THE POLITICS OF MUSLIM AND ARAB BASHING
SYDNEY WRITERS FESTIVAL “PIN-UP GIRL” SHOULD BE READ IN CONTEXT
Ayaan Hirshi Ali, an international guest of the Sydney Writers Festival in 2007 is feted as a persecuted victim of Islam by some Western feminists, intellectuals and the media of Australia. As a progressive Muslim in Australia, I urge attendees at the SWF to take a closer look. It is my belief that Ali has become a pawn of the Right Wing establishment, which promotes racism, pro-American military aggression and pro-Israeli Zionism.
The Labor Party of Holland challenged Ali for making a political career based on lies, prejudice and bigotry – the very things she claimed to be fighting. After September 11, 2001 Dutch politics moved to the right. Sixty percent of the Dutch electorate voted for the far right politician Pim Fortyn in the wake of 9/11. Fortyn was assassinated by an animal rights activist and NOT by a supporter of Islam. Yet, the media focused on Islamic fundamentalism in their coverage of the crime. Dutch government Minister Rita Verdonk took up the anti-Muslim crusade and deported many asylum seekers in Holland back to their country of origin and handed over the reports compiled on why they sought asylum. This exposed asylum seekers to further dangers. A number of them have since been killed. Verdonk denied handing over these reports until she was exposed by some journalists. Verdonk now wants to return Iranian homosexuals to Iran from Holland with full knowledge they may be killed. Ayaan Hirshi Ali is politically aligned with these reactionary forces.
Many Dutch people are happy that Ayaan was kicked out from the Dutch Parliament and since she has left for the United States they do not want her back in their country. They also want to revoke her citizenship. However since arriving in the USA Ayaan has been adopted by the pro-Israeli lobby and the neo-Cons as a valuable weapon in their anti-Muslim crusade. Just like former anti-Vietnam War activists and writers who deserted the progressive Left are now widely promoted in the establishment media to defend the Bush line on Iraq, former Muslims like Ayaan Hirshi Ali, Ershad Manji and others are now promoted to discredit Islam generally, but worse to promote and stir the fans of Western prejudice and ignorance.
Below are a few quotes regarding Ali.
In answer to an email I sent exposing her real agenda, a reply from the Sydney Writers Festival organizing committee noted, “… Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s views are controversial and that the right wing media regularly cite her views to promote their agenda. We have discussed this in depth with her publisher …”
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Islamic law lecturer Jamila Hussain said Hirsi Ali's ideas were extreme and stigmatised Muslims. "I think she'd be better staying where she came from," Ms Hussain said. "I've read enough of her thoughts. It's a narrow and radical opinion, and I don't agree with it. She's obviously had some dreadful experiences, but they're not typical."
Nada Roude, a young female spokesperson from the NSW Islamic Council, said Hirsi Ali's comments on the prophet Mohammed were a "no-go zone". By this she meant her criticisms (on the subject of paediphilia) were without foundation, according to non-Arab, non-Muslim scholars of religious history. (The Australian May 29, 2007)
Islamic education consultant Silma Ihram said the writer's perception of the religion was inaccurate. “(She) has an axe to grind due to her background suffering from unfortunate Somali tribal practices,” Ms Ihram said.
“Combine that with a desire for wealth as a Somali European migrant and it's natural for her to achieve both by publicly slandering Islam and obtaining immediate media attention.” Comment of the Islamic friendship Association spokesman Keysar Trad (Daily Telegraph May 29, 2007)
Ayaan’s anti-Muslim diatribe should be read in the context of the Iraq War, Howard’s “War on Terror”, the Cronulla riots, talkback radio and the coming APEC talks. There is a deliberate attempt to stereotype Muslim and Arab Australians. Even those who oppose the ‘divide and rule’ tactics of the State let their guard down when an articulate Third World women is speaking about the “backward” and so-called “anti-Modern nature of Islam. They will not scrutinize Ayaan’s political agenda in the same way they might Piers Ackerman or Gerard Henderson – even if she is essentially saying the same thing.
Sure there are “rat bags” and “fundamentalists” within the global Islamic religion and culture. But for thousands of years the Islamic culture co-existed with Jewish people and their culture. It is only now with the rise of political Zionism and the State of Israel, defended by the American Right and US Fundamentalists, that fakes such as Ayaan and others are given prominence with their “Islam is Seventh Century and anti-Modern” line.
Have a look at some of the “extremist” positions from the pro-Zionist camp below and then ask yourself is Ayaan and her supporters correct in ‘casting the first stone’ only against Islam:
“[in the event of sex between a Jewish man and a Gentile woman] the main punishment is inflicted on the Gentile woman; she must be executed, even if she was raped by the Jew." (Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years by Israel Shahak, page 87)
"We Jews are going to bring war on Germany." (David Brown, President of American Hebrew, in 1934, quoted in Edmonson's I Testify, page 188).
"The Second World War is being fought for the defense of the fundamentals of Judaism." (The Chicago Jewish Sentinel, October 8, 1942).
“The seed [children] of Christians valued same as the seed of a beast”. (Kethuboth [3b]).
”It is permitted to take the body and the life of a Gentile." (Sepher Ikkarim III c25)
"We Jews have spoiled the blood of all the races of Europe. Taken as a whole, everything is Jewdified. Our ideas animate everything. Our spirit reigns over the world. We are the Lords" (Dr. Kurt Munzer, The Way to Zion).
”We Jews, we, the destroyers, will remain the destroyers for ever. Nothing that you will do will meet our needs and demands." (Maurice Samuel, You Gentiles, pages 152, 155, and 147).
Faruque Ahmed, Email: union_faruque@yahoo.com.au Mobile: 041 091 4118
SYDNEY WRITERS FESTIVAL “PIN-UP GIRL” SHOULD BE READ IN CONTEXT
Ayaan Hirshi Ali, an international guest of the Sydney Writers Festival in 2007 is feted as a persecuted victim of Islam by some Western feminists, intellectuals and the media of Australia. As a progressive Muslim in Australia, I urge attendees at the SWF to take a closer look. It is my belief that Ali has become a pawn of the Right Wing establishment, which promotes racism, pro-American military aggression and pro-Israeli Zionism.
The Labor Party of Holland challenged Ali for making a political career based on lies, prejudice and bigotry – the very things she claimed to be fighting. After September 11, 2001 Dutch politics moved to the right. Sixty percent of the Dutch electorate voted for the far right politician Pim Fortyn in the wake of 9/11. Fortyn was assassinated by an animal rights activist and NOT by a supporter of Islam. Yet, the media focused on Islamic fundamentalism in their coverage of the crime. Dutch government Minister Rita Verdonk took up the anti-Muslim crusade and deported many asylum seekers in Holland back to their country of origin and handed over the reports compiled on why they sought asylum. This exposed asylum seekers to further dangers. A number of them have since been killed. Verdonk denied handing over these reports until she was exposed by some journalists. Verdonk now wants to return Iranian homosexuals to Iran from Holland with full knowledge they may be killed. Ayaan Hirshi Ali is politically aligned with these reactionary forces.
Many Dutch people are happy that Ayaan was kicked out from the Dutch Parliament and since she has left for the United States they do not want her back in their country. They also want to revoke her citizenship. However since arriving in the USA Ayaan has been adopted by the pro-Israeli lobby and the neo-Cons as a valuable weapon in their anti-Muslim crusade. Just like former anti-Vietnam War activists and writers who deserted the progressive Left are now widely promoted in the establishment media to defend the Bush line on Iraq, former Muslims like Ayaan Hirshi Ali, Ershad Manji and others are now promoted to discredit Islam generally, but worse to promote and stir the fans of Western prejudice and ignorance.
Below are a few quotes regarding Ali.
In answer to an email I sent exposing her real agenda, a reply from the Sydney Writers Festival organizing committee noted, “… Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s views are controversial and that the right wing media regularly cite her views to promote their agenda. We have discussed this in depth with her publisher …”
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Islamic law lecturer Jamila Hussain said Hirsi Ali's ideas were extreme and stigmatised Muslims. "I think she'd be better staying where she came from," Ms Hussain said. "I've read enough of her thoughts. It's a narrow and radical opinion, and I don't agree with it. She's obviously had some dreadful experiences, but they're not typical."
Nada Roude, a young female spokesperson from the NSW Islamic Council, said Hirsi Ali's comments on the prophet Mohammed were a "no-go zone". By this she meant her criticisms (on the subject of paediphilia) were without foundation, according to non-Arab, non-Muslim scholars of religious history. (The Australian May 29, 2007)
Islamic education consultant Silma Ihram said the writer's perception of the religion was inaccurate. “(She) has an axe to grind due to her background suffering from unfortunate Somali tribal practices,” Ms Ihram said.
“Combine that with a desire for wealth as a Somali European migrant and it's natural for her to achieve both by publicly slandering Islam and obtaining immediate media attention.” Comment of the Islamic friendship Association spokesman Keysar Trad (Daily Telegraph May 29, 2007)
Ayaan’s anti-Muslim diatribe should be read in the context of the Iraq War, Howard’s “War on Terror”, the Cronulla riots, talkback radio and the coming APEC talks. There is a deliberate attempt to stereotype Muslim and Arab Australians. Even those who oppose the ‘divide and rule’ tactics of the State let their guard down when an articulate Third World women is speaking about the “backward” and so-called “anti-Modern nature of Islam. They will not scrutinize Ayaan’s political agenda in the same way they might Piers Ackerman or Gerard Henderson – even if she is essentially saying the same thing.
Sure there are “rat bags” and “fundamentalists” within the global Islamic religion and culture. But for thousands of years the Islamic culture co-existed with Jewish people and their culture. It is only now with the rise of political Zionism and the State of Israel, defended by the American Right and US Fundamentalists, that fakes such as Ayaan and others are given prominence with their “Islam is Seventh Century and anti-Modern” line.
Have a look at some of the “extremist” positions from the pro-Zionist camp below and then ask yourself is Ayaan and her supporters correct in ‘casting the first stone’ only against Islam:
“[in the event of sex between a Jewish man and a Gentile woman] the main punishment is inflicted on the Gentile woman; she must be executed, even if she was raped by the Jew." (Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand Years by Israel Shahak, page 87)
"We Jews are going to bring war on Germany." (David Brown, President of American Hebrew, in 1934, quoted in Edmonson's I Testify, page 188).
"The Second World War is being fought for the defense of the fundamentals of Judaism." (The Chicago Jewish Sentinel, October 8, 1942).
“The seed [children] of Christians valued same as the seed of a beast”. (Kethuboth [3b]).
”It is permitted to take the body and the life of a Gentile." (Sepher Ikkarim III c25)
"We Jews have spoiled the blood of all the races of Europe. Taken as a whole, everything is Jewdified. Our ideas animate everything. Our spirit reigns over the world. We are the Lords" (Dr. Kurt Munzer, The Way to Zion).
”We Jews, we, the destroyers, will remain the destroyers for ever. Nothing that you will do will meet our needs and demands." (Maurice Samuel, You Gentiles, pages 152, 155, and 147).
Faruque Ahmed, Email: union_faruque@yahoo.com.au Mobile: 041 091 4118
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