Look everyone, this islamic jihad has been going on for a while now and frankly we should all be convinced of at least one thing - that is the semantics of the west and the orient (the muhammadian realm) are completely different.
An example:
The Western version of peace means essentially the promotion of harmony through the application of self-control so that relations are settled in a way where mutual respect and equality between different groups or individuals is the rule - stemming from “The Golden Rule” as espoused by Jesus Christ - “Treat others in the manner in which you would like to be treated” (paraphrased).
The Muhammedian (islamic) version of peace means essentially the promotion of harmony through the application of any and all means necessary to bring all societies under the umbrella of Sharia law where mutual respect and equality is only guaranteed for islamic men. Women are second rate citizens in the islamic context and non-muslims become Dhimmis (protected people) who live their lives as unequal to the muslims in society with few rights. (Don’t give me any bullshit about the so-called golden age of islamic tolerance in Spain - it never happened)
My point is that Muslims still believe that they are peaceful because following a “succesful” jihad, harmony is delivered through the islamic legal system. Even if good harmony existed before the advent of the sharia. Let’s get this straight: Islam says “harmony can only occur after a period of warfare”. It’s murky and a bit dull but here is the key: Muslims are not permitted to live in harmony with non believers. The twisted logic plays out like this:
I (a muslim) am dwelling in the presence of non-muslims I (a muslim) am not permitted by my god to live in harmony with non-believers I (a muslim) am urged by my religion to only live in harmony with non-believers when I (a muslim) am legally recognized as superior to the non-believer I (a muslim) will never be legally recognized as superior unless Islamic Shariah Law is implemented throughout the land in which I dwell I (a muslim) realize that Shariah Law will be rejected by those who risk losing equal recognition before the non-Sharia law that currently prevails
Therefore peace and harmony is not possible between myself (a muslim) and the non-believers because I (a muslim) must struggle in all ways possible to realize my legally sanctioned superiority in the eyes of my god.
This is not my fault (as a muslim) because the non-believer will not submit to losing their rights.
Thus I (a muslim) am forced by the non-believers to subjugate them.
I (a muslim) cannot be held responsible for any violence that the non-believers suffer in my struggles to introduce harmony to the land because I can only live in harmony when I am your master. The non-believer will not accept me as his master so I am free to subjugate him.
************************************************ Andrew keep writing but there are peaceful muslims only because they are ignorant of orthodox islamic teachings or they are simply practicing al taquiyyah (religious deception). There is no moderate Islam at all.
I am convinced that the only way this worsening situation in the West and in Europe will be settled is for muslims to have their faith in their systems completely shattered. Some say this is not possible but in fact it is. We shattered the Nazis and Imperial Japan’s faith in their systems by the application of egocentric warfare.
This type of warfare places the highest priority on defending ourselves from external and internal threats using overwhelming force. Once the ability to threaten us has been permanently shattered do we then talk about rebuilding, integrating and harmonization. Until then we must prepare our hearts for the day when everyone realizes that nothing but a total war footing will suffice.
Somehow, I don't think that this is quite the way that most of us envision showing respect to our military forces on Anzac Day.
I much prefer something with a lot more class and style.
The 7.30 Report the other night had a story about a group of WW2 veterans, in particular a band of local Rats, who were placing their Hall up for auction, as their numbers were decreasing, and the upkeep in Albert Park wasn't.
The follow up is one of those rare good news stories that seem to be getting fewer in the news.
In a remarkable act of generosity, a fellow called Bill Gibbins bid on the property, won the auction, and has allowed the Rats to remain.
I saw this on the tv last night, and Mr. Gibbins was also on the radio this morning speaking about his action.
Please follow the links and check out the videos.
As Mr. Gibbins says:
These guys all gave their youth and some of them gave their life, you know? I'm just giving money. So you know, pales into insignificance, doesn't it?
I have a habit of reading islamic sites - I want to understand how muslims think, because in some ways, they seem to think the same way we infidels do, yet in others it's like reading an alien language.
One of my favourite reads is MuslimVillage which has a membership that runs from infidels (atheists and People of the Book) to supporters of Hizb ut Tahrir.
Now, for me, food is food. So long as it's well cooked, tastes good and is (usually) healthy, I'm fine with it. Except for mushrooms, as they make me throw up.
I've not paid a whole lot of attention to the halal/haram debate in foodstuffs, the same with kosher food. If I want halal, I'll go find it.
My personal opinion is that halal meat is inhumanely killed, so I do actively boycott it. Other food, like alcohol, additives and the rest I don't bother too much with.
But when I see a post about Tim Tams, probably the best chocolate biscuit ever, I paid some attention.
In the MV thread, the telephone number for Arnotts was posted (1800 242492) with the suggestion of phoning them and asking.
So I called Arnotts and said I'd got their number from an islamic forum discussing whether Tim Tams are halal, and apparently they aren't. The lady I spoke with said that they weren't, and none of their products were. She also said that they get plenty of enquiries about how religiously appropriate they are.
Arnotts do not label any of their food as halal, kosher or any other way.
When I said I thought that was a good idea, she asked why.
I replied that I felt that since the segment of our society that demands halal certification is less than 2% of the population it would be seen as pandering to a noisy minority and be a costly execise.
I offered my congratulations to her and her company for that stance.
She seemed somewhat taken aback, and pleased. She asked for my name so that she could pass my comments on to management.
Seems like there aren't too many compliments around for companies that do not kowtow to minority labelling requirements.
Citizenship by descent or for persons adopted in accordance with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption
(1) The Minister may, by writing, revoke a person's Australian citizenship if:
(a) the person is an Australian citizen under Subdivision A or AA of Division 2 (including because of the operation of section 32); and
(b) either of the following apply:
(i) the person has been convicted of an offence against section 50 of this Act, or section 137.1 or 137.2 of the Criminal Code , in relation to the person's application to become an Australian citizen;
(ii) the person obtained the Minister's approval to become an Australian citizen as a result of third‑party fraud within the meaning of subsection (8); and
(c) the Minister is satisfied that it would be contrary to the public interest for the person to remain an Australian citizen.
Citizenship by conferral
(2) The Minister may, by writing, revoke a person's Australian citizenship if:
(a) the person is an Australian citizen under Subdivision B of Division 2 (including because of the operation of section 32); and
(b) any of the following apply:
(i) the person has been convicted of an offence against section 50 of this Act, or section 137.1 or 137.2 of the Criminal Code , in relation to the person's application to become an Australian citizen;
(ii) the person has, at any time after making the application to become an Australian citizen, been convicted of a serious offence within the meaning of subsection (5);
(iii) the person obtained the Minister's approval to become an Australian citizen as a result of migration‑related fraud within the meaning of subsection (6);
(iv) the person obtained the Minister's approval to become an Australian citizen as a result of third‑party fraud within the meaning of subsection (8); and
(c) the Minister is satisfied that it would be contrary to the public interest for the person to remain an Australian citizen.
(3) However, the Minister must not decide under subsection (2) to revoke a person's Australian citizenship if:
(a) the person has, at any time after making the application to become an Australian citizen, been convicted of a serious offence within the meaning of subsection (5); and
(b) the Minister is satisfied that the person would, if the Minister were to revoke the person's Australian citizenship, become a person who is not a national or citizen of any country.
Time citizenship ceases
(4) If the Minister revokes a person's Australian citizenship, the person ceases to be an Australian citizen at the time of the revocation.
Note: A child of the person may also cease to be an Australian citizen: see section 36.
Serious offence
(5) For the purposes of this section, a person has been convicted of a serious offence if:
(a) the person has been convicted of an offence against an Australian law or a foreign law, for which the person has been sentenced to death or to a serious prison sentence; and
(b) the person committed the offence at any time before the person became an Australian citizen.
Migration‑related fraud
(6) For the purposes of this section, a person obtained the Minister's approval to become an Australian citizen as a result of migration‑related fraud if and only if:
(a) at any time, the person was convicted of an offence against:
(i) section 234, 236, 243 or 244 of the Migration Act 1958 ; or
(ii) section 134.1, 134.2, 135.1, 135.2, 135.4 or 136.1 of the Criminal Code ;
that the person committed at any time before the Minister gave the approval; and
(b) the act or omission that constituted the offence was connected with the person's entry into Australia or the grant to the person of a visa or of a permission to enter and remain in Australia.
(7) Subsection (6) does not apply to a person in respect of an offence if the Minister is satisfied that the act or omission that constituted that offence was not in any way (whether directly or indirectly) material to the person becoming a permanent resident.
Third‑party fraud
(8) For the purposes of this section, a person (the applicant ) obtained the Minister's approval to become an Australian citizen as a result of third‑party fraud if and only if:
(a) at any time, another person was convicted of an offence against section 50 of this Act, or section 134.1, 135.2, 135.4, 136.1, 137.1, 137.2, 139.1, 141.1, 142.1, 142.2, 144.1, 145.1, 145.2, 145.4, 145.5 or 149.1 of the Criminal Code , that the other person committed at any time before the Minister gave the approval; and
(b) the act or omission that constituted the offence was connected with the Minister approving the applicant becoming an Australian citizen.
Charge proved but no conviction
(9) A reference in this section to a conviction of an offence:
(a) in relation to a law of the Commonwealth--includes a reference to the making of an order under section 19B of the Crimes Act 1914 in relation to the offence; and
(b) in relation to a law of a State or Territory or a foreign country--includes a reference to the making of an order under the corresponding provision of a law of the State or Territory or foreign country in relation to the offence.
Considering that prior to this Act there were no such provisions, it is most definitely a fine week indeed!
So how islamophobic are we? Here are readers' comments to the article I first linked to.
A couple to whet your appetite for more:
Ms Ridley was held hostage by the taliban then converted to Islam in 2003 and now she is an expert on Islam and on who are the islamicphobics, she lives in the UK where she has all the freedom afforded to her by her country, Did she think the Taliban were sympathertc towards non Muslims? You notice none of these radical converts ever decide to live in a Muslim Country, they would see the light then and what rights women have
Here we go again. Is it any wonder that there is a phobic feeling towards Muslims in this country when we have people like this saying that terrorist are martyrs. The sad thing is that all Muslims become tared with the one brush and the hate for each others beliefs continues. It is unfortunate that this woman has been allowed to enter Australia to sprout her garbage.
Once again blah blah blah, lets see us aussies go to say an Arab country and set up one of our religous bases there, yer right as if. There would be no way we would be allowed to , if we went to another country we would have to abide by there way of life and if we did not then they would probably cut of one of our hands or possibly have our throat slit. Look if they want to migrate to our country to help us well great but lets be fairdinkum, this is Australia lets keep it that way if you want to move here well then you must convert to our way of life or **** off.
We welcom Muslims into this country, to th extent there are 300 000 here. All I hear from them is how we are racist and how we hate them.
I dont think that Aussies hate Muslims the most. I just think that Aussies are just more vocal about their concerns. Problems arise when concerns are not taken seriously or dealt with properly by our Government as that makes people irritated and angry. Australians are concerned about the amount of bending over backwards that our Government appears to do for some minority groups, even if it impacts negatively on Australians or is not supported by the majority of Australians. If the Government won't accept or address people's concerns, then the people are given no other choice than to resort to venting their frustration and anger.
I've not had a chance to read all of the comments, but that last copied above is my favourite.
There are plenty more, with a few bleatings in between.
No, we're not actually islamophobic here in Oz. What we are is angry, and getting angrier.
Our government does not seem to be listening to the wishes of the majority. Perhaps we've been silent for too long.
Now, of course, we're starting to speak up.
Once upon a time, we were all pretty much just aussies. I'm a skip - also known these days as an anglo-aussie. I have friends who are egyptian-aussie, and japanese-aussie, and slovenian-aussie. This is ridiculous, and the prefix has only come about in the last couple of years, with its usage ramping up since the Cronulla "riot".
Australians have a long tradition of being ratbags and larrikins. We are reknowned for thumbing our noses at authority - one of our Prime Ministers put his arm around the Queen of England! Okay, it was just a minor thing, but it nearly caused a diplomatic incident.
Basically, though, when it comes to religion, Authority, politics, what to wear, as a species, aussies really couldn't give a stuff.
Well, it used to be that way.
Over the last couple of decades, particularly the last few years (post-9/11), we are more concerned about religion, politics, Authority and what to wear.
Why?
There are a number of reasons, but the most visible one would have to be islam. There are the religious edicts on how often to pray, what to eat, how to dress, how islam itself should be addressed and especially how tolerant everyone should be of it.
Well, they were until people started getting a bit browned off with that attitude. Since then, it's all been context,context, context.
And since aussies of whatever stripe have very little tolerance for whingers, sooks and those who would have us live according to their direction, I think we'll find there will be a few more prominent apologists for islamic imperialism calling us islamphobic before too long.
Heh. My care factor?
GAF.
And because one thing we do well here is take the piss, enjoy the following vid.
I've been thinking about posting on this for quite a while now. Like months.
Today I was following links through a few blogrolls, and came upon this post from Miguel.
I've never met him, never seen his blog before, but it is a beautiful post and it gives us plenty to think about when we think of our Faith.
Miguel misses his Faith, and I believe a lot of people do today, particularly in a supposedly Post-Christian world.
There are so many hurdles we face as followers of Christ. So many insults and offences that we let slide off our backs like so much water.
And when we do that, it is like capitulating to the class bully, and the taunts grow harsher.
Here in Victoria, we have the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act of 2001, which does nothing to foster tolerance. I can't recommend highly enough that people read this draconian piece of legislation. It has been used in particular as a club with which to beat Christians.
The Two Danny's" case is the highest profile case to spring to mind, but there have been other cases - such as the one where a convicted felon takes the Salvation Army's Alpha course and decides that it discriminates against him as a witch and a wiccan.
There are more cases out there, but those would be the two most well-known.
With cases like these, where it seems that Christianity itself is on trial, it is no wonder that people find their Faith sometimes falters.
How can such a loving God allow society to crumble to the extent it has?
In my mind, it is because He has given us Free Will. We have the choice to follow Him or not.
If we follow the example sent down as the Son, then God will look after us.
If we go against Him like recalcitrant children, then we will be treated as children.
So men have turned their faces from God, and instead towards a Godless existence, where what is important is instant gratification with negligible accountability.
This has lead to situations such as those Miguel spoke of, where even priests do not seem to follow God and His example any more.
I'm not a very good follower - far from it. I try to stay on the path, but I've fallen off it plenty of times, and will no doubt do so again, but I'm getting better at it.
I've also found my Faith is getting stronger, and I have never had occasion to regret coming to God.
The picture I've attached to this post is the Sacred Heart of our Lord. I have had it for nearly 20 years, and it is around 80 years old. I've had it laminated as it was getting a bit too fragile for my moving house every couple of years, and the blutack also was a bit harsh on the paper.
It is always on the wall in a visible position. In the House in the Heart of Bogan Central, it is on the wall opposite the front entryway, so when I walk in the front door, it's one of the first things I see.
I like knowing Jesus is with me.
I lived for years without God; my parents were non-religious. Dad agnostic and Mum atheist, but they still had us kids baptised. I gave up trying to work that one out, and just see it as one of those things.
Then one day, I got the Call.
Actually, it was a bit lot more involved than that.
I was in a particularly dark space in my life, and one day, for some reason, I was drawn to this image of Jesus. I'd seen it in the front room of my then-partner's house every time I was there, and I saw nothing special about it. Okay, he's got a picture of Jesus in the front room, that's his thing, no big deal.
For whatever reason, one evening, I walked past the front room, and found myself walking back the way I came.
I walked into the room, turned on the light, and was drawn to the Heart.
All the cliches you can ever imagine are inadequate to describe the sensation I felt.
The proverbial "bolt of lightning" is one that springs to mind.
Exhiliration, exultation, ecstasy, rapture, all spring to mind also.
I guess the way I describe it to myself is that God wrapped His hand around my heart and everything suddenly turned the right side up.
This is difficult to talk about, as it's something I consider intensely personal, and times new roman can never convey how much it affected me.
Enough that I dropped to my knees in this room.
Enough that I cried for a long time afterwards - nearly an hour.
Enough that my life changed forever, and in ways I never anticipated.
I cannot comprehend how people can choose to live without God.
I think that's because I have been touched, and the more troubled the times we are living in - think the Middle East and Iran, the sexualisation of children by the media, the continuing onslaught on Western Civilisation from within and without - the stronger my Faith grows.
I have no idea why God chose to touch me, but I give thanks every day for Him.
Please leave your Political Correctness at the door. Freedom of speech and thought are mandatory.
Good grammar will be rewarded (although posting and drinking may impact upon this at times).
