Entries from September 2006 ↓

Tariq Nelson links to Steven Sailer’s well-known Muslim “buyout plan” and invites some comment. For those that don’t know, here’s the shorter version of the plan: Sailer argues that, given the situation in Europe, it makes more sense for European nations to offer their expanding and increasingly disenfranchised Muslim minority money to repatriate themselves. In other words, paying them to leave; trading their citizenship for cash in the process.

The plan is predicated on the belief — or fact — that there are, in some countries, Muslim minorities that won’t integrate, are largely unwanted by the native population, and face a fairly bleak economic and social future.

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In response to opposition leader Kim Beazley’s attempt to force migrants and visitors to agree to some statement of values as a visa condition, the Chaser’s Dominic Knight has put together a draft set of core Australian values:

1. Respect other cultures if completely assimilated into Australia’s own.
2. Respect for other religions as long as they’re not fundamentalist (except Christianity).
3. Respect for Australian institutions such as Don Bradman, Phar Lap, Steve Irwin and Peter Brock.
4. Respect Australia’s democracy — unless I have a Senate majority.
5. Respect the equal treatment of women, except when depicted in Ralph, FHM and ZOO. I note note that “equal” does not extend to pay, hiring policies, seats in parliament or adequate childcare facilities.
6. Respect hard work, especially when directed towards avoiding tax.
7. Respect Australia’s Laws, and also its Jones and Mitchell.
8. Respect Australia’s armed forces no matter where America may deploy them.
9. Respect Australia’s parliaments, except the “fun-sized” NT and ACT parliaments which no-one respects.
10. Above all respect Australians’ most important value – the value of their mortgage repayments.

(I’ve added links to the above list for the benefit of our overseas readers)

Source: Crikey

Roger Howard has an interesting piece over at the Social Affairs Unit. He writes of meeting the leaders of al-Muhajiroun in June 2001 and his conclusion that far from being interested in martyrdom, Omar Bakri and his crew were more interested in celebrity.

Far from telling me stories of suffering or of the Prophet Mohammed, the young adherents of Al Muhajiroun instead reached for what looked like an enormous book. Now they were suddenly smiling, their faces glowing with pride as they pointed to it and gestured me to take a look.

This was not a large copy of the Koran but a scrapbook that contained numerous press cuttings about their organisation. These supposedly devout Muslims slowly turned each page for me to see, wanting to share their glory and watching my reaction closely to make sure that I was properly impressed by what I now saw. The larger the article and the more damning the headline, the more proudly it was shown to me by these young men whose whole presence, demeanour and bearing had changed so visibly during these few minutes. Bakri was also watching and visibly crowed with delight, laughing out loud as the articles were displayed. “They hate me, the press!” he cried out, as his followers laughed with him.

Taken to its absurd conclusion, this is where some interfaithists can end up: espousing a perverted form of spiritual relativism where the worship of Hindu idols can be reconciled with the protestant creed of the Church of England.

Rev. David Hart is the international secretary of the world’s oldest interfaith organisation, the World Congress of Faiths and the author of a book on Hinduism. He is also an Anglican priest that recently converted to Hinduish yet continues to work as a minister of the Church of England.

A PRIEST with the Church of England who converted to Hinduism has been allowed to continue to officiate as a cleric.

The Rev David Hart’s diocese renewed his licence this summer even though he had moved to India, changed his name to Ananda and daily blesses a congregation of Hindus with fire previously offered up to Nagar, the snake god. He also “recites Gayatri Mantram with the same devotion with which he celebrates the Eucharist”, according to The Hindu, India’s national newspaper.

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Sheikh Haitham al-Haddad, of the United Kingdom, has been very active in analysing and critiquing some of the various models for Islamic finance that have appeared in the West.  I recently came across a fatwa from the Sheikh on particular scheme:

In this short fatwa, I would like to identify a scheme that I am confident provides a good model for true Islamic Finance. This scheme is provided by Ansar Housing Ltd. in Manchester (www.ansarfinance.com) and it is, so far, the best scheme that I have encountered. Given that Islamic guidelines concerning finance are fulfilled as far as is possible under present UK regulations, we can say confidently that it is an ideal scheme for Islamic home financing. The scheme adopts a unique system of joint ownership that fulfils the aims and objectives of Islamic finance. I urge both Muslims and non-Muslims to study it objectively and thoroughly in order to realise how true Islamic finance deals fairly with all parties to a transaction, both the weaker and the stronger. It is also important to notice how such a scheme ensures that the customer does not bear financial burdens beyond his ability, which is a major factor encouraging the over-indebtedness of so many individuals today. Moreover, this scheme does not link together several contracts nor does it impose obligations upon the customer in such a way that the end result is indistinguishable from an interest-based loan secured on the customer’s home. In conclusion, I would like to encourage Muslims and non-Muslims who dream of building a fair society, free from oppression by debt and its detrimental consequences, to try their best to ensure that schemes such as this are successful.

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In response to the recent reports that some Muslim parents had withdrawn their children from music classes in school, a non-Muslim reader writes to ask what can conservative Muslims listen to if they don’t listen to musical instruments.

There is a class of song known as a nasheed. It generally has a religious or moral message and is sung a capella; meaning it is sung without any form of musical accompaniement. Remarkably, the genre is incredibly popular in the Muslim world — particularly the more conservative gulf states — and occupies a similar place in the life of a conservative Muslim as music would occupy in the life of the average Westerner.  For example, sung at weddings and times of celebration. There are stores dedicated to the sale of nasheeds, and even video clips produced for the more popular songs.

A few examples will give one a good idea as to the typical style and substance of these songs.

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The distinction between natural law (moral law or the law of one’s own conscience) and the law of the state (what is also call ed Positive Law) has existed for as long as man has been organising states and polities. The ancient play Antigone, for example, illustrates the distinction nicely: written some 400 years BC, Sophocle’s play tells the story of Antigone whose two brothers have killed each other whilst fighting over the rulership of Thebes. The ruler, Creon, decrees that Antigone must not bury one of her brothers, Polynices, because he is a traitor. Forced to choose between the law of the state and moral law, Antigone obeys her conscience and so attends to her brother’s corpse. She is subsequently imprisoned by the state and faces death for her decision.

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The recent Israeli misadventure in Lebanon has exposed to the world the depth of feeling in the Muslim world against the state of Israel. That should surprise no one, but what should concern Muslims is how our faith seems to be hijacked by current political conflicts and perceived cultural contests. I have seen so-called “secular Muslims” retain the least admirable qualities amongst some Arabs (blind anti-Jewish hatred). In essence they have lost the most beautiful gift the Arab world has been given, but retained the ugliest.

Legitimate critiques of Zionism and of the wars of Israel have given way to polemics about Judaism, the Jews, their perfidy and their omnipotent power in the world. The last statement is one of pure kufr (unbelief in God) which, taken to its extreme, may even put one outside the fold of Islam. What Muslims appear to have forgotten is that the Jewish state was allowed victory over the Arabs by the permission of God alone. Long before it was created, Muslims had lost their religion, they were mere serfs in their own lands administered by the British and French, and they were sinking slowly into atheism. If we believe that victory comes from Allah , then so also must defeat.

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Miranda Devine had an excellent piece in yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald that is worth drawing attention to.  She comments on the recent calls by the PM for Muslims to ‘integrate’; arguing that it is difficult to expect Muslims to integrate with an increasingly sexualised culture that even many non-Muslims wish they could avoid.

…is it any wonder some Muslim families might want to segregate their daughters from the raunch culture that has engulfed the 21st-century West, in which a girl’s worth is measured by her “hotness”, 10-year-olds learn the art of “turkey slapping” from Big Brother, and schoolgirls have breast augmentation so they can look like Pamela Anderson.

Why would you want to integrate your eight-year-old daughter into a culture that seems to take its decadent cue from Paris Hilton, when your religion offers an apparent safe haven?

Better to dress little Fatima in a burqa and keep her away from the “infidel” girls at school in an attempt to preserve her innocence as long as you can. Better yet, send her to an Islamic school so she won’t be polluted by association.

Devine makes some very good points that I think will resonate with many Muslims.  It’s worth reading.

Stephen Soldz: Protecting the Torturers
Bad Faith and Distortions From the American Psychological Association
Time to Curb Rise in Deadly Paramilitary Police Raids
The last 25 years have seen a 1,300% increase in the number of paramilitary raids on American homes.
television
Gregg Easterbrook offers a novel theory for the presumed increase in autism: television.
CNN.com - Ahmadinejad calls for university purge - Sep 5, 2006
Iran’s hard-line president urged students Tuesday to push for a purge of liberal and secular university teachers, another sign of his determination to strengthen Islamic fundamentalism in the country.
Power Of Nightmares - Google Video

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