Anti-dhimmitude from Australia’s Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward. “Sheik’s sexist comments create storm,” an update on this story from AAP:
Federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward believes the comments are an incitement to crime.
“Young Muslim men who now rape women can cite this in court, can quote this man … their leader in court,” she told the Nine Network.
She wants him to go, but did not make clear whether she wanted to him to leave the country or step down as a leader of the Islamic community.
“It’s time we stopped just saying he should apologise. It is time the Islamic community did more then say they were horrified. I think it is time he left,” Ms Goward said.
Victorian Liberal backbencher Sophie Mirabella wants the sheik to consider moving back to the Middle East.
“I have a message for Sheik Alhilali: This is Australia, not Iran, and violence and degradation of women is not acceptable,” she said.
More senior members of government were also scathing.
“Certainly I think if a religious leader in the Catholic Church or the Anglican Church or in Judaism was to make these sorts of statements, they would be getting a very severe rap over the knuckles, at the very least,” Health Minister Tony Abbott told the Nine Network.
“He’s wrong. He should be reprimanded and it’s up to ordinary, decent Australians to make it clear that he is wrong.”
Treasurer Peter Costello urged other Muslims to pull the sheik into line.
“I hope that the moderate Muslim leaders will speak out today and condemn these comments,” he told the Seven Network.”
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said the sheik’s comments were offensive and should be corrected by the Islamic community.
Not much luck so far: Keysar Trad says earlier in the article that this has all been taken out of context:
President of the Islamic Friendship Council of Australia, Keysar Trad, said the sheik’s comments had been misrepresented, although he admitted his analogies could have been better.
“From what I understand, he was talking about the context of encouraging people to abstinence before getting married,” Mr Trad said.
“His references to exposed meat etc was a very poor example that was meant to be a reference to both men and women, he wasn’t talking about Islamic dress, he wasn’t talking about rape.”
Oh, really now. From the earlier item:
Sheik Hilali said there were women who “sway suggestively” and wore make-up and immodest dress … “and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years”.