. Global avoidable mortality since 1950” that inlcudesd an avoidabl emnoirtlaity-based hisoty o evry country fromNeolithic tkes and is now available for free perusal on the web: ).

Decent Muslim and non-Muslim Australians  will utterly reject the utterly mendacious, warmongering, mass murdering, war criminal, anti-Arab anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, Neocon American and Zionist  Imperialist (NAZI)-perverted, militant, extremist , Lib-Lab state terrorists (aka the Liberal-Laboral state terrorists or Coalition state terrorists  and Labor Right state terrorists) , vote 1 Green and put the Coalition last (see Gideon Polya, “ Australian State Terrorism -  zero Australian terrorism deaths, 1 million preventable Australian deaths & 10 million Muslims killed by US Alliance since 9-11”,  Countercurrents, 23 September, 2014: http://www.countercurrents.org/polya230914.htm ).

A good article by Amy McQuire.

She asks:

"While anti-semitic remarks and other racial attacks regularly attract condemnation in Australia - in fact can be used as justification to fire a popular newspaper columnist - the widespread vitriol against Muslims in the wake of these terror raids has been sadly underplayed.

"Why is this so?"

That is a very important question. How has it come to pass that the kind of verbal sniping against Islam and Muslims one now sees so often - even here in the comments below New Matilda articles - has come to be considered "normal"?

The answer lies largely in the media itself.

How has the Australian mass media failed to cover the many, many facts that make mincemeat of the official narratives of events such as 9/11 - the foundational myths of 21st century Islamophobia? How has it have been so utterly useless as a guardian of the truth?

One brief example. Anyone older than 30 with a memory should recall that the first tranche of US "anti-terrorism" laws were rushed through Congress in a state of panic in late 2001. Why the panic? Above all, the panic was due to the ANTHRAX attacks that were underway at the time, attacks publicly blamed on Muslim extremists.

Yet when the attempt to frame Muslims for the anthrax attacks fell through (presumably because key scientists in the US microbiology refused to go along with the official lies), the anthrax story largely vanished from the mainstream media narrative. It made ripples a few years later, when a suitable patsy, Bruce Ivins, was identified by the FBI (he conveniently "suicided" so no trial was needed). 

The saga is explained at some length by Dr Graeme Macqueen in his must-see presentation to an audience at Havard a few years ago: The Fictional Basis of the War on Terror

This material is CRUCIAL to undertsanding contemporary affairs. How can it be that the entire Australian mass media has ignored the OBVIOUS FACT that in 2001 there was AT LEAST one systematic, high-level plot in the USA to frame Muslims for a heinous terrorist crime they OBVIOUSLY didn't commit?

Yet it did. Even Crikey dropped the ball. To my knowledge, not one Australian "journalist" ever reported this story and its dramatic implications.

If Australian journalists now ask why Muslims are unfairly taregtted, look in the mirror. Collectively, you failed to speak up for the truth. You bottled out. You blew it.

Face that, honestly, and there's plenty of opportunity for real change..

Unbelievable amount of BS
Shall we wait until a jihadist beheads a family member? Or bombs your neighbor?
Unfortunately not even one of your 'moderate' nice Muslim friends will shed one tear for the loss of an infidel, even if that infidel is your peaceful father, mother or daughter. I would never condone discrimination or hate against any person or another's chosen religion, but I would and I do hold the silent majority of Muslims accountable for NoT standing up and speaking out against their violent Muslim brethren, who wish to create a united Islamic State and ultimately an Islamic World caliphate. Even at the peril and extinction of all other religious or non-religious people alike. Infidels is what you consider us. Infidels which you consider lower than a dog.
No they won't hesitate to do any evil deed, all in the name of jihad, in pursuit of their caliphate.
"by any means necessary"...remember.
There is only one religion that I know, that has 'Love' as the most important rule.
Where you are asked to love your neighbor as yourself, do unto others as you would have them do for you, and even tells you to pray for those who persecute you. Obviously this is NoT the values of Islam, and It is up to the rest of us to watch out for each other. That's not hate, that's common sense.
God bless Australia

Islamophobia.

The 1996 Runnymede Trust definition was "dread or hatred of Islam and therefore, [the] fear and dislike of all Muslims"

That definition was a 3-card trick. Hostility to Islam as a doctrine, political system, religion… call it what you will, is conflated there with hostility to Muslims.

I am one who finds the doctrine of Islam damned objectionable on philosophical grounds. As far as I am concerned, it is continuous with the totalitarian doctrine of fascism, though there is still room for debate as to where the one stops and the other starts.

But I get on well with those Muslims I know, all of whom as far as I can see have been born and raised in Islam. I have no time for those who are hostile to Muslims because they are Muslims. So I suppose, according to the definition, I am simultaneously Islamophobic and not Islamophobic.

It can get confusing.

@O Puhleez,

Hi.

But as many of them rightly point out, Muslims in the vast majority are not terrorists, but rather law-abiding and productive citizens of whatever countries they inhabit. This fact I put down to the good old human inclination to cherry-pick. We quote from whatever Holy Text whatever it suits us to quote. The result, as Ibn Warraq points out in his excellent book Why I Am Not a Muslim, is that the great achievements of Islamic civilisation: its science, literature, art, architecture, mathematics... , have emerged not because of the Quran, or the body of doctrine, law etc constituting Islam, but in spite of it.

This is to some degree the same argument used by Wilders, i.e. Islam is not actually capable of pluralistic interpretation, but is a fixed ideology which is accepted either wholly or in part. The premise of this argument, is that what he (or you) interpret or decide upon as 'Islam', is the standard by which anyone declaring themselves Muslims is to be judged. For Wilders, if his interpretation is accepted wholly, then ipso facto one is a true Muslim. Alternatively, if one has not accepted those parts of his interpretations he considers critical, then while he is happy to refer to such people as (non practicing) Muslims, he considers them not to actually be following Islam.

"Most Muslims are moderate, but this does not mean there is such a thing as a moderate Islam. People who reject Islam's violent and intolerant commandments are not practising "moderate Islam" -- they are not practising Islam at all." - Geert Wilders, Feb 18, 2013.

Ironically this is the same fallacious argument, based on a propositional fallacy, used by those extremist Muslims who are wantonly killing other Muslims, and who form the raison d'etre for his criticism of (his) Islam.

The term Islamophobia is imprecise in its current use, and seems to have been coined as a convenient term encompassing everything from fear to hostility at Islam. The tradition of prefix words being added upon the word phobia for an ultimately broader potential meaning had already been established, e.g. homophobia. And like homophobia, those labelled with the term will not necessarily fit either the literal or implied meaning.

Rashid:

Greetings.

You say re Wilders:

The premise of this argument, is that what he (or you) interpret or decide upon as 'Islam', is the standard by which anyone declaring themselves Muslims is to be judged.

No. What I would call 'Islam' is (a) its holy texts, and (b) Its actual practice.

Thje holy texts are only a start. They are cherry-picked by the faithful; we select what we want to select, and believe what we want to believe. What is selected and/or emphasised varies with geography. So Indonesian Islam is not the same as Saudi Islam.

For those inclined to authoritarianism and violence, there is plenty of Koranic justification available. For those wishing to practice the more contemplative side (eg the Sufis) there is plenty there as well.

In life, I prefer to go by what people do, rather than by what they say. 'Actions speak louder than words.' So this is also Islam: the current Saudi variety.

I don't think it can be defended, from Australia or anywhere else. As another prophet said: "By their fruits ye shall know them." And those of authoritarian Islam are pretty rotten.

I for one would be delighted if this unpleasant bigot could move...

No doubt you would, Syd. No doubt you would. After all, when all you have to contribute to the ongoing conversation is waffling generalisations and conspiracy theory, that desire of yours is readily understandable.

But I honestly think that, rather than live cooped up in that mental attic you inhabit,  you would be better off doing a bit more exploring of what the world has to offer.

Jules:

The fruits of authoritarian anything are horrible.

Agreed.

O puhleez, everything you say about Islam at 25 sept 0.07 could apply to any belief system or ideology, religious or otherwise.

Not all ideologies. The Koran openly encourages violence, if only by the fact that it arose out of a violent 7th C military campaign on the Arabian Peninsula. It can easily be taken to heart by the violence-prone.

But militant Buddhism is a rarity. Its documents condemn violence. Zoroastrians are not noted for violence. My own 'belief system' is free thought and rationalism. Not noted for violence either.

Nazism I would say was a religion, as was communism. Both had their militant armies and 'holy texts.' But I would maintain that the founding text of fascism was not 'Mein Kampf'  but the Koran.

Islam carries within it the seeds of 'Islamic fascism'. The move from one to the other is pretty easy for those who wish to try it.

Depending on how you read it the new testament could be a document that espouses fascism.  Look at Christianity today, especially the evangelical sort (kenneth copeland changed his show's name to "the believers voice of victory" following the invasion of Iraq.)  The only thing that keeps it in check is our democracy and that was a hard fought thing.

Buddhism is as capable of violence as anything, thats my point.  Anyone can interpret anything any way they want.  Militant buddhism exists, as does militant Islam, but militant Islam exists in the context of encouragement by the west then betrayal by the west - ok the buddhists in Vietnam didn't join the NVA or VC (as far as I know) but look at what happens in Burma.  I dunno about zoroastronism but if you were Greek over 2000 years ago you may have thought the Persian Empire was fascist.  And rationalism was sposed to be the basis of communism.

Allowing others free thought is perhaps the only way to prevent the possibility of fascism.

have you ever read the Koran from start to finish?  What about the original in Arabic?  I haven't so i'm a little unsure whether I could take anyone's opinion on what it says too seriously.

I would argue that Buddhism isn't actually a religion, if it came down to it, and that might be why its lacking an excessive violent side.

But the religion of japan during ww2 was fairly strongly influenced by Buddhism.  Well Buddhism of a sort.

Written at the time of the Big Beheading Scare.

So the Authorities are trying to scare us all into some kind of eternal war footing by facing us with the prospect of having our heads cut off at any time or place, by people who may or may not have visited an Islamic bookshop sometime in the past. Well, they are not trying hard enough. Beheading is a relatively painless and quick way to send you to meet the Celestial Tribunal, and there really aren't enough Bikie types of Middle-Eastern appearance around to make the threat convincing.

Looking at the internet "Chatter", there are alternatives screaming out to be promoted....

- A group of Pagans advocating on-the-spot Cruxificion looks promising, but they need more members who can hump all that lumber about.

-There are followers of Kali who will garrot you, causing painful suffocation and perhaps severing the carotid artery. But they're just thugs.

- While we are talking about sub-continentals, a mob of Hindu Fakirs is threatening to roam the streets of our cities, planting parasitic tree seedlings into the palms of anyone they dont like the look of. The growing plants will eventually kill you, but it takes far too long to meet mainstream media requirements.

-The Maple Leaf Murderers are Canadian ex-pats (sponsored by the CIA), who disguise themselves as businessmen meeting in coffee shops around the suburbs.  Their MO is to wait until their random victim is non-vigilant, and then suddenly club them to death with heavy batons. Classy.

-If you see someone who looks Asian, look out! They could be a member of one of many gangs who dig pits filled with sharpened bamboo cuttings that they have urinated on, and then wait around the corner until someone falls in. The hideous results are then tweeted around the world. The pits are camouflaged so they look like a normal footpath section.

- French fundamentalists copy the beheading caper, using hand-held guillotines and crying out " Voila! Le livre es en la pont!" as they go about their grisly business in the early hours near your house.

-ASIO is very concerned about recent African migrant groups, who are now expanding into regional Australian population centres. Apparently they use cheap international parcel services to illegally import lions, vultures, hyenas and other large carnivores, which they feed with White Australian Children snatched from playgrounds.

However, the best Threat, in my opinion, is the old-fashioned Christian favourite being planned by an insidious cult of Baptist vigilantes and Catholic clergy. They intend to target ordinary Australians (it could be YOU) and simply burn them alive. The coordinated missions are to take place around Xmas, when there is plenty of xmas tree fuel in shopping centres. The victims, sometimes entire families, will scream for ages as the skin is seared off their muscles and their vital organs shut down from the terrible trauma.

Beheading. Ha, That's for losers.