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| Down Under |
| A Muslim heartland lies in AustraliaÂ’s biggest city |
| 2006-11-04 |
| It is just 30 minutes from the centre of Australia’s biggest city but it is easy to imagine that Haldon Street, Lakemba, is in some faraway country. The shops, the foreign signs, the languages, the clothes, the religion – it’s all a world away from the suburban Australia most of us know. It’s little wonder that tags like Muslim enclave and Islamic heartland have stuck. The first thing that hits you is the way women are dressed. There is much variety, from the schoolgirl in jeans and a headscarf called a hijab — the name also means modesty — to a prampushing mother wearing a black niqab which shrouds her entire body, leaving only the eyes visible. The more extreme burqa, which includes a mesh screen to cover the eyes and which gained notoriety for being compulsory female attire in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, can be spotted on occasions. Girls are covered from an early age. At Boutique Nour Al Houda in the heart of the Haldon Street shopping strip, the bargain bin sign spruiks “$5 kids’ hijabs”. The issue of female modesty has been thrust into the spotlight by controversial comments by Australia’s top Muslim cleric Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilaly and Perth cleric Abdul Jalil Ahmad. |
| Posted by:ryuge |
| #7 Time for urban renewal. Firebomb it, then block all outlets. Burn, baby, burn. |
| Posted by: SpecOp35 2006-11-04 22:16 |
| #6 The first thing that hits you is the way women are dressed. There is much variety, from the schoolgirl in jeans and a headscarf called a hijab — the name also means modesty — to a prampushing mother wearing a black niqab which shrouds her entire body, leaving only the eyes visible. The more extreme burqa, which includes a mesh screen to cover the eyes and which gained notoriety for being compulsory female attire in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, can be spotted on occasions. One very simple solution; Ban the hijab, the niqab and the burqa. Period. Not allowed, anywhere. Not even inside a mosque. No ability to perpetuate extreme Islam. And make no mistake about it; Any brand of Islam that requires women to wear such raiment is an extreme form. All such attire is confirmation of how woman is to blame for male sexual desire and an extension of fundamentalist doctrine that promotes Abject Gender Apartheid. Such a prohibition will cause the more hidebound Islamists to leave for other parts. This is the first big step in making Western countries unfriendly to Islam. But Monash University feminism lecturer Karen Green argues that the headscarf actually sexualises women by suggesting men and women cannot interact without the cloth barrier preventing men from succumbing to their desires. “Muslim women are wrong if they think that the headscarf prevents them from being treated as sex objects,” Dr Green wrote in a 2004 essay. “In fact it confirms that that is their social status.” Therefore, such attire should be banned. It is an extension of male domination in Islam and an unacceptable component of free society. Despite Mr Zreika’s protestations, it is clear that the Lakemba mosque, which regularly hosts 4000 worshippers and is controlled by his association, may be creating an enclave. Exactly how many of those 4,000 worshipers have called for al-Hilali’s dismissal or censure? While most Muslims disagree with these extreme views, authorities are worried about the lack of drive within the Islamic community to stop such teachings. Lack of drive = Thundering Silence. After a while silence is no longer consent. Silence is a lie. We are in the lie phase, better known as taqqiya. Time for Australia to wake up. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-11-04 22:00 |
| #5 I understand that most "tumors" respond well to radiation treatment. Maybe the PM could ask the US for help? Al |
| Posted by: frozen al 2006-11-04 18:30 |
| #4 I think tumor describes it purdy good. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-11-04 12:14 |
| #3 they may be impossible to stamp out nothing is impossible. It's just that we hope that the Muslims will get a clue before we have to do what may need to be done. |
| Posted by: anon 2006-11-04 07:13 |
| #2 I'd call it a colony. |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2006-11-04 06:12 |
| #1 Oz Muslim heartland? How about Dearborn, Mich? Toronto, Canada? East London, England? West Paris, France? They are everywhere. And many openly reject both police presence and authority, under the Dar-Islam (House of Islam) principle. When will we wake up? |
| Posted by: Snease Shaiting3550 2006-11-04 05:09 |