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"It's not going to be a party of Muslims only and it's not going to be called the Muslim Party," says Keysar Trad. Of course not: Almost no one would vote for that, so it will be necessary to package the party in general pleasantries about "honesty and dignity and equality," in order to deflect questions about substance of the party's agenda.
"Australia's Muslims plan to launch political party," by Lawrence Bartlett for AFP:
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia's Muslims on Monday announced plans to form a political party to fight what they call growing Islamophobia spawned by the so-called war on terror.
The move came as the leader of a Christian party demanded an immediate halt to Islamic immigration to Australia, saying Muslims were beginning to dominate some communities.
Leading the drive for Australia's 300,000 Muslims to take on the mainstream parties is controversial top cleric Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali, who has the title Mufti of Australia.
Hilali created a storm of protest late last year when he described scantily-dressed women as "uncovered meat" inviting rape.
Faced with calls to get out of the country, the Egyptian-born cleric mocked the convict ancestry of many white Australians, saying Muslims had more right to the country because they paid for their tickets.
Hilali now wants to put a stop to politicians using the Muslim community as a "political football", his spokesman Keysar Trad said Monday.
Some Muslim leaders have distanced themselves from the mufti's views, however, and it was not immediately clear how much support he would garner ahead of elections due by the end of the year.
The party would aim to "reclaim the fair go", Trad told AFP, referring to Australia's much-vaunted policy of equality for all.
How about women and unbelievers?
"The whole notion has slowly been eroded with all the fears and apprehensions," he said.
"The so-called war on terror has become one of worst means of dividing society through making people afraid of their own neighbours."
Prime Minister John Howard's conservative government has been accused of whipping up anti-Islamic sentiment through tough new anti-terrorism laws and tighter immigration controls, including a test on "Australian values".
The government denies the moves are aimed at Australia's Muslim community, but Howard has frequently expressed a fear of home-grown Islamic terrorism similar to that which hit London trains and buses in July 2005.
The leader of the Christian Democratic Party, the Reverend Fred Nile, said Monday Australia should call a 10-year moratorium on Muslim immigration and give priority to Christians fleeing persecution in Islamic countries.
Nile, a member of the state parliament in New South Wales, told a radio interviewer he wanted a study to look at the Netherlands and France, where the Muslim minority had become large enough to "flex its muscle".
"The same thing is happening in our city of Sydney ... they (Muslims) concentrate and virtually by population numbers they dominate that actual community," he told Southern Cross Broadcasting.
Trad rejected Nile's remarks as "sensationalist headline grabbing", and denied there was any link between his comments and the announcement of plans for an Islamic party.
"The political parties are focusing too much unfair attention on Muslims," he said. "We have to do whatever we can to make politicians focus on real issues rather than diversions on Muslims."
The party could possibly field candidates in elections for the national parliament by the end of the year and would set its sights on winning seats at all levels of government, Trad said.
The new party would not exclude people of other faiths, Trad said.
It's not going to be a party of Muslims only and it's not going to be called the Muslim Party," he said.
"The whole idea is to promote fairness across the board and specific values, such as honesty and dignity and equality."
Posted by Marisol at March 13, 2007 7:19 AM
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What does “honesty and dignity and equality” have to do with muslims?
Posted by: descendantofacrusader![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 13, 2007 7:31 AM
"10-year moratorium" will do, because within the next decade it will be as clear to everyone as it is to those who come here, that Muslim migration to the Bilad al-kufr, the Lands of the Infidels, leads everywhere, and inevitably, to a large-scale Muslim presence, and that presence, in turn, creates a situation that is far more unsettled, unpleasant, expensive, and physically dangerous, for the indigenous Infidels, for their political, legal, and social institutions, than would be the case without that large-scale Muslim presence. Perhaps that "10-year mortatorium, presented as a catch-your-breath sort of thing, combined with measures that will clearly demonstrate a refusal by Infidels, to bend any further, and to retract whatever foolish concessions were made in the dreamy and innocent past, or fearful present, to Muslims, will be nearly sufficient to halt the islamization of Western lands -- or at least create the conditions in which, once that "10-year moratorium" is over, a permanent mortatorium can be established.
Nearly, but not quite enough. For such things as prohibiting the use of money from abroad especially from Saudi Arabia, being used to pay for mosques and madrasas (they must be paid for by those who will attend them, not by money-men plotting Islamic conquest back in Riyadh or Jeddah) and Da'wa campaigns in the West, also need to be accomplished. And can be, if there is understanding of Islam, which understanding will naturally be followed by dismay, then horror, and then a desire to do something about the steady encroachment of Islam in Dar al-Harb.
Posted by: Hugh at March 13, 2007 7:52 AM
10-year moratorium on Muslim immigration
can any Western country actively do this? l will be awe if the Aussie pull this off. my hats off to these courageous people.
Posted by: ZenaWarriorPrincess at March 13, 2007 7:58 AM
"he wanted a study to look at the Netherlands and France, where the Muslim minority had become large enough to "flex its muscle".
.....he can look there or anywhere else where Muslims get strong....all of the news is bad...BUt he does have the right idea....
Ban Muslim Immigration...
Posted by: exsgtbrown at March 13, 2007 8:11 AM
In the UK the 'Respect Party' is more or less an Islamic party in embryo, along with some extreme leftwing people who are hysterically anti-American and anti-Israeli. They might just call it that.
Posted by: Elephant at March 13, 2007 8:15 AM
And the rape-jihad continues:
http://sheikyermami.com/2007/03/13/two-more-women-assaulted-by-asian-taxi-drivers/
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at March 13, 2007 8:16 AM
The preferential party system in Australia makes it very easy for minor parties to get elected in Australia.
It will be interesting to see who gives them their preferences.
Posted by: Voltaire at March 13, 2007 8:35 AM
The leader of the Christian Democratic Party, the Reverend Fred Nile, said Monday Australia should call a 10-year moratorium on Muslim immigration and give priority to Christians fleeing persecution in Islamic countries.
Sounds like he knows what is going on and has his priorities straight! Lets hope the Aussies keep supporting him. Lets also hope politicans in the U.S.A get some similar backbone to take on the problem.
Posted by: adobe at March 13, 2007 8:59 AM
I can see some benefit in them forming a party, in that it would probably lead to more direct questioning and probing by the MSM on their motivation, funding and goals, than is otherwise the case. In the run up to an election, would even the lame MSM prefer to keep silent about this party's agenda?
Posted by: anti-uffe at March 13, 2007 8:59 AM
The key part of El Hilarity's comments in Egypt wasn't the slagging off at convicts, but rather a point that was well and truly missed by all the msm in Australia. In his statements he repeated the claim that Muslims had settled Australia first, and justified this by referring to the abandoned mosques in the north and west (carefully ignoring the fact they they were built by Afghan cameleers in the 1880s).
By throwing out this claim he implicitly lays Australia open to jihad to reclaim lands once owned by moslems, in the same way that they still lay claim to "Al Andalus"
Posted by: larrikin22 at March 13, 2007 9:08 AM
A rare moment of clarity in Western Civilization, unsurprisingly from the great nation of Australia, with all its Keltik geneology.
How to stamp this out? How to smother this clear thinking before it takes hold?
Posted by: Alarmed Pig Farmer at March 13, 2007 9:13 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the seventies, didn't we have less than 20.000 Muhammedans in Australia? So now, 37 years later, the numbers have increased 15 times?
The native population remained fairly stable, and that trend is to continue. The soldiers of Allah multiply with sinister intend.
So if these 300.000 remain and multiply again 15 times we will be looking at 4.500.000 in the year 2044, the populations of Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide combined.
In other words, we will be roasted, long before that...
Good night Australia!
at March 13, 2007 9:48 AM
Go Australia ! Let's hope the Christian Democratic party does well in the election. Australia is about the only western country that actually seems to "get it" just now.
Posted by: ImNoDhimmi at March 13, 2007 9:56 AM
I just can’t believe many Aussies will be stupid enough to fall for this Muslim Party – which is what it should be called. In Australia they got to be used to detecting snakes in the grass.
Just remember all the cruel texts from the submission-or-else Koran: http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/cruelty/long.html
And watch Brigitte Gabriel explain what happened to tolerant, multicultural Lebanon after enough Muslim refugees arrived
http://multimedia.heritage.org/content/wm/Lehrman-092706a.wvx
A 10-year (permanent later) moratorium on Muslim immigration is crucial everywhere in the West. This can be done by severe restrictions on immigrations from Muslim countries using strict application guidelines, interviews, etc. Can be done, maybe not perfectly or easily, but it can be done.
Islam, the Death Threat Religion.
http://www.webshots.com/explains/news/muslim.html
Do you really want more of them in your country?
at March 13, 2007 10:03 AM
"We have to do whatever we can to make politicians focus on real issues rather than diversions on Muslims."--Keyser Soze.
That's right: nothing to see here; move along, move along.
Voltaire (March 13, 2007 08:35 AM): the centre-left Labor Party (likely to win the next Australian federal election) has over the years assiduously courted and built up the Muslim vote in certain Sydney seats. Purely for short-term political gain. In fact, the previous Australian Prime Minister, Paul Keating (Labor), was directly responsible for the granting of Australian residency to our favourite Egyptian import, Sheikh Catmeat.
Likely Keating's and Labor's disgusting actions have been pointed out on Jihadwatch before. In any case, this bears repeating, as an example of sheer bloody-minded political manoeuvring that sells all of us down the river. With no objective other than spiting your quotidian opponents, and never a thought as to who the real enemies are.
Posted by: Dane at March 13, 2007 10:27 AM
"It's not going to be a party of Muslims only and it's not going to be called the Muslim Party,"
They'll probably get some liberal ninny to chair it and chant multiculturalist drivel to the press while they hand out Jihadi pamphlets under the table.
Posted by: USBeast at March 13, 2007 10:31 AM
I believe that the U.S. could legally try to do the same thing. Discrimination is ok so long as it occurs outside our borders. Once someone steps on our soil, 14th Amendment kicks in, with religion and ethnic origin being "protected classes."
I wonder what the Australian version of the ACLU is?
Posted by: JSobieski at March 13, 2007 10:41 AM
This would be an excellent start and hopefully an example to other western countries.
Australia is a small country, population-wise, which might explain why they are concerned about immigration. They are also not far from the world's largest muslim country, Indonesia.
Europe should take note, although this is highly unlikely and in any event most European countries already have a large number of muslims who are becoming 'radicalised' within their borders.
Oh, but it might stop the incessant influx of non-English speaking jihadi imams and other pond scum - so it is still worth doing.
Posted by: Alex at March 13, 2007 11:07 AM
If most of the non-citizens in Australia are from Lebanon, the Australians will have serious problems. Lebanese non-citizens are highly trained in the art of cunning and attacking the citizenry of a country, as they have had centuries of rigorous experience in Lebanon. Furthermore, their allegiance to the totalitarian goal has been proven unshakable more than a few times in history, including when they were part of a modern system back in the golden days of Lebanon in the last century. Australian Christians and others should consider themselves under a serious mortal threat, for a large number of those 300,000 can be soldiers not of your country, but a foreign entity intolerant of you. It will be a sad realization when you have to fight for every patch of land of your country from people who you once fallibly thought will be willing, loyal, permanent, and equal partners in the goal that is Australia.
Remember Lebanon hailed pluralism long before any Western country did. The only thing is that: they never told you of the Christians being brutally murdered every day for their property (loot) and life; they never told you about the widespread discrimination against Christians in Muslim dominated areas; they never told you about the constant vicious and brutal beatings of Christian school children by gangs of non-citizens; they never told you that non-citizens always side with non-citizens, even if they were your neighbours for many decades and they survived because of your charity to them; they never told you that non-citizens were not bought over by the advances citizens brought them; and they never told you by declaring Lebanon plural, the Christians let their guard down and allowed many non-citizens to enter Christian dominated areas for cheap labour, only for the Christians to become defenceless and corrupted later when the non-citizens caused a civil war.
People! Our enemies are trying to Lebanize our countries!
at March 13, 2007 11:34 AM
"..religion and ethnic origin being "protected classes."
__________
They indeed might be protected classes, but treason against the country isn't. Aiding and helping the enemy is treason. One can not, nor should we, convict a person for the religious beliefs, but we can, and should, convict a person for concrete activities, such as terrorism, that harm our citizens.
Also; given free-speech, even though we can not prosecute purely on religious motivations, though "Hate-Crimes" may change this eventually ironically, we should at least be aware of, and be able to openly speak about an acknowledge the reality of Islamic religious motivation in carrying about these terrorist attacks.
However, given the love-fest of the mainstream media and liberals in the country with "political correctness" over sane survival, I doubt that even talking about the problem is going to be allowed, at least in a calm and rational manner.
Posted by: Monkeywho at March 13, 2007 11:42 AM
I think the world is waking up and understanding the Crusades of the past. The Christians weren't as bad as they have been made out to be by leftist propogandists who wrote our history books.
It finally makes sense now that history is repeating itself.....Muslims trying to gain a strangle hold of non-muslim lands.
Let the Crusades begin again, and finish the job right!
Posted by: DownWithIslam at March 13, 2007 2:03 PM
At least slightly OT but an honest question from one who has spoken to several friends who have visited Australia and have experienced strong anti American incidents in public restaurants and pubs. The incidents were ugly enough to cause them not to want to return to the country. I'm talking about loud insults and service refusal...even to man and wife. I also have information that many students from the U.S. are returning from schools in Australia for the same reasons. Can anyone shed light on this?
Posted by: pismopal at March 13, 2007 2:09 PM
George Bush wants to expand immigration to America. Australia is calling for a ban on Muslims.
Oz has the right mindset....so where are our "Conservative" leaders voicing this instead of D'Souza blaming America for Islamic violence.
Posted by: Lame Cherry at March 13, 2007 3:26 PM
Australia is a great country and they have great politiicans and a man of the Church like Cardinal Pell, I love Australia! and well, the aussies girls, are simply stunning!!
Posted by: Franze at March 13, 2007 4:15 PM
I'm thinking they should name themselves the Halal Party.
Posted by: Occupant at March 13, 2007 7:11 PM
Pismopal,
There IS a lot of anti-American racism in Australia.
Why?
You could put it down to purely racism, after all Australia used to have a white Australia policy, and since racism is now recognized as an evil, hatred of certain nationalities is seen as an acceptable substitute though essentially it is the same thing.
Also, the Australian government has always had a servile relationship to the US from the Vietnam war days onwards, so I guess Australian "pride" necessitates showing hatred of Americans as a kind of redress.
Americans get called "seppos" by the way, which is short for "septic tanks" which rhymes with yanks.
I've been thinking that maybe hate crimes legislation should cover not just race, but nationality as well.
I'll speak to my local MP about it.
Posted by: Voltaire at March 13, 2007 9:18 PM
Voltaire,
Not a good idea. Hurt feelings are not fatal.
Instead, let's challenge anti-Americanism on the grounds of racism. Most people who are anti-American are also proud of their impeccably tolerant attitudes. Challenge them on that. Pretty much, they can't form a coherent argument that doesn't hoist them by their own petard.
Posted by: toothy at March 13, 2007 9:42 PM
Anti-Americanism is found everywhere, even in America. Australia is certainly no haven from this.
Certain classes of people are anti-American because they're just anti-capitalism, anti-economy, anti-hard-work, fascist, totalitarian commies anyway. You'll find these idiots everywhere, even in the US.
More normal Aussies who harbour anti-US feelings don't understand the need for us to have allies like the US. They still have this old-fashioned tough Aussie digger ideal that we can stand on our own, fight our own fights, and don't need allies of any sort. Most of these think that if we do have an ally it should only be good old England, because of our history, yet they refuse to accept England doesn't give a stuff about Oz anymore.
Others are just following along with the ignorant yet very fashionable anti-US trend because it's convenient to blame someone else for anything that goes wrong in this day and age. I don't know how many times I hear that Americans are so consumer-driven, yet I see that same characteristic here. America is car-mad, they say, yet we are worse. They complain about the American content on TV, yet they avidly watch it since good Aussie programming is rare. Most of these people have never been to America, or if they have, their one trip has consisted of 2 weeks in California & Disneyland, or an Alaskan cruise.
Posted by: feralee at March 13, 2007 9:52 PM
Anti-Americanism, like anti-semitism, the trademark of a loser.
Posted by: savitch at March 13, 2007 10:21 PM
"At least slightly OT but an honest question from one who has spoken to several friends who have visited Australia and have experienced strong anti American incidents in public restaurants and pubs. The incidents were ugly enough to cause them not to want to return to the country. I'm talking about loud insults and service refusal...even to man and wife. I also have information that many students from the U.S. are returning from schools in Australia for the same reasons. Can anyone shed light on this?"
There are a couple of issues here. One is that Americans can't take Australian humour, and US students leaving Australian universities because of "rubbishing" has received some attention. They don't stay here long enough to realise that Australians "rubbish " everyone, including themselves. My limited experience of Americans is that their sense of humour is a lot different to ours (would have to be, given what passes for "comedy" in US-made TV).
Secondly, my own experience of US tourists is that they can be loud and arrogant which does not go down well in an egalitarian society typical of much of Australia.
Depending on what area of Australia your examples had their bad experiences in they may have come across residual anger over the Vietnam War, WWII (yes, WWII- there are issues with US involvement in our area too complex to go into here) or even over Iraq. I would imagine very few of your usual Aussies being rude to Americans just because they were Americans: after all, few Aussies can tell a Septic from a Canuck and we wouldn't want to upset a fellow Commonwealth member!
Perhaps the Americans in question came accross some people who are just naturally rude? I live here and get it a lot, especially in inner-city Sydney.
Posted by: Risky_Comment at March 13, 2007 11:26 PM
Thanks all for your insightful comments regarding anti Americanism in Australia. I have not been further than Fiji in that direction but to Europe half a dozen times and I have had no experiences with overt hostility and that includes France where most visitors expect problems. Perhaps we are just lucky. I like the rule that visitors are especially deserving of courtesy because they go home with good memories and stories and the beat goes on.
Posted by: pismopal at March 14, 2007 12:14 PM
I do not recall any American tourists setting off bomb belts or blowing up busses or internet cafes...I do not recall any Aussie tourists setting off bomb belts or blowing busses or internet cafes....only Mulims doing such things...
you do not want Muslims in your neighborhood. Ban Muslim immigration now..
at March 15, 2007 11:21 AM
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