Australia joins in Mozzy bashing

Australia ever keen not to get left behind in the war of the raving right, is promoting a fresh bout of Islamaphobia. A story that is over a month old has suddenly been promoted to front page news. Allegedly a top cleric condoned the rape of women who were uncovered by comparing them to uncovered meat. Note the timing -why after a month after the alleged remarks were made, has this story been catapaulted into the headlines? The cleric in question has said that his remarks were taken out of context and that he was talking about adultery rather than rape. He offered an apology to all who were offended. However, the newspapers and blogs have lept onto this story and it has taken on a life of its own. I have great difficulty envisaging any Imam lecturing people on how rape is acceptable, particularly in a Mosque during the month of Ramadan. The usual format is attacking the sin of adultery and I cannot see how this particular sermon would have been that much different. John 'little shit' Howard has joined in to bash the errant beard-wallah for this crime against women. Public opinion polls were immediately commissioned that suggested that the Sheik should be deported for his comments. So there you have it. Take a month old 'story', twist and link it to another topic say the recent riots between arab and white youths, stir in some lies and smear it all over the mass media. Before you know it, you have yet another drumbeat 'Muslims are shocking terrorist women bashers who want to convert us all' episode of the now depressingly familiar variety.

WorldNetDaily (a rather sickening anti-muslim crusader website) said:

Sheik Taj el-Dene Elhilaly's comments in a Ramadan sermon in a Sydney mosque have stirred a furor in the country (shouldn't that be Fuhrer?) with even Prime Minister John Howard weighing in with condemnation................The victims of the vicious gang rapes are leading the national outcry – with some calling for deportation of the sheik. In a Sydney Daily Telegraph online poll, 84 percent of people said the Egyptian-born sheik should be deported.

AP also linked the remarks to rape and reported that :

Al-Hilali is an Egyptian-born Sunni who has been a staunch critic of Australia's alliance with the United States in the Iraq war. He triggered a controversy in 2004 for saying in a sermon in Lebanon that the Sept. 11 attacks were "God's work against the oppressors." Al-Hilali said later he did not support the attacks, or terrorism. Last year, al-Hilali traveled to Iraq to help negotiate the release of an Australian engineer from kidnappers, winning thanks from the hostage's family.....The controversy comes amid tense relations between Australia's estimated 300,000 Muslims and the rest of the mostly Christian-heritage population of about 20 million. Last December, the nation was gripped by riots that often pitted gangs of white youths against youths of Middle Eastern decent[descent].

Not much difference there, in the coverage between AP who claim to be objective reporters of a story and an extremist hatred website bent on slandering muslims and the religion of Islam. I would suggest that it is Al-Hilali's reluctance to shut up as a critic of the occupation of Iraq that has brought this fake concocted scandal upon his head. It serves as a warning to those who speak up against the tyranny of the imperialist west.