In late 2011, I visited the famine-affected areas of Mogadishu in Somalia. The visit was organised by IR Worldwide office.
Mogadishu is a vibrant city, with the hustle and bustle of any capital, however it is evident that the decades of war and neglect have left its mark on a city still in a state of stagnation. There is very little government control or any signs of development. It seems like Somalians are getting by on their own steam and doing what they can to create a sense of normalcy in their lives. Our first visit was to the IR Somalia head office for a briefing attended by about 20 personnel.
This included a detailed overview of works occurring in and around Mogadishu. There are approximately 110 IR staff in Mogadishu alone.
After the briefing we visited an old military factory, which was being used as a distribution centre to IDPs (Internally Displaced Person) for food relief and NFI (Non-food Items). This was a very extensive operation which used a docket system for families who were assessed as most in need.
This site included donated goods from all donor countries such as USA, UK and others. Basic supplies included cooking oil, flour, soap and rice, which would last a month on average. There were very many happy people in the compound. Those who we spoke to expressed satisfaction and joy that they would receive relief for at least the next month. Unfortunately, there were thousands of others who missed out, many waiting outside in the vain hope that they would get in. What was very impressive was that the staff were highly professional and efficiently co-ordinated with other staff and personnel. They were well organised and followed the system. They were very courteous and acted humanely towards the recipients.
The few staff, with whom we we spent some time were highly qualified and well trained and all except for a small percentage were from Somalia or Somalians from Kenya. They all spoke a high level of English. The conditions at the moment have stabilised in most of Mogadishu. While there are reports of instability in the rest of Somalia, particularly in Somali Land and in the north and also skirmishes with the Kenyan army in the south, this has not affected the current population of refugees nor created new flows of IDPs. Most of the IDPs have been in Mogadishu for several months now. It also appears that the height of the drought has passed and there has been some temporary relief with heavy rains falling in the months of October and November.
However, there is still a long way to go. Many recipients have nothing to fall back on. Long-term sustainability is a major concern, as there is no employment and many of the recipients are cattle herders or farmers and have no means to continue their livelihood or to return to their places of residence.
The next area that we visited was Corasan IDP camp. This was a winding maze of tents and huts, in a small pocket of Mogadishu. The place, while relatively clean, was set on a dusty area with no sealed streets or any form of sanitation for the IDPs.
However, most were staying in tents, which provided adequate shelter. Inside, people slept on mats on the hard floor. On average there were between 4-7 children per family.
The main problem in the camp was disease and sickness. There were in just the eight tents I visited in a matter of an hour, four people who were seriously ill with some sort of paralysis and fever. There were many reports of children who had some debilitating illness and no doctors or clinics available for any relief.
There was a common trend that the husbands were out of work with nothing to do. Some had died, gone to look for work or even some had lost their sanity, leaving the mother to tend to the children and the household chores.
Children looked quite malnourished and most were poorly clothed and most did not have shoes. Although, school services were being provided not all children attended school. There were Arabic and school facilities being provided but very few teachers and the ones who were available were unpaid volunteers. The IDPs are relatively stable and it appears that at least at this camp they are well provided for.
After documenting my trip to Mogadishu, I believe that organisations like IRW have to look at long term projects that will prevent the disastrous affects of drought in the future. There are thousands of IDPs in camps in Mogadishu and more are still coming on a regular basis, where there are problems are in health care in the camps. There are thousands of children and elderly who are suffering from treatable illnesses such as ear-infections, flus, eye and skin disorders. There are also thousands of people with disabilities including injuries from the conflict or from polio and other preventable diseases. IRW needs to invest in a clinic and supply qualified medical staff to attend to the camps and villages. I strongly recommend that IR Australia provides funding and facilitates a contingent of doctors from Australia to visit Mogadishu for a month program. We could work with the Australian Muslim Doctors Association and also the Australian Medical Association in sourcing doctors.
The situation in Somalia is far from over and due much to international efforts the immediate future looks positive for the many displaced people. Their prospects and hopes are not much beyond daily survival, however, with more support, IR can play a pivotal role in giving the good people of Somalia a sense of hope and motivation to build their future. The focus should no be on health, education and long term sustainability programs.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Mahmoud and Michael
Once there were two brothers who were identical twins. They lived with their family in the leafy suburb of Greenacre in Sydney’s south west. The family migrated to Australia in 1975 after the war in Lebanon and the twins were born in Bankstown Hospital.
Mahmoud and Michael were in their third year at university and they were both excited about what prospects lay ahead for them as they searched for internships. Mahmoud wanted to work in I.T. and Michael in law.
Mahmoud sent his CV to many companies requesting an internship and Michael did the same with different legal firms. Michael received ten replies and of the ten, five requested an interview. Mahmoud sent out twelve letters and got no replies whatsoever.
After another year, Michael went on to work at one of Sydney’s prestigious legal firms and is now in his fifth year with the firm and they have offered him a position as partner.
Mahmoud, dropped out of his course and changed his name to Mark and is now working at an IT company as a trainee technician. He is doing well and hopes to work his way up to management.
What’s in a name?
Shakespeare once asked in ‘Romeo and Juliet’;
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Was he so visionary that he knew that one day Michael and Mahmoud would have this experience?
The sad reality is that many young Muslims are compelled to change their names so they can fit in or get ahead in life.
Identity is so important in one’s life, especially a young person, who is full of vitality and motivation, who needs to have a sense of belonging and acceptance.
In Australia we have many young Muslims, born in Australia but living between two worlds. At home they are the obedient Muslim, who speaks Arabic to his parents and outside, he is another person altogether, doesn’t speak about his religion or his culture, dresses and acts like his mates and shortens his name or Anglicises it altogether. Mohamed becomes Mo, Mustafa, Mus, Abdullah, Ab and Rabih – Robbie and so on.
The problem is serious but it is one that most adolescents must invariably experience on some level at one stage in their development. Yet, for Muslim kids it’s becoming increasingly different with the rise in Islamaphobia and anti-Islamic sentiments filtering through the media and into politics and society.
There is an ‘us and them’ mentality and many young Muslims prefer to hang out with their own, where their accents wont be mocked, they wont be stared out or ridiculed and where they feel accepted. The divide will only grow wider as young Australians who live in the northern beaches or in the Eastern suburbs, will rarely have met or know any one of Middle Eastern origin, unless they happen to be Lebanese Christians who attend the same Catholic school.
I grew up exactly this way. I had two identities and I did not really belong to either. I got to the point where I rebelled completely and moved away to live the life of a travelling vagrant searching for myself. I discovered my dearest twin, my brother in Islam, who taught me the meaning of brotherhood, who showed my true self and I realised that I should never have been ashamed of my faith at all. It was merely an illusion.
What I did was I travelled to many Islamic places, places that were regarded as the seats of learning in the Golden age of Islam, I came back to Australia inspired and began to learn my faith, to study and to know right from wrong and to put real Islam into practice. I didn’t listen to stories or superstitious traditions and I used my logic and reason. I read widely.
I didn’t stay locked up in my community, I studied other civilisations, I read about politics and I improved my English and corrected my accent. I never compromised my faith but I also wanted to understand the mindset of other faiths. I got involved with different organizations and set up my own projects and led the way. I did self-improvement courses and leadership programs. I lobbied for human rights for refugees in detention and I met with politicians and community leaders and I learned about diplomacy and the art of persuasion. But all along I kept strong in my faith and I kept away from wrong doing or things that would weaken my iman.
I was a teacher for a while and I got lot of satisfaction teaching young Muslims. I also got to understand their issues and I made it my practice to empower them and give them encouragement to succeed. I have been working with youth for some time now and still get enormous satisfaction from giving them guidance and advice.
At the end of the day you must be proud of your identity but not sit around doing nothing about your predicament or just complain or hate others.
Allah says he will not change a people unless they change themselves.
“Truly, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran 13:11)
So young Muslims have to ‘Carpe Deum’! Seize the Day! And reverse the trends that are happening today in terms of attitudes towards Muslims. It starts firstly with oneself.
Mahmoud and Michael were in their third year at university and they were both excited about what prospects lay ahead for them as they searched for internships. Mahmoud wanted to work in I.T. and Michael in law.
Mahmoud sent his CV to many companies requesting an internship and Michael did the same with different legal firms. Michael received ten replies and of the ten, five requested an interview. Mahmoud sent out twelve letters and got no replies whatsoever.
After another year, Michael went on to work at one of Sydney’s prestigious legal firms and is now in his fifth year with the firm and they have offered him a position as partner.
Mahmoud, dropped out of his course and changed his name to Mark and is now working at an IT company as a trainee technician. He is doing well and hopes to work his way up to management.
What’s in a name?
Shakespeare once asked in ‘Romeo and Juliet’;
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
Was he so visionary that he knew that one day Michael and Mahmoud would have this experience?
The sad reality is that many young Muslims are compelled to change their names so they can fit in or get ahead in life.
Identity is so important in one’s life, especially a young person, who is full of vitality and motivation, who needs to have a sense of belonging and acceptance.
In Australia we have many young Muslims, born in Australia but living between two worlds. At home they are the obedient Muslim, who speaks Arabic to his parents and outside, he is another person altogether, doesn’t speak about his religion or his culture, dresses and acts like his mates and shortens his name or Anglicises it altogether. Mohamed becomes Mo, Mustafa, Mus, Abdullah, Ab and Rabih – Robbie and so on.
The problem is serious but it is one that most adolescents must invariably experience on some level at one stage in their development. Yet, for Muslim kids it’s becoming increasingly different with the rise in Islamaphobia and anti-Islamic sentiments filtering through the media and into politics and society.
There is an ‘us and them’ mentality and many young Muslims prefer to hang out with their own, where their accents wont be mocked, they wont be stared out or ridiculed and where they feel accepted. The divide will only grow wider as young Australians who live in the northern beaches or in the Eastern suburbs, will rarely have met or know any one of Middle Eastern origin, unless they happen to be Lebanese Christians who attend the same Catholic school.
I grew up exactly this way. I had two identities and I did not really belong to either. I got to the point where I rebelled completely and moved away to live the life of a travelling vagrant searching for myself. I discovered my dearest twin, my brother in Islam, who taught me the meaning of brotherhood, who showed my true self and I realised that I should never have been ashamed of my faith at all. It was merely an illusion.
What I did was I travelled to many Islamic places, places that were regarded as the seats of learning in the Golden age of Islam, I came back to Australia inspired and began to learn my faith, to study and to know right from wrong and to put real Islam into practice. I didn’t listen to stories or superstitious traditions and I used my logic and reason. I read widely.
I didn’t stay locked up in my community, I studied other civilisations, I read about politics and I improved my English and corrected my accent. I never compromised my faith but I also wanted to understand the mindset of other faiths. I got involved with different organizations and set up my own projects and led the way. I did self-improvement courses and leadership programs. I lobbied for human rights for refugees in detention and I met with politicians and community leaders and I learned about diplomacy and the art of persuasion. But all along I kept strong in my faith and I kept away from wrong doing or things that would weaken my iman.
I was a teacher for a while and I got lot of satisfaction teaching young Muslims. I also got to understand their issues and I made it my practice to empower them and give them encouragement to succeed. I have been working with youth for some time now and still get enormous satisfaction from giving them guidance and advice.
At the end of the day you must be proud of your identity but not sit around doing nothing about your predicament or just complain or hate others.
Allah says he will not change a people unless they change themselves.
“Truly, God does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Quran 13:11)
So young Muslims have to ‘Carpe Deum’! Seize the Day! And reverse the trends that are happening today in terms of attitudes towards Muslims. It starts firstly with oneself.
A gift to married couple(s)- respect and a gentle touch
There has been another controversy over an often misunderstood verse in the Muslim holy book, the Quran, about relationships between husbands and wives. This week a book condoning the beating of your wife has been published on line and more questions about Islam have emerged.
The Quran is the revealed book which Muslims revere as the direct words of God. When one reads the Quran it is not like any other book, but more like a manual or guide-book. It is a conversation between the reader and God.
The Quran is unique, as are the three other revealed books. However, we can’t compare them, as the original Psalms of David, the Torah and Gospels of Jesus, have been lost forever. What we have today are only translations and copies of the translated texts and they have been modified over the centuries.
Whereas the Quran has been preserved over time and the words delivered 1400 years ago are exactly the same as any copy of the Quran today, in any country, the Quran does not change or cannot be modified. The Quran is the final in the series of divine revelations and Islam (submission) is the last message, aimed at all humankind and delivered by the seal of all the prophets, a humble man named, Muhammad (the praised one).
If you look at Islam, like the final episode of a long running soap opera series, for instance, Home and Away. As we know, the stories change from episode to episode and the characters also change, although there are central characters that tend to hang around for a while. But each series is slightly different from the next but the messages are usually constant. Be good to each other and that crime doesn’t pay.
Or another way of looking at it, is that the Quran is like the Gregory’s Street Directory (final edition), whereas preceding editions, being the Torah, the Psalms of David and the Gospel of Jesus, are now obsolete. Every year new streets are created, new roads and housing estates, new parks, shopping complexes and railway lines have been built. So there is a need to update the Gregory’s street directory regularly. The 1967 edition would be no good to me today, because there has been a massive transformation of Sydney into a large sprawling city and new suburbs have been established in the outer west. So I cant use it today.
So the Quran is just the latest edition of revealed books, which essentially delivers the same message as the others but includes more detail. The Quran, explains or clarifies many things that we did not understand before. It, tells us that the Earth is a rotating sphere, that the Sun is the centre of our solar system and explains the stages of pregnancy from conception to birth. It explains other scientific phenomena and fills in the gaps about many of the preceding prophets or messengers like Abraham, Moses, Noah, Joseph and Jacob and of course John the Baptist and Jesus. The Quran includes detailed guidelines around the organization of societies, for example, how to perfect your character, how to treat travellers, inheritance, marriage and divorce rights and relationships between men and women.
For example the God says in the Quran, (4.19).
“O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the dower ye have given them, (except where they have been guilty of open lewdness); on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good.”
Of course, there are some discrepancies over interpretations of some of the verses contained in the Quran and that is probably, where we can run into trouble. However, last week’s article in the UK about a new marriage guidebook called “A Gift for Muslim Couple” has caused a stir because some of the advice is a little confronting. There are concerns that the book is advocating that a man can beat his wife.
When it comes to the roles that men and women played in society fourteen centuries ago, I think we can all appreciate that families took them more literally then than they do today, especially in modern Australia. However, traditionally, the man was the leader, the breadwinner, the decision-maker and protector of the family. For society to function men and women were expected to accept these norms. In the Islamic context, a man could ask his wife not to leave the home because he was worried for her safety.
But on the matter of relationships, even today, little has changed. We all have our idiosyncracies and habits and we are all human and imperfect. Sometimes couples don’t get along. In the case, of a husband, who suspects his wife was flirting with another guy or maybe she was intimately involved with another man, then the Quran gives us some direct advice on this matter.
And this is what all the fuss is about. The interpretation of this verse.
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).
(Chapter 4 Verse 34, from Yusuf Ali translation)
Of course one could write a treatise on this topic and one, who is a scholar, could give various interpretations about the meaning of this text and its application in one’s life. I am not a scholar and will not even attempt to do so. But I will say this.
As a Muslim it is abhorrent for me to treat my wife with nothing less than the way I would want to be treated myself, that is, with dignity, respect, equality and love.
To treat your wife like a child is unacceptable and illogical. A wife is not one’s chattel or property. As Muslims we are taught to respect women as the bearers and guardians of sons and daughters, as teachers and as home-makers and as the one’s who console and nurture their relationship with their husband.
But as I said relationships don’t always work out as smoothly as some; we are not all so blessed, like John and Janet Howard. But when another man meets a married woman and tries to come on strong and she finds herself tempted, then the husband as does the woman has a right to know and do something about it. If they have only been flirting then the husband can warn her or advise her not do so, if she continues and he finds out, he can separate their beds, now this is serious sign, which means that it had better stop because the next stage, is where the marriage is at risk of divorce. If the wife were to continue then the husband would theoretically, have no other choice but to divorce. But what if there are children involved? Divorce is not a simple matter and should always be a last resort. The husband has a duty to save the marriage. He can symbolically, using a small twig, about the size of a pencil, to admonish his wife, by lightly tapping her. This is a sign to say that this is the last straw.
Nowhere in the history of the Prophet’s marriages was there a case of beating his wife. The prophet had several disputes with his wife but they never resulted in any violence. Therefore, the Prophet as the model whom Muslims follow, a husband is to treat his wife with respect and love and not allowed to use violence against her (or the children for that matter).
The recent book that advocates this is flawed because it does not explain the context of these verses and does not go into enough detail to explain the Prophet Muhammad’s own advice on this matter.
After all, Muslims have to use both the information they have from the Quran and the example of the Prophet to make such informed decisions.
Islam is a logical religion, it is scientific in nature and antidote for the intrinsic problems of all societies. Just about everything you read has a logical reason behind it, but we as lay people cannot interpret them without the help of scholars and experts.
We know that it does not make sense that a man should be given free licence to assault his wife. It’s a no-brainer. A relationship wouldn’t last long if that were the case and even if it did, it would not be a loving and harmonious one.
Domestic violence is a disease of society today, in every society, regardless of religion. We as modern day people have inherited a patriarchal attitude towards women and hence we still get these incidences of violence occurring, however, it is something that happens because men abuse their power and strength and often take advantage of a woman’s softness or passiveness. It should not be happening. Full stop!
The Quran is the revealed book which Muslims revere as the direct words of God. When one reads the Quran it is not like any other book, but more like a manual or guide-book. It is a conversation between the reader and God.
The Quran is unique, as are the three other revealed books. However, we can’t compare them, as the original Psalms of David, the Torah and Gospels of Jesus, have been lost forever. What we have today are only translations and copies of the translated texts and they have been modified over the centuries.
Whereas the Quran has been preserved over time and the words delivered 1400 years ago are exactly the same as any copy of the Quran today, in any country, the Quran does not change or cannot be modified. The Quran is the final in the series of divine revelations and Islam (submission) is the last message, aimed at all humankind and delivered by the seal of all the prophets, a humble man named, Muhammad (the praised one).
If you look at Islam, like the final episode of a long running soap opera series, for instance, Home and Away. As we know, the stories change from episode to episode and the characters also change, although there are central characters that tend to hang around for a while. But each series is slightly different from the next but the messages are usually constant. Be good to each other and that crime doesn’t pay.
Or another way of looking at it, is that the Quran is like the Gregory’s Street Directory (final edition), whereas preceding editions, being the Torah, the Psalms of David and the Gospel of Jesus, are now obsolete. Every year new streets are created, new roads and housing estates, new parks, shopping complexes and railway lines have been built. So there is a need to update the Gregory’s street directory regularly. The 1967 edition would be no good to me today, because there has been a massive transformation of Sydney into a large sprawling city and new suburbs have been established in the outer west. So I cant use it today.
So the Quran is just the latest edition of revealed books, which essentially delivers the same message as the others but includes more detail. The Quran, explains or clarifies many things that we did not understand before. It, tells us that the Earth is a rotating sphere, that the Sun is the centre of our solar system and explains the stages of pregnancy from conception to birth. It explains other scientific phenomena and fills in the gaps about many of the preceding prophets or messengers like Abraham, Moses, Noah, Joseph and Jacob and of course John the Baptist and Jesus. The Quran includes detailed guidelines around the organization of societies, for example, how to perfect your character, how to treat travellers, inheritance, marriage and divorce rights and relationships between men and women.
For example the God says in the Quran, (4.19).
“O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the dower ye have given them, (except where they have been guilty of open lewdness); on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good.”
Of course, there are some discrepancies over interpretations of some of the verses contained in the Quran and that is probably, where we can run into trouble. However, last week’s article in the UK about a new marriage guidebook called “A Gift for Muslim Couple” has caused a stir because some of the advice is a little confronting. There are concerns that the book is advocating that a man can beat his wife.
When it comes to the roles that men and women played in society fourteen centuries ago, I think we can all appreciate that families took them more literally then than they do today, especially in modern Australia. However, traditionally, the man was the leader, the breadwinner, the decision-maker and protector of the family. For society to function men and women were expected to accept these norms. In the Islamic context, a man could ask his wife not to leave the home because he was worried for her safety.
But on the matter of relationships, even today, little has changed. We all have our idiosyncracies and habits and we are all human and imperfect. Sometimes couples don’t get along. In the case, of a husband, who suspects his wife was flirting with another guy or maybe she was intimately involved with another man, then the Quran gives us some direct advice on this matter.
And this is what all the fuss is about. The interpretation of this verse.
“Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) beat them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all).
(Chapter 4 Verse 34, from Yusuf Ali translation)
Of course one could write a treatise on this topic and one, who is a scholar, could give various interpretations about the meaning of this text and its application in one’s life. I am not a scholar and will not even attempt to do so. But I will say this.
As a Muslim it is abhorrent for me to treat my wife with nothing less than the way I would want to be treated myself, that is, with dignity, respect, equality and love.
To treat your wife like a child is unacceptable and illogical. A wife is not one’s chattel or property. As Muslims we are taught to respect women as the bearers and guardians of sons and daughters, as teachers and as home-makers and as the one’s who console and nurture their relationship with their husband.
But as I said relationships don’t always work out as smoothly as some; we are not all so blessed, like John and Janet Howard. But when another man meets a married woman and tries to come on strong and she finds herself tempted, then the husband as does the woman has a right to know and do something about it. If they have only been flirting then the husband can warn her or advise her not do so, if she continues and he finds out, he can separate their beds, now this is serious sign, which means that it had better stop because the next stage, is where the marriage is at risk of divorce. If the wife were to continue then the husband would theoretically, have no other choice but to divorce. But what if there are children involved? Divorce is not a simple matter and should always be a last resort. The husband has a duty to save the marriage. He can symbolically, using a small twig, about the size of a pencil, to admonish his wife, by lightly tapping her. This is a sign to say that this is the last straw.
Nowhere in the history of the Prophet’s marriages was there a case of beating his wife. The prophet had several disputes with his wife but they never resulted in any violence. Therefore, the Prophet as the model whom Muslims follow, a husband is to treat his wife with respect and love and not allowed to use violence against her (or the children for that matter).
The recent book that advocates this is flawed because it does not explain the context of these verses and does not go into enough detail to explain the Prophet Muhammad’s own advice on this matter.
After all, Muslims have to use both the information they have from the Quran and the example of the Prophet to make such informed decisions.
Islam is a logical religion, it is scientific in nature and antidote for the intrinsic problems of all societies. Just about everything you read has a logical reason behind it, but we as lay people cannot interpret them without the help of scholars and experts.
We know that it does not make sense that a man should be given free licence to assault his wife. It’s a no-brainer. A relationship wouldn’t last long if that were the case and even if it did, it would not be a loving and harmonious one.
Domestic violence is a disease of society today, in every society, regardless of religion. We as modern day people have inherited a patriarchal attitude towards women and hence we still get these incidences of violence occurring, however, it is something that happens because men abuse their power and strength and often take advantage of a woman’s softness or passiveness. It should not be happening. Full stop!
Monday, March 5, 2012
How can we sleep while our Qurans are Burning?
Last year the mad preacher of Gainesville The Reverend Terry Jones created a furore in the Muslim world by his threats and call for a global burning of the Islamic holy book, the Quran. Thankfully, that was averted after some pressure from the Oval Office. Yet, last week some rogue US soldiers have taken this call one step further and burnt copies of the Quran, in all places, Afghanistan. It’s a death wish.
The US Army denied that this was deliberate and just a mistake, but do they really think that we are that stupid? Burning any book is really not kosher but burning one’s holy book when you are in one’s country as an invading force is a big slap in the face. The reality is that they got caught and now they are trying to backtrack.
Burning a Muslim’s most revered book, the word of God, is not a good idea, especially if you don’t want a major headache. There are a whole number of possile backlashes; fire-bombing embassies, retaliatory attacks on Westerners, burning flags and as we saw yesterday on Youtube, Libyan militia desecrating the gravestones of fallen soldiers of war.
These actions were gravely misjudged and the burning of Qurans by US soldiers did warrant the destruction of the grave sites. The two do not have had any connection whatsoever, the war cemetry was mainly for British and some allied soldiers anyway. Two wrongs don’t make a right. It was quite despicable to watch.
But this is deeper than just burning the Quran. A look at the last few months you would have noticed an increasing number of anti-Islamic incidents. There have been several laws passed in the US banning Sharia law. There was a massive campaign to stop the Islamic centre being built near Ground Zero. Then there was Anders Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who killed 77 people in July 2011 and posted a "manifesto" on the internet, about the role played by websites as a forum for spreading hatred of Muslims in Europe.
Yesterday a report, which polled 2,152 far-right supporters in the UK, raises concerns that the English Defence League (EDL), followed by Breivik, is increasingly promoting violence and in a planned international meeting in Denmark on 31 March members from defence leagues in Italy, Poland, the United States, Finland, Sweden and Norway, along with the anti-Muslim group, Stop Islamisation of Europe will discuss the formation of an European Defence League and ways to “counter jihad”.
Here in Australia, we have already seen the first phase of a quasi-banning of the Burqa through a law passed by the NSW parliament last year, forcing Muslim women to reveal their face if requested by a police officer or a JP if signing a statutory declaration or an affidavit.
Earlier in January this year there was a brazen attack on Wallsend Mosque which was caught on a security camera. The Australian Protectionist Party spokesman Darrin Hodges said he believed many people were "concerned about what goes on inside" mosques, but he believed that the attack was not motivated by religious hatred. Just a random attack, I guess… on a religious place of worship, which just happened to be… a mosque.
The party's Sydney-based organiser, Nick Folkes, said debate about a mosque in Elermore Vale had created interest in the party. "We definitely had a lot of people wanting to know what we were about," he said. There are now some concerns that the Australian Protectionist Party, is increasingly becoming close to the EDL.
In Brisbane, late last year, a flyer being letterboxed by a group called the QSociety states that it is concerned with the "erosion of Western values and the Islamisation of Australia". The flyers say "it's time to say no" to the Halal food industry, "whitewashed Islamic content" in state schools, Sharia finance and "segregation and apartheid" such as prayer rooms.
The burning of the Quran is only the early stages of a more sinister global campaign to denigrate and vilifiy Muslims, particularly, those living in Western countries. It is also a dangerous course which could result in a tit for tat pattern of violence based on religious hatred and ignorance. The irony is that, on both sides, a small band of extremists are pushing this agenda.
It may be that governments might need to intervene in either proscribing groups like the EDL and the APP before we see it get out of control.
One must remember that both Muslims and Christians are only different branches of the same Abrahamic tree, both share common values of love and compassion and ideally both want to live in a world free of violence and free of oppression. The whole world is being held to ransom by a few nutters, and as we speak, probably sitting in an English pub in Liverpool, downing a luke warm ale, contemplating his next move.
The US Army denied that this was deliberate and just a mistake, but do they really think that we are that stupid? Burning any book is really not kosher but burning one’s holy book when you are in one’s country as an invading force is a big slap in the face. The reality is that they got caught and now they are trying to backtrack.
Burning a Muslim’s most revered book, the word of God, is not a good idea, especially if you don’t want a major headache. There are a whole number of possile backlashes; fire-bombing embassies, retaliatory attacks on Westerners, burning flags and as we saw yesterday on Youtube, Libyan militia desecrating the gravestones of fallen soldiers of war.
These actions were gravely misjudged and the burning of Qurans by US soldiers did warrant the destruction of the grave sites. The two do not have had any connection whatsoever, the war cemetry was mainly for British and some allied soldiers anyway. Two wrongs don’t make a right. It was quite despicable to watch.
But this is deeper than just burning the Quran. A look at the last few months you would have noticed an increasing number of anti-Islamic incidents. There have been several laws passed in the US banning Sharia law. There was a massive campaign to stop the Islamic centre being built near Ground Zero. Then there was Anders Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who killed 77 people in July 2011 and posted a "manifesto" on the internet, about the role played by websites as a forum for spreading hatred of Muslims in Europe.
Yesterday a report, which polled 2,152 far-right supporters in the UK, raises concerns that the English Defence League (EDL), followed by Breivik, is increasingly promoting violence and in a planned international meeting in Denmark on 31 March members from defence leagues in Italy, Poland, the United States, Finland, Sweden and Norway, along with the anti-Muslim group, Stop Islamisation of Europe will discuss the formation of an European Defence League and ways to “counter jihad”.
Here in Australia, we have already seen the first phase of a quasi-banning of the Burqa through a law passed by the NSW parliament last year, forcing Muslim women to reveal their face if requested by a police officer or a JP if signing a statutory declaration or an affidavit.
Earlier in January this year there was a brazen attack on Wallsend Mosque which was caught on a security camera. The Australian Protectionist Party spokesman Darrin Hodges said he believed many people were "concerned about what goes on inside" mosques, but he believed that the attack was not motivated by religious hatred. Just a random attack, I guess… on a religious place of worship, which just happened to be… a mosque.
The party's Sydney-based organiser, Nick Folkes, said debate about a mosque in Elermore Vale had created interest in the party. "We definitely had a lot of people wanting to know what we were about," he said. There are now some concerns that the Australian Protectionist Party, is increasingly becoming close to the EDL.
In Brisbane, late last year, a flyer being letterboxed by a group called the QSociety states that it is concerned with the "erosion of Western values and the Islamisation of Australia". The flyers say "it's time to say no" to the Halal food industry, "whitewashed Islamic content" in state schools, Sharia finance and "segregation and apartheid" such as prayer rooms.
The burning of the Quran is only the early stages of a more sinister global campaign to denigrate and vilifiy Muslims, particularly, those living in Western countries. It is also a dangerous course which could result in a tit for tat pattern of violence based on religious hatred and ignorance. The irony is that, on both sides, a small band of extremists are pushing this agenda.
It may be that governments might need to intervene in either proscribing groups like the EDL and the APP before we see it get out of control.
One must remember that both Muslims and Christians are only different branches of the same Abrahamic tree, both share common values of love and compassion and ideally both want to live in a world free of violence and free of oppression. The whole world is being held to ransom by a few nutters, and as we speak, probably sitting in an English pub in Liverpool, downing a luke warm ale, contemplating his next move.
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