Call for schools to teach a positive view of Islam while branding Australia racist
Imagine the howls of outrage from the secular non-believers if the Catholic Church argued that every school subject had to include a Catholic perspective and that understanding Christianity is a vital part of our state education system.
Imagine the outcry if the Church, along with a respected national curriculum body and a prestigious university, published curriculum material and held teacher workshops celebrating Christianity’s contribution to Australian society and Western civilisation.
Given that Australia’s schools, on the whole, are secular in nature and the argument that classrooms should not be used to teach a particular faith, it’s understandable why introducing religion into school subjects, for many, would be unacceptable.
Not so, when it comes to teaching Islam and introducing Muslim perspectives to the curriculum. Those responsible for the booklet Learning From One Another: Bringing Muslim Perspectives into Australian Schools, sponsored by the Australian Curriculum Studies Association and The University of Melbourne’s Centre for Excellence in Islamic Studies are happy to assert that teaching Islam should be embedded in every school subject.
Citing the Julia Gillard inspired national curriculum directive that subjects must be taught from an Asian perspective and the, supposedly, negative stereotypes presented in the media, the booklet argues that there is a “degree of prejudice and ignorance about Islam and Muslims” and Australian students must be taught to embrace difference and diversity.
The booklet’s authors also bemoan the fact that “most texts used in Australian English classes still have a Western or European perspective” and argue that providing “students with a Euro-centric version of history denies them the opportunity to evaluate different perspectives on past world events”.
Ignored is that some 64 per cent of Australians describe themselves as Christian, while those committed to Islam only make up 1.7 per cent of the population. Also ignored is that while Australia is a multicultural society, our political and legal institutions and much of our culture is Western in origin and steeped in the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage and moral framework.
While it is understandable that the booklet presents Islam in a positive way and seeks to downplay the significance of a Western, Eurocentric view of the world, the danger is that students are given a misleading and one-sided interpretation.
While secular sceptics criticise the fact that some Christian schools teach a Biblical version of creation, the Muslim booklet stresses a faith-based approach, when it states, “The Muslim philosophy of science is based on the idea that God is the creator of everything… Science in this case is driven and inspired by divine revelation, not simply questioning or investigating everything”.
While describing the early growth of Islam and its spread throughout the Mediterranean and parts of Europe, the booklet states, “many of peoples of the newly conquered regions converted to Islam. Those who did not were allowed to live peacefully and practice their faith as long as they abided by the law of the land”.
Ignored is what some see as the inherently violent nature of the Koran, where devout Muslims are called on to carry out Jihad and to convert non-believers, and the destructive nature of what is termed dhimmis – where non-believers are forced to renounce their religion, are discriminated against and forced to accept punitive taxation laws.
While celebrating the positive contribution of Islam to subjects like mathematics, geography and the Arts, the booklet also fails to mention the widespread prevalence of slavery under Muslim rule. Years before the slave trade to the Americas, Muslim rulers along the Mediterranean coast enslaved thousands of Christians, inflicting torture and death.
As noted by the author, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, there is also the fact that women within Muslim societies do not have the same rights and freedoms as those women living in Western liberal democracies. Examples include being stoned for adultery, female circumcision, being banned from going to school and forced to wear a head to toe hijab.
Multiculturalism is based on the mistaken belief that all cultures are of equal worth and that it is unfair to discriminate and argue that some practices are wrong. The Muslim booklet adopts a multicultural approach, arguing that Australians must accept diversity and difference and that Muslims and Christians accept the same values and beliefs.
In relation to God, the booklet argues, “ Muslims believe that they worship the same God that was worshipped by Abraham, Moses and Jesus. The God of the Muslims is the God of all, including Jews and Christians”.
While it is true that the three religions worship the same God, there are significant differences. Muslims, for example, do not see Jesus as divine nor accept the concept of the Holy Trinity.
As noted by Sydney’s Cardinal George Pell, “It is difficult to recognise the God of the New Testament in the God of the Koran, and two very different concepts of the human person have emerged from the Christian and Muslim understandings of God”.
The statement in the book that, “Students will come to appreciate that there are many valid worldviews and perspectives” ignores the reality that some worldviews are preferable to others and some religious and cultural practices are un-Australian.
Dr Kevin Donnelly
Promoting diversity and difference and arguing that all cultures and beliefs are equally valid ignores the fact that ours is a predominately Western culture, committed to liberal democratic institutions and Christian values.
Dr Kevin Donnelly is director of Education Standards Institute. He taught for 18 years in Melbourne government and non-government schools and is the author of Australia’s Education Revolution: How Kevin Rudd Won and Lost the Education Wars and Dumbing Down : outcomes based and politically correct – the impact of the Culture Wars on our schools.
im a christian from lebanon. i was married here and my children were all born here in australia and this is our country. Im appauled at the australian government for just thinking about teaching islam at our schools. This is a christian country its heritage is christian so yyyyyy. The mulsims can teach it at their muslim schools fair enough but not in our schools.
No way!
who wants to learn about the muslims
nothing interesting about them
My family came out in the first fleet,he was in the Rum Corps and them lived in Watsons Bay and was the fisherman for the colony and boatbuilder.They might be blamed for taking over the land and killing the local population etc.All good in hindsight, at the time you would be shunned if you said it was wrong, I hope in hindsight we as a nation don’t regret not speaking our minds on Immigration etc.Our kids might regret it though.Proud of our way of life and don’t want to lose it.If people come out here to change us, they will have a fight from me.
please check out http://www.islamicsolutions.com/did-you-say-christian-islam-sorry-does-not-compute/
Are the followers of Mohammed telling us that their prophet is incapable of defending himself, and therefore they need to protect him by killing the infidels, even their own people? Which “god” do Islamites believe in? The true God teaches love, forgiveness, peace, joy and good will leading to eternal life in heaven. Why aren’t our students informed that terrorists breed from radical Islam? The laws of our country are based upon Biblical principles of freedom, justice, forgiveness, protecting life and peace. If others don’t like it, then they can either change of go elsewhere.
This is appalling, and indicative of the bizarre double standards inherent in modern Western society, especially those that unconditionally and disproportionately favor minority groups over the cultural majority.
The people who are constantly up in arms over any Christian influences or perspectives in schools are the very same who now demand that an Islamic perspective be taught, never mind Australia’s Christian heritage and Christian majority since its founding. It’s devoid of common sense.
It is painfully clear that the failed project of multiculturalism must be abandoned and that the dangerous experiment of Muslim immigration must be ended. But the champions of multiculturalism are somehow impervious to the atrocities committed under Islam throughout the world.
To AK,
this is my point-by-point refutation of your reply;
“That Guy: What has racism to do with being against the spread of Islam in the West?” Nothing.
“When did Islam become a race? Are there not Muslims in Eastern Europe? In Africa? In the Middle East? In South Asia? That’s a lot of different races, including whites! Islam is a political ideology, complete with its own law (Sharia) which is inseparable from the religion. ”
You’re confused. I never said Islam is a race, I said opponents of Islam are often racist. They often label all Muslims as immigrants and attribute Islam to a ‘foreign occupation’ which is completely absurd. So my point was that opponents are racist, not that Islam is a race, but that opponents try to make it seem that way. They build this view of ‘its us verse them’ when that is extremely ignorant as well detrimental to resolving the issue – and indeed is what terrorists want Muslims to think. It is us all, verse a distant group of extremists.
“Whereas Christianity has the separation of church and state built into it, ”
WOWOW! That has to be one of the most ignorant comments I have seen in along time. let me first start by saying secularism in the west was first established as a reaction to Christianity in government, as it held exactly the reverse trait. Secularism is not Christian – indeed they are a dichotomy of ideas. Christianity has been opposed to secularism for a long time and indeed to say there are many Christians that are anti-secularists – look at the “Christian nation”fools in America.
“… the opposite is the case with Islam. ”
NO WAY! History has shown that the reverse is the case – in fact look at Iraq – it was and still is a secular nation. Look at the Revolution in Algeria, where the Islamic Revolutionaries formed a secular governemnt that brought in new laws of tolerance and reforms for high grade freedom that would rival the west, before it was crushed by the military.
“You need to study this a bit more; your response reeks of ignorance and emotionalism.”
No, I’m sorry my friend but you’ve got no clue in this area. Go back and read what I have written, research and see for yourself.
“Racism and prejudice is inherent in Islam,”
Well, if you look at it that way prejudice and racism is inherent in all religions!
“and it is not Westerners who are “both paranoid racist and simply out for blood” ”
I never said that.
“– you have just described the incitements to violence in the Holy Quran!”
Yes and also those incitement sin the Holy Bible which call for the same actions of death, rape and genocide of enemies and non-believers.
“You call contributors to these pages idiots: I’m afraid it is people like you who are the “useful idiots” manipulated by Islamist: “The easiest way to beat Jihadism is with moderate (sic) Islamism” Really? Would you care to elaborate on that? ”
Yes I can explain it, but keeping in mind this is a very brought topic I’ll simply list a few points as to why-
1. Jihadism is international – its enemy is everyone who is not apart of its – its enemy is far and is all but its own members – including all other Muslims
2. islamism in national – its members are close and constrained. It seeks local reform through Islam, but only to achieve greater social cohesion in its own state, not across the world – very similar to revolutionary Europe, except with an Islamic basis rather than an enlightenment one. However these movements are often secular, whilst Jihadist are staunchly Islamic – but not traditionally Islamic.
3 Becuase of 1 and 2, you can see Islamism, and this is merely one reason why, can have a negative effect on Jihadism in that it deflates its ‘change the world’ mentality and draws it back down to earth in that sense.
“Can you, say, define “moderate Islamism” for us? No? I thought not.” Actually yes I can.
Moderate Islam is, well is like any other moderate religion. Moderate Catholicism is a kind that embraces democracy, secularism, tolerance and pluralism of religion, lifestyles and ideas, whilst extreme or ‘Traditional’ Catholicism, a sect of which Mel Gibson is not surprisingly an affiliate of, are more anti-pluralist, anti-secularist, and thus are not tolerant of other faiths or ideas and espouse a absolutist perspective of politics and religion. In the same way Islamic political and social groups function the same way. Just swap the word Catholicism in the paragraph above and you have your explanation.
“Al-Qaida’s membership may be 1000; I don’t know where you get that number from but it’s irrelevant.”
CIA – who got it from Turkish and other Middle Eastern sources presumably (the Turks are good intel guys).
“They have millions of sympathizers around the world.”
Actually no they don’t. That is a strait out lie, which cant be found on any credible site or form any legitimate source. Don’t go around spewing such nonsense if you cant back it up – that is a ridiculous assertion.
“But let’s assume for argument’s sake that you are correct: Can 1000 people reshape the world? Absolutely! Ideas are powerful and 1000 people who shout the loudest and recruit a bunch of dimwitted lefty Westerners to speak up for them are onto a winner.”
Can 1000 people reshape the world? As you have explained no they cant UNLESS they cant attract a larger following. As the last 20 years have seen a decline in their numbers, the only other thing that can instigate an increase would be prejudice and isolation form the rest of the world – hence why we must be careful we don’t actually assist such extremist groups in our attempt to stop them.
“There may well be a majority of “moderate” Muslims who would rather live in peace, but moderate majorities are worse than useless if they remain silent!”
Um…what are you getting at? Most moderate Muslim leaders, around the world, have voiced their absolute disgust and anger over the crimes of Jihadists groups like Al-Quada. You clearly don’t know what you are talking about and have an extremely shallow understanding of this field of discussion. I recommend you do a little research. I don’t blame you for having such views, I myself shared such sentiments until I went on a fact finding mission only to discover what most people know about Islam is way off track to what is really going on.
What is “multiculturalism” if not turning the other cheek?
Yes indeed you are correct. Multiculturalism is an extremely good willed system of integration which has seen many societies around the world improve and develop. But waging war on our enemies so readily as was done in the early stages of violent contact with modern Jihadism has only served to sever such developments and the successful links they have made between various cultural and religious communities around the world. Islamists laugh at us and our lack of civilization backbone.
“And you, if you so despise your own culture,”
I do not, I highly value it. Indeed I believe people don’t fully understand our culture well enough – our foundations of liberty and justice; people are turning their backs on such values to achieve goals that are not only unnecessary but counter to our culture and the values of Australia.
“, you seem to have such love for their way of life.”
Really? Well no, but then who is “they”. You see this was the ‘racial’ aspect I meant. You are talking of Muslims as they instead of ‘those few countries that are backward and are Muslim’. There are already Muslims in our nation who have been true blue Aussies since the mid 19th century!
“ If you survive, you can come back and tell us about your experiences!”
Actually I have been to Egypt and Israel, they are interesting places and they speak a lot of the truth I have discovered in my research and on my subsequent travels. I recommend you travel to that part of the world – its an experience which will teach you a great deal about how much you don’t know and how wrong you are.
You seem more open minded and far less willing to follow a blind mess of ignorance, so please continue this discussion, I am sure will learn a few things and I hope to dispel a few ideas you have that are quite wrong. Just remember facts are only facts if you can back them up, dont trust anyone for their simple word when it comes to figures and dates – check it yourself. In regards to people and terms simply go an Wikipedia for a while – trust me you have a lot to learn but as long as you are willing you can find the solution to our current problems.
TG,
Re the ‘out for blood’ comment, you did write that in a comment just below this one. I’m really disappointed that you are a liar or obfuscator or don’t read through what you post. I read your comments because I want to learn what I can and your comments, although I disagree strongly with them, seemed to come from a person of conviction and character. It seems I was wrong.
Jesus does not incite to violence in the Bible, the old Testament was aimed at uniquely preserving Israel in a bloodthirsty environment but God’s motivations are fulfilled by Jesus Words which radically introduced loving your enemies etc. The viewpoints of secular Australians are rooted in their Christian heritage. However, the Koran viewed chronologically has the earlier peaceful verses annulled (whenever considered convenient) by later exhortations to destroy unbelievers (or effectively enslave or convert them). Muhammad specifically pushed his disciples to this despite their understandable desire to stop and enjoy the fruits of their looting etc It is the underlying nature of Islam, intimidation, deception and confusion that makes ludicrous your assertion that nice people live in Muslim countries-try promoting multiculturalism in Saudi Arabia and see how far you get. You are a Dhimmi already.
““Multiculturalism is about taking the best parts of a culture and merging that with the best parts of another culture”
If you believe that, you’ll believe anything, and the rest of your post does not surprise me. You’ve just vindicated and confirmed Kevin Donnelly’s arguments – congratulations!
“What a numbskull!
Get a job a in hotel. If you think that people from multiple cultures get along then you’ve obviously never worked in one. In my workplace I regularly work with people who can speak between 2-4 languages (I speak 3 myself), from India, China, Chile, Argentina, The Phillipines, Thailand, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, and other countries in Asia and Africa. Then come back and construct a proper argument other than calling names.
The thing is this very site has shown that racism and prejudice are quite common, and that an education into the lack of harm present in the Quran and teachings of Mohammad should be explore din our schools.
Its easy for westerners, whoa re both paranoid racist and simply out for blood, to manipulate the religion in the same way Al-Quada does. The more we distance mainstream groups, the more we destine such groups to grow closer to outer organizations that are radical and absurd. The easiest way to beat Jihadism is with moderate Islamism.
We cannot engage in the cosmic war our enemy has initiated, because we cannot win a cosmic war- no one can. Al-Quada doesn’t see k victory. Its goals are fart to great to be remotely achievable – the whole thing that keeps their cause alive is that idiots, like those on this page, are so willing to entertain the idea that 1000 people can (Al-Quada’s membership is of 1000) reshape the world.
I find it baffling that people here call ours a Christian nation yet we are devoid of love for our fellow man, and the ability to turn the other cheek.
That Guy: What has racism to do with being against the spread of Islam in the West? When did Islam become a race? Are there not Muslims in Eastern Europe? In Africa? In the Middle East? In South Asia? That’s a lot of different races, including whites! Islam is a political ideology, complete with its own law (Sharia) which is inseparable from the religion. Whereas Christianity has the separation of church and state built into it, the opposite is the case with Islam. You need to study this a bit more; your response reeks of ignorance and emotionalism.
Racism and prejudice is inherent in Islam, and it is not Westerners who are “both paranoid racist and simply out for blood” – you have just described the incitements to violence in the Holy Quran!
You call contributors to these pages idiots: I’m afraid it is people like you who are the “useful idiots” manipulated by Islamist: “The easiest way to beat Jihadism is with moderate (sic) Islamism” Really? Would you care to elaborate on that? Can you, say, define “moderate Islamism” for us? No? I thought not.
Al-Qaida’s membership may be 1000; I don’t know where you get that number from but it’s irrelevant. They have millions of sympathizers around the world. But let’s assume for argument’s sake that you are correct: Can 1000 people reshape the world? Absolutely! Ideas are powerful and 1000 people who shout the loudest and recruit a bunch of dimwitted lefty Westerners to speak up for them are onto a winner. There may well be a majority of “moderate” Muslims who would rather live in peace, but moderate majorities are worse than useless if they remain silent!
What is “multiculturalism” if not turning the other cheek? Islamists laugh at us and our lack of civilizational backbone. And you, if you so despise your own culture, why don’t you go live in an Islamic country for awhile, you seem to have such love for their way of life. If you survive, you can come back and tell us about your experiences!
“….an education into the lack of harm present in the Quran and teachings of Mohammad….”
Bwahahahaha! Good one, mate, good one!
Andrew Bolt has long article on this matter, which generated a large readership support.
“Famous” bin Laden: teaching children our fear of terrorism is racist
http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/teaching_children_that_fear_of_terrorism_is_racist/
What Muslims will not admit, is that five times a day, every day, Muslims pray, in Arabic, the Al-Fatiha This type of anti-Semitic provocation has no place in our egalitarian Australian society. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iti-dplakf4
Hi Joseph, I saw Bolt’s blog on the issue. Just to set the record straight, I originally broke the story with the Sunday Herald Sun and then Bolt picked it up after the story was covered in the paper.
The biggest danger to Australia is the trojan horse within. Islamic intolerance of other religions believing all others are infidels. The joke of an argument that the crusaders were terrible murderes who invaded and murdered the poor Muslims is another misleading nonesense. The Muslims invaded first, murdered jews, blocked up the entrances to Jerusalum and built there Mosque over the site of the old Jewish temple, but no sympathy for th jews is there …hey? ISLAM is an evil religion. It was made to give the Arabs something to follow as they hated the Jewsih and Judeo Christian religions, thier religion develpoing out of the old Arab moon good. It is not the same god! They claim to descend from Ishmael, but it aint necessarily so. The troube with western people today is they feel scared to say the truth and what they really feel as they will be branded one thing or another. The advantage the Muslim has now is that they know what side their bread is buttered on. They are one where we are terribly divided up by spineless lefties and do gooders. Once they know they have the numbers they will demand more and more using our foolish decmocractic system that only works if you don’t have people using it for their own means. There will be a civil war in Australian eventually…the Muslim will cause mass trouble as they have in other nations in history. Trouble is our leaders have chosen to pretend we are living in a time where that won’t happen….they are kidding themselvse and assigning our children and grand children to mass problems in the future. Why do we chose to ignore history?
The Australian Constitution does not provide for education which is the responsibility of the states. The national curriculum has been signed onto by the states which receive direct funding from the Commonwealth. States can raise their own taxes to be used as they see fit. Maybe our state governments need to be reminded that the citizen is not happy with the current arrangement. My suggestion to those who are not happy to see our supposed secular schools subject to a form of proseltizing by Islam is to contact your local state member.
Likewise the constitution states….. ‘that no government shall legislate for any religion…… ‘ Clearly this subterfuge by the Islam lovers within our federal government who wish to indoctrinate our young into the ways of Islam, is in direct contravention of the constitution and needs to be challenged.
Free Our Schools
Almost all children now believe they go to school to pass exams. The idea that they may be there for an education is irrelevant. State schools have become exam factories, interested only in A to C Grades. They do not educate children. Exam results do not reflect a candidate’s innate ability. Employers have moaned for years that too many employees cannot read or write properly. According to a survey, school-leavers and even graduates lack basic literacy and numeracy skills. More and more companies are having to provide remedial training to new staff, who can’t write clear instructions, do simple maths, or solve problems. Both graduates and school-leavers were also criticised for their sloppy time-keeping, ignorance of basic customer service and lack of self-discipline.
Bilingual Muslims children have a right, as much as any other faith group, to be taught their culture, languages and faith alongside a mainstream curriculum. More faith schools will be opened under sweeping reforms of the education system in England. There is a dire need for the growth of state funded Muslim schools to meet the growing needs and demands of the Muslim parents and children. Now the time has come that parents and community should take over the running of their local schools. Parent-run schools will give the diversity, the choice and the competition that the wealthy have in the private sector. Parents can perform a better job than the Local Authority because parents have a genuine vested interest. The Local Authority simply cannot be trusted.
The British Government is planning to make it easier to schools to “opt out” from the Local Authorities. Muslim children in state schools feel isolated and confused about who they are. This can cause dissatisfaction and lead them into criminality, and the lack of a true understanding of Islam can ultimately make them more susceptible to the teachings of fundamentalists like Christians during the middle ages and Jews in recent times in Palestine. Fundamentalism is nothing to do with Islam and Muslim; you are either a Muslim or a non-Muslim.
There are hundreds of state primary and secondary schools where Muslim pupils are in majority. In my opinion all such schools may be opted out to become Muslim Academies. This mean the Muslim children will get a decent education. Muslim schools turned out balanced citizens, more tolerant of others and less likely to succumb to criminality or extremism. Muslim schools give young people confidence in who they are and an understanding of Islam’s teaching of tolerance and respect which prepares them for a positive and fulfilling role in society. Muslim schools are attractive to Muslim parents because they have better discipline and teaching Islamic values. Children like discipline, structure and boundaries. Bilingual Muslim children need Bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods, who understand their needs and demands.
None of the British Muslims convicted following the riots in Bradford and Oldham in 2001 or any of those linked to the London bombings had been to Islamic schools. An American Think Tank studied the educational back ground of 300 Jihadists; none of them were educated in Pakistani Madrasas. They were all Western educated by non-Muslim teachers. Bilingual Muslim children need bilingual Muslim teachers as role models. A Cambridge University study found that single-sex classes could make a big difference for boys. They perform better in single-sex classes. The research is promising because male students in the study saw noticeable gains in the grades. The study confirms the Islamic notion that academic achievement is better in single-sex classes.
Iftikhar Ahmad
http://www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
You are seriously mistaken. Nobody in a publicly funded and secular school in Australia has a ‘right’ to be brainwashed by any religious doctrine. Our children have a right to be left undamaged from any religious nonsense, especially this barbaric dogma of islam. If muslim children in public schools are as confused as you say, perhabs it would be a good start to indentify firstly as Australian, and not as muslim. Last time I looked this was still the Commonwealth of Australia, not the Islamic Republic of Muslimistan.
We need islamic ideologies and dahwa here as much as we need the black fever and typhus.
i totally agree..
You people have a gall coming into this country demanding rights when you readily destroy the churches and shrines and temples of other religions in Muslim countries, deny citizens of other religions to practise their own faiths and teach their children in their faiths, punish apostasy even of forced converts with death, deny access to employment of non-Muslims and levy poll taxes.
Go back where you come from Iftikhar and talk about rights of non-Muslims with your local uemma. You’ll be stoned to death for your trouble.
You are free to teach your own children whatever you want in your own time and from your own money.
Cultures and religions should be open for discussion including criticism. If this cannot take place out of fear for repercussions from one of the cultures or religions involved then that means the end of free speech and the end of democracy. Every effort and means should be employed by the freedom loving people to stop the spread of intolerant cultures and religions.
Don’t get fooled by the label ‘religion’ when in fact something is an all encompassing totalitarian ideology.
Funny Ahmad,
You blow us all up with your humour.
Islam is the most intolerant pseudo religion around; an ideology akin to Fascism, extremism, segregated societies, female mutilation, Jihad, sharia and matyrs.
“Balanced”? Only an indoctrinated fool like yourself could subscribe to such an infantile position of blatant stupidity.
Seriously Iftikhar Ahmad, don’t try to pull the old Islam is more tolerant, more peaceful, more balanced, more able to educate, etc sophistry. When we look at the world today and see which are the countries that people are fleeing from? Which are the countries that people are disappearing in and being tortured in? Which are the countries that persecute those who disagree with the clerics and political rulers? They are either communist or Islamic. Islam does not build cultures but destroys them. Islam does not increase liberty but destroys it. Only by the grace of Christian liberty have Muslims been able to enter Western countries to enjoy the fruits of Christian freedom. Many Muslims may not exactly like it because the freedom we enjoy is messy since it cannot be forced but grows out of a heart that is thankful to the Almighty God and seeks the good of its neighbor in response to the grace received.
Sadly in the West many have lost sight of this and, yes, we are imprisoning ourselves in our debauchery and selfishness and tearing down our own culture. But the answer is not Islam and its oppression with its counterfeit faith that really could not care what is in the heart but seeks instead the total submission of all to whoever happens to have the power to enforce their particular brand of Islamic doctrine. The answer lies in what made the West great and free in the first place.
Our nation, and all nations of a similar heritage, were built on the premise that a good God had endowed all men with certain freedoms. It was not primarily about the state nor even about an established religion but about the relationship each man had with the creator. In being answerable to his creator each man had equal dignity whether he believed or not. Since it was God who gave him life it was ultimately God who the man would be answerable too. In civil matters the principle was that only sufficient laws would be imposed as would prevent one man harming another but never could the state force upon a man any religious confession or creed. Any attempt to force religion upon others, whether secular (as we are beginning to see in the West) or sacrilist (as in Islamic countries) is a sure road to misery and serfdom. You may wish for this but don’t come here with your “holy” lies to us “infidel” about how great Islam is for education and all other ills in society when clearly the opposite is true.
Yes, to you we are all “Muslim or non-Muslim.” This is not a statement of faith but a political statement, the full implications of which begin to be seen in places like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, etc. You wish to create a new caste system in which those who don’t agree with you are not only non-Muslim but non-citizen. Quit whining about how majority Christian taxpayers in England won’t pay for your agenda to be fulfilled. As I’m sure you have heard it said before, “if you don’t like it, leave.” There are no doubt plenty of Islamic states that could use the benefits of all those star students you are training up.
What positive aspects of Islam? The booklet claims some Arab as the father of algebra; when it was actually long before in Greece and India, that this faculty was introduced. Some even date it back to Egypt. And no guesswork needed to know which ‘culture’ invaded and murdered and enslaved the above; only to claim the spoils of war as their own development. A bit like the Nazis claiming the work of Polish and Hungarian Jewish scientists they murdered as the pinnacle of German science, isn’t it? Or read this booklets take on the Crusades: Bad Christians coming to murder the poor Muslims in the Holy Land. But how did those Muslims get there first? And what did those Muslim invaders do to the Holy sites? A bit like beginning to teach the history of World War II when the bad Allies invaded the poor Germans defending their French realms.
And then the heartfelt story of the Afghan camel drivers in Australia. But does it mention the first terrorist attack on Australian soil ion 1915 by some of those Afghanies? Don’t hold your breath. And the rest of this propaganda piece is of the same ‘quality’. Just more lies, perversions and sugarcoating from the ‘Religion of Peace’.
Seperation of church and state, that may be but no one said anything about seperation of Mosque and state.
There is no separation of church and state in Australia (or America for that matter). This was a myth invented by the Left. In any case, it is funny how activists never talk about the separation of mosque and state (when there is one). Right you are.
Those who have promoted this idea, regardless of status, should be charged with treason. What the hell is the matter with the voters ,parents, and politicians of this once great country.
By Promoting Islam the Government and School System is promoting Theocracy.
This is a breach of the Secularist Doctrine of Separation of State and Church, however not the same is done with Christianity so why the bias?
Gramsci should have been consigned to the dustbin of history.
He has been resurrected by Islamists and their apologists.
I fear for our future.
The rationale to remove Christianity along with Conservative Values and Beliefs is at the core centre of changing the Sociology and Anthropology of Society. The idea is to remove the barriers and obstacles be that in values of Judeo-christianity, economic and political doctrines to the Marxist Revolution precepts according to the Gradualist and Incrementalist Agenda of the Fabian Society -Labor’s Think-tank. Thus changing the Anthropology of a Judeo-Christian and Capitalist Society is imperative in achieving the “Progressive Revolution”. Yes it’s Cultural War at its core principle, silently being waged in the Australian Public Schools’ Classrooms.
The question standing here: who determines the National Australian Curriculum and why do Leftwingers seek to change if not to promote their gradualist revolution? People have heard the new wedge of Human Rights Act coming into the Australian National Curriculum that Gllard voiced some time ago? Pay careful attention to ACARA. http://www.acara.edu.au/default.asp
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/is-the-national-curriculum-overdue-or-spoiled-by-political-correctness-20100319-qjmw.html
The logical question then is, what is its purpose, direction and ultimate goal?
For those interested in exploring the issue of the Dumbed-downed and “Progressive” curriculum should take at look at the writings of John Taylor Gatto on present US Public Education where many concepts of reading, writing, self-esteem, values and Outcome-based Education find their genesis.
Keep this in mind:
Those who educate the Youth Today, Control the Adults of the Future, so Education and ” life-time education” (current ALP Platform) is the next logical target in this strategy of “Gradualist Revolution” against Conservative, Liberal and Libertarian Values.
Pay very careful attention to John Dewey’s teachings and the School System in Sweden from The New Totalitarians by Roland Huntford.
“Underground History of American Education”
http://www.scribd.com/doc/6129392/Some-Lessons-From-The-Underground-History-of-American-Education-by-John-Taylor-Gatto
Labor Party’s Education Agenda
http://www.alp.org.au/sites/default/files/downloads/chapter_5.pdf
The New Totalitarians
http://www.scribd.com/doc/27911594/The-New-Totalitarians-by-Huntford-Roland
“some worldviews are preferable to others and some religious and cultural practices are un-Australian”.
Including, it would seem, tolerance.
I’m not exactly sure what you would expect from The National Centre of Excellence for Islamic Studies Australia…they obviously weren’t going to be promoting Chrisitan studies.
“if the Catholic Church argued that every school subject had to include a Catholic perspective”
Nice way of misrepresenting what the booklet says. It does not “argue” that every subject “had to include the muslim perspective”. What it demonstrates how and why subjects can include a muslim perspective. I suppose that doesn’t fit in with your anti-muslims “they’re trying to conquer us” narrative. Part of those christian values no doubt.
“Multiculturalism is based on the mistaken belief that all cultures are of equal worth and that it is unfair to discriminate and argue that some practices are wrong”
Actually that’s the wrong part. Multiculturalism is about taking the best parts of a culture and merging that with the best parts of another culture. But don’t let optimism get in the way of your fear and anger.
“While celebrating the positive contribution of Islam to subjects like mathematics, geography and the Arts, the booklet also fails to mention the widespread prevalence of slavery under Muslim rule. Years before the slave trade to the Americas, Muslim rulers along the Mediterranean coast enslaved thousands of Christians, inflicting torture and death.”
I assume you think that this somehow absolves the europeans and americans who took part in the slave trade because it took place ‘earlier’. Doesn’t it make Christianity look even worse because instead of taking the high ground and not indulging in the slave trade all those pious christians said to hell with it and started shipping Africans across the ocean themselves. Please, do tell how ‘muslims did it first’ excuses christians from doing the same thing.
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Most rational people would see a chance to greater integrate muslims with mainstream Australia as a good thing. If they feel like Australians then they are more likely to adopt the western liberal culture that our society is founded upon.
But you believe that somehow the best way to approach muslims is with hatred and prejudice, telling them that they aren’t wanted and will never fit in with Australia. You then go and wonder why young men of lebanese descent in western Sydney believe that they are Lebanese rather than Australian and why they aren’t fitting in to Australia.
Madness, this is AUSTRALIA!!! If you don’t like our racist and intolerant attitude then you are un-australian and you should leave.
I mean my god.
Your idea of ‘optimism’ is naive self-delusion. We have been obliged to endure multiculturalism with incompatible cultures that don’t have salient positive aspects since Whitlam started letting in the hordes of Vietnamese boat people-of course they brought a species spring rolls. Since then, every year brings a new inundation of blank zombies without a drop of empathy.
If you think concern about Islam’s expansionist resolve is unwarranted, you have no concept of the people and religion you try to defend. There is an abundance of evidence of their hostility in mainstream media everyday, hostility that dates back to the first day Mohammed led his armies of Arab bandits out of Mecca. NATO and the West are not spending billions of dollars on war and more stupidly on reconstruction out of spite in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are doing these things because even misguiding and misguided social engineers in government see that there is a real threat.
Perhaps you think, Dave, that the CIA arranged for the collapse of the Twin Towers. Is your name really Daoud?
“Your idea of ‘optimism’ is naive self-delusion. We have been obliged to endure multiculturalism with incompatible cultures that don’t have salient positive aspects since Whitlam started letting in the hordes of Vietnamese boat people-of course they brought a species spring rolls. Since then, every year brings a new inundation of blank zombies without a drop of empathy.”
Do you understand the irony in this? In one sentence you have managed to castrate Vietnamese refugess as lacking in empathy. Perhaps you should move to a warn-torn country yourself, then you might discover some of that so-called empathy that you seem to have in such short supply.
Or alternatively you might just want to move to another country for a couple of months. I found living in Japan and China for 6 months a piece to be quite an eye opening experience. The cultural experience means that I can understand and interact with people from different cultures than my own far more easily, and understand that there are two sides to every coin. No culture having positive aspects huh? Well I know one culture where there are very definitely negative aspects, those usually associated with frightened conservative individuals who have never had the opportunity to experience life outside their cocoon.
“If you think concern about Islam’s expansionist resolve is unwarranted, you have no concept of the people and religion you try to defend. There is an abundance of evidence of their hostility in mainstream media everyday, hostility that dates back to the first day Mohammed led his armies of Arab bandits out of Mecca. NATO and the West are not spending billions of dollars on war and more stupidly on reconstruction out of spite in Afghanistan and Iraq. They are doing these things because even misguiding and misguided social engineers in government see that there is a real threat. ”
Err what? Where did I defend Islam’s expansionist resolve? The only thing I mentioned about Islam is that it’s hypocritical of you to attack it for doing the exact same thing as what Christians did. Or didn’t you hear about the Crusades, the Inquisition, Christian persecution of Jews that was commonplace throughout the middle ages right up until the end of the 19th century etc etc?
The only thing I am defending Islam from is criticism based solely upon fear.
“Perhaps you think, Dave, that the CIA arranged for the collapse of the Twin Towers. Is your name really Daoud?”
And please, don’t try and ad hominem me as a Truther. I rely on observable facts, instead of fear and anger.
Dave…..do you know anything at all about Islam? Are you familiar with its history of invasion and subjugation of the dhimmi? Why have there been over 15,000 terrorist attacks carried out by the followers of the religion of peace since 9/11? What does the Muslim Brotherhood represent and how does this organization impact our society? Why was Al Queda initiated?
Why does every western nation now have significant numbers of Muslim immigrants who are referred to as the world wide ummah? Why is it only the Muslim who identifies themselves as such and why do they form enclaves wherever they migrate to? Why do we have 20 Islamic terrorists now locked up in our jails? Why does the Muslim continually demand-or as this article points out by subterfuge- that we adapt to their way of life, that we must respect their point of view but they are not compelled to respect ours?
If you can answer those questions honestly I have no doubt you will counter your own comment!
“Dave…..do you know anything at all about Islam? Are you familiar with its history of invasion and subjugation of the dhimmi? Why have there been over 15,000 terrorist attacks carried out by the followers of the religion of peace since 9/11? What does the Muslim Brotherhood represent and how does this organization impact our society? Why was Al Queda initiated?”
Yes, I’m well aware the Mohammed was a paedophile who married and had intercourse with a 6 year old. I’m well aware that us kaffirs would have to pay a tax, I’m well aware that there a large number of terrorists who are muslims. I’ve aware of the hypocrisy of muslims for demanding the assassination of cartoonists who dared to draw depictions of Mohammed that already exists in paintings anyway, and for actually carrying out the assassination of high profile anti-muslims film-makers.
However I’m also aware that those things exist in western countries. Western countries are not involved in terrorism because our armed forces are stronger than theirs, so we have no need to carry out terrorist attacks. However when people in western countries have faced strong military powers they’ve engaged in the exact same activities. The bombing runs of world war 2 targetting civilians weren’t carried out by muslims, they were carried out by military men who you would otherwise assume to be stable individuals. Would you be labelling them terrorists if you were alive at the time? For surely bombing civilians was an act of terror.
The point is that it is not the culture that determines what people do, it’s the circumstances. If Islam has some inherint aspect that compels its adherents to ’subjugate’ then you should change that part of the culture. Culture isn’t a static thing, it’s constantly chaning. You have the choice of integrating new muslims into Australian culture, showing them how personally liberating our culture is. That way they won’t want to subjugate it. Alternatively you can choose to act the way you currently are – proclaiming that Islam and all muslims are evil bastards and should be excluded from our country. Is is any wonder then that young muslims in Sydney feel that they aren’t Australian? Is it any wonder how some figures are able to take advantage of their ostracism and convince them that the only way to make things right is by destroying the society that ostracised them.
Oh and by the by, I personally know or have known several muslims from a range of countries (Arab, Indian, Indonesian) all of them have been very nice people and not at all the evil terrorists that you wish to make them all out of. Lesson of the day – don’t stereotype.
“Why does every western nation now have significant numbers of Muslim immigrants who are referred to as the world wide ummah? Why is it only the Muslim who identifies themselves as such and why do they form enclaves wherever they migrate to? Why do we have 20 Islamic terrorists now locked up in our jails? Why does the Muslim continually demand-or as this article points out by subterfuge- that we adapt to their way of life, that we must respect their point of view but they are not compelled to respect ours?”
Err, I think I just told you why they form enclaves when they migrate someplace. Because they face racism from people like you. It’s only natural to form enclaves when you move to a new country. The Greeks, Vietnamese, Italians, Chinese, etc, etc, all do it. Do you attack them for doing the same thing? If you stopped and offered help to your new muslims neighbour they might be less likely to form an enclave. That’s not to say that some don’t want to, I’ve been called a racist myself by a group of Lebanese youths because I wouldn’t allow them to cut in line at a place that I was serving. Doesn’t mean that I think that all Lebanese people are like that.
“If you can answer those questions honestly I have no doubt you will counter your own comment!”
I don’t think I’ve countered my own comment since I wasn’t defending Islam for doing those things in the first place…you guys really need to read what people are actually saying and not just spit out the Fox News talking points.
I think my expansions adequately express what I think the problem with your approach is.
Dave, making pronouncements with the sagacity of Pollyanna or Anne of Green Gables where you deny realities and insist that if people all behave as you think best will not make one iota of difference.
Clearly, you are a happy pawn of the social engineers who hope to bring down the social fabric that supports you. You are helping to bring about your own destruction, your mind addled by the baseless factoids and specious nonsense you disallow yourself from questioning.
Others are not self-blinded as you.
Dave….I was referring to the today and not to events that happened in history. Westerners becoming terrorists? And you go on to equate terrorism with the events of World War 2 which was TOTAL WAR as pronounced by the Nazi hierarchy and meant just that. Total war is no surrender, no leeway given and the whole nation committed to it. That is why places like Dresden had to be bombed!
Where do you think our nation would be today if America had not been bombed into the War?
At least you recognize the threat which is Islam, but you then criticize some on this site for expressing what you believe to be intolerance of individual Muslims. There are moderate Muslims, but there can be no moderate Islam. And that is the problem we are all facing with followers from the religion of peace now dwelling amongst us. Just who are the moderate Muslims?
You then go on about them being discriminated against. How? They choose to live in enclaves and no one has forced them to do this. They refuse to assimilate, and no one forces them to. They hold that only Allah’s law can be followed and man made law is irrelevant.
I do agree that not all Muslims hold this view, but the majority do, and that is the problem!
I know some nice Muslims too Dave, but they do not follow the Qu’ran and pray five times a day!
“Multiculturalism is about taking the best parts of a culture and merging that with the best parts of another culture”
If you believe that, you’ll believe anything, and the rest of your post does not surprise me. You’ve just vindicated and confirmed Kevin Donnelly’s arguments – congratulations!
What a numbskull!
There could be no more contradictions in Islam than what we have for centuries, been instructed in as Catholics.
They have the Koran; we have the Gospels neither has done either of us any good.
Have you actually read what is in the Koran? Do you know the story of Islam’s founder Mohammed? Or is it easier for you to play the tired and disingenous game of moral equivalence?
Wake up to yourself.
The Gospels have a good deal of guidance and wisdom that remains at the crux of Western Civilisation, even for those who don’t realise they follow its teachings. The shallow would be sages who dismiss the Gospels or equate them with the violent bellicosity of the Koran are simply ignorant and presumptuous.
No Charles, history speaks for itself.
Err… would you like to elaborate on that? I don’t quite see what you mean.
Eeqbal Hassem shows considerable temerity in his criticism of colonialism. Colonialism under the British, French and Americans was generally benign. Even the Spanish and Portuguese often had good intentions. No European powers invaded in the way the Mughals invaded the Indian Peninsula, wreaking mayhem and destruction wherever they went and forcing all the Punjab and Bengal to convert to Islam. Muslim depredations elsewhere, and the imposition of their ‘religion’ on defeated nations is the reason Islam is such a large religion, not because of gentler missionary work, which spread Christianity.
Apparently, he wants the children to believe Islam is benignly diverse, asserting “I can never do justice to Islam or Muslims: despite unity, they are such a diverse group,” but this variety does not make them any more interesting than many other groups. Instead, it’s a mere ruse to confuse critics who make criticisms of Islam without pointing out which particular sect they criticise. The purpose of diversity is merely to befuddle children in schools so they will grow up wary of ’stereotyping’, when the stereotypes remain quite valid, without worrying about diversity of sects, of which there are at least 78.
The children should be taught the violence of Islam through history, and that all of them take guidance from the Koran, as violent a document as any general’s war manual. But of course they will not be taught any such truth. They will be taught irreconcilable contradictions. Luckily though, it seems Hassem is too shallow to be the subtle demagogue the Gramscian education machine hopes to foist on Australian innocents. But he will still be able to mislead and corrupt young minds through the willing tutelage of abler teachers more concerned about losing their superannuation than protecting the next generation.