The Sheik Stays - For Now

Is the mufti praying for forgiveness - I think not

Reports from the ABC and The Age say that Australia's "foot in mouth" sheik, Taj el-Din al-Hilali, will stay on at least until April when the National Immams Council will meet to vote on a new mufti. The Australian has a different take on the situation and has reports from other leaders of the muslim community who say that he has little support and will be leaving his position soon, albeit with a "golden handshake".

I think that the moslem community is reading the Australian public incorrectly. They are still blaming the media for what the sheik actually said about women, Australians etc and appear to be absolving him of responsibility for his public opinions. (see previous post here). When will they wake up and get rid of this radical "leader". His presence is not good for Australia in general and Jews in particular. If he is being reported as making these inflamatory comments imagine what he is saying to his flock in arabic that is not being reported in the general press.

Let us hope that he is ousted soon and a saner, less radical leader is appointed who can communicate effectively with the Australian public.

Rampant Foot-in-Mouth Disease

Good on ya Sheik AlHilali! Your true feelings keep being revealed and embarrassing the Moslem community - who are embarrassed not because they do not agree with you but because they do not want what they really believe being revealed to the Australian community.

I talked about Hilali's statements supporting rapists in October here, here and here. And the stupid pronouncements keep coming. The Australian reports:

"The Western people are the biggest liars and oppressors and especially the English race," the Mufti of Australia said in Arabic during the extensive interview in Eqypt, his birthplace. "The Anglo-Saxons who arrived in Australia arrived in shackles. We paid for passports from our own pockets. We have a right in Australia more than they have."

The Australian has a few articles about this latest controvesy. Hilali's friends try to explain away what he said here, and you can see excerpts of the interview here. Alexander Downer's comments and NSW Community Relations Commission (CRC) chairman Stepan Kerkyasharian's statements are here. Kerkyasharian says Sheik al-Hilali should “keep his mouth shut”.

Despite Muslims trying to assure the world that they are peace loving, the average Australian, who has no strong feeling about muslims either way, is seeing for himself that the truth is not so benign. Even if we believe that the majority of Moslems are not violent, the truth is that the Islamic community as a whole does not condemn terrorist attacks but applauds them. We have seen this since well before 9/11.

While the press and politicians are trying to present Hilali as being "several sandwiches short of a picnic" as Kevin Rudd said, the truth is that he is representative of all Moslems. Thank G-d that most Aussies are not falling for this and are starting to realise what type of people we are dealing with.

Cartoon Comment

Two cartoons from Nicholson in The Australian relating to the Al-Hilali debacle.

Get Thee Behind Me Woman

With regard to our friend (not!) Sheik Taj Aldin Al-Hilali which I spoke about here, The Australian has a number of articles on this topic.

The complete text of Sheik Al-Hilali's Ramadan speech is reproduced in Revealed: the Mufti uncut. Despite Hilali's protests that he was misquoted etc etc it is obvious that the original reporting was accurate. He clearly says that women are the cause of "adultery" and need to be punished more severely than men.

I also like Caroline Overington's essay, Metaphor hides mufti's real message, which is an interesting look at the veil worn by Moslem women. The concept of modesty is foreign to most of western society these days, but I feel that there is something wrong with a creed that says that women must cover up completely but men can wear what they want.


Oh, and if you like polls, The Age has one which lets you vote on Should Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali be sacked after his comments on rape? Go here to register your opinion.
.

Sheik Alhilali Condones Rape

Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali has opened his big mouth again and demonstrated his true colours. In a much publicised speech he has defended Moslems who were sentenced for gang raping 4 women in 2000. In the much publicised Ramadan sermon to 500 of the faithful last month The Age reports:

He said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make-up and inappropriate clothes, "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years".
"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," the sheik asked.
"The uncovered meat is the problem."
"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijib (head scarf), no problem would have occurred."

According to the report in The Age here, a statement was issued today by the Lebanese Muslim Association who said "The board is satisfied with the notion that certain statements made by the mufti was misinterpreted."

The Australian has a less simplistic and more detailed coverage of this incident here. Whereas The Age would lead us to believe that Hilali has the support of the majority of Australian Muslims, The Australian reports that many in that community are incensed at Hilali's extreme opinions in general and these statements in particular. As in any community politics interferes with common sense and there is no simple way for them to get rid of the Imam. Let us hope that this changes soon and Hilali disappears from here very soon.

As a postscript, The Age has an interesting list of Hilali's more ridiculous statements here - many of them to do with Israel and Jews.
.