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| Down Under |
| Learn English, PM tells Muslims |
| 2006-08-31 |
| JOHN Howard has singled out Muslim migrants for refusing to embrace Australian values and urged them to fully integrate by treating women as equals and learning to speak English. The call for a shift in attitude among some Muslims infuriated community leaders last night, and comes as The Australian can reveal the Prime Minister's own Islamic advisers have already accused Mr Howard and senior ministers of fuelling hatred and mistrust by using "inflammatory and derogatory" language. Mr Howard said: "There is a section, a small section of the Islamic population, and I say a small section, which is very resistant to integration." "Fully integrating means accepting Australian values, it means learning as rapidly as you can the English language if you don't already speak it," the Prime Minister said during a radio talkback discussion. "And it means understanding that in certain areas, such as the equality of men and women ... people who come from societies where women are treated in an inferior fashion have got to learn very quickly that that is not the case in Australia." The comments prompted a fierce reaction from young female Islamic leader Iktimal Hage-Ali, a member of the Prime Minister's advisory group. She accused Mr Howard of threatening to further marginalise Muslims. "There's no value in pointing out the minority of the Muslim group," she said. "There's a whole lot of other ethnic communities whose parents, whose grandparents don't speak the English language, and it's never a problem in the mainstream Australian community for them to go on living their everyday life without speaking language. "Yet as soon as it's a person of a Arab descent or a Muslim person ... politicians feel like they need to bring it to mainstream attention as the only group, like marginalising us even more then we already feel marginalised today." As Mr Howard's Muslim reference group prepares to hand over its long-awaited report on how to tackle extremism and other problems in the community, The Australian can also reveal that the Islamic leaders the Prime Minister asked to advise him were actually gagged when they raised concerns about Government remarks demeaning the community. According to a draft of the final report of the Prime Minister's Muslim Reference Group - which will be handed to frontbencher Andrew Robb later this month - among the key problems identified by the community are isolation and radicalisation of converts and the treatment of women and young people. But in the report, produced as part of the Government's $35 million Muslim strategy, the group criticises "government leaders" for public comments fanning conflict and says the issue has grown worse in the context of the Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon. While the yet-to-be-released report does not identify the Government figures, The Australian has obtained a letter the reference group wanted to release in March attacking a speech by Peter Costello, in which he said many Australian Muslims had divided loyalties. But the group, led by academic Ameer Ali and made up of clerics and community leaders, was stopped by the Government from publishing the letter. The Australian understands the letter, which also refers to remarks made by Mr Howard, Philip Ruddock and backbenchers Bronwyn Bishop and Danna Vale, was sent to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs for release, but never went past Mr Robb's office. The advisory group was furious about the Costello remarks and the furore that focused on Muslims when Ms Bishop called for traditional Muslim dress to be banned in schools and Ms Vale said Australia was in danger of aborting itself "almost out of existence" and becoming a Muslim nation. They were also upset that Mr Howard singled out Muslims when he told The Australian in February: "You can't find any equivalent in Italian, or Greek, or Lebanese (Christian), or Chinese or Baltic immigration to Australia. There is no equivalent of raving on about jihad, but that is the major problem." The gagged letter says Mr Howard and the other MPs were "just a few" politicians who have made remarks against "Islam and Muslims". "All we ask is that when Mr Costello, or any parliamentarian, wishes to have the debate about the citizenship of Australia or the 'mushy, misguided multiculturalism' they do so with the engagement of all Australians, rather than alienating any one community group," it says. Yasmin Khan, a member of the reference body's seven sub-groups, said last night she wrote the letter on behalf of the group and sent it to a Department of Immigration employee who said she would have to send it to Mr Robb's office. "She said ... 'We've got to release it through his (Mr Robb's) office' ... so we left it at that and I waited and waited and waited." A spokesman for Mr Robb last night told The Australian that the Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs, who is responsible for the reference board, had not received the letter. DIMA spokesman Sandi Logan said the department had received the letter and sent it back to members of the reference group. Despite the dispute, the Federal Government-- which through DIMA has worked closely with the reference group on the final report - has already agreed to a raft of proposals. Under the $35 million strategy, the Government has agreed to a series of programs ranging from a university for imams to issuing police with a detailed booklet explaining Islam. In a section titled "Addressing isolation and marginalisation", the group says society must be more inclusive to keep young Muslims away from radicalism. "A more inclusive Australian society is a key issue in making rigid thinking and possible involvement in terrorism less attractive to those at risk," the 26-page report says. Among other proposals from the group, set up in the wake of the London Tube bombings last year, research will be conducted by University of Western Australia and the West Australian Government into why young Muslims turn to militant Islam through extreme literature. "The project aims to develop an understanding of the pathways whereby second and third-generation Muslim youth in Western liberal democracies move to a position of militant Islamic identity," the report says. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #8 #3, #5, and #6 I hope the western countries follow your advices. Every one knows “if you are in Rome, do as Romans do”. Any one not following this natural law, whether human or animal is just a trouble maker. If you love the trouble makers, keep them. Otherwise throw the bastards in the ocean and let them swim to the stupidity they originally came from. Can’t be any simpler than that |
| Posted by: Annon 2006-08-31 20:25 |
| #7 Hear them down in Soho Square dropping abus everywhere. I'd rather hear Cooper running flat. Mooooselims..... oh what a sound! It's 'oom and 'omb that set's her apart, Not the ragged burka or crooked teeth. |
| Posted by: Henry Higgins 2006-08-31 17:45 |
| #6 Swap them for English-capable non muslims from neighbouring Indonesia who are long suffering there. |
| Posted by: Duh! 2006-08-31 15:46 |
| #5 As long as they are Islamic, they will never integrate. Make 'em eat pork or send their stupid asses back to the hellholes they came from. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2006-08-31 14:19 |
| #4 "The project aims to develop an understanding of the pathways whereby second and third-generation Muslim youth in Western liberal democracies move to a position of militant Islamic identity," the report says. They could save a lot of time money by just realizing that these people come from places with militant Islamic identities. |
| Posted by: DoDo 2006-08-31 14:12 |
| #3 If they don't want to be Australian, there are planes leaving every day for the wonderful places whence they came. |
| Posted by: RWV 2006-08-31 14:05 |
| #2 Mr Howard said: "There is a section, a small section of the Islamic population, and I say a small section, which is very resistant to integration." It's such small section it doesn't amount to more than 95-99%! |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2006-08-31 13:11 |
| #1 Can't be done, John. Love ya for tryin' though. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-08-31 12:35 |