Monthly Archives: October 2011
When Enough is Enough. No to Sharia law in Australia.
This may be old news but in light of what is happening in the US, I still believe Julia Gillard got it right when the government moved quickly in May to block calls for sharia law to be introduced in Australia.
In its submission to the parliamentary inquiry into the government’s new multiculturalism policy, The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) has called for Muslims to be granted “legal pluralism”. It argued that a mild brand of sharia should be allowed in family law and divorces, promising it would fit in with Australian values.
I have to agree with Attorney-General Robert McClelland who said there was no “place for sharia law in Australian society” and that the government strongly rejected any proposal for its introduction. He went further by saying,
“As our citizenship pledge makes clear, coming to Australia means obeying Australian laws and upholding Australian values, If there is any inconsistency between cultural values and the rule of law then Australian law wins out, People who migrate to Australia do so because of the fact that we have a free, open and tolerant society where men and woman are equal before the law irrespective of race, religious or cultural background.”
There are Two pledges one that mentions god one that does not but both say the same thing.
I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey.
In reality if we Australians migrated to any country we would have to live with their laws, Why do Radical Muslims come here and expect us to change laws to suit them. Yes i have singled out Muslims, and thats because they are the only ones who have come here making demands that we change for them.
In an interview with The Australian, the organisation’s president, Ikebal Adam Patel, who wrote the submission, nominated family law and specifically divorce as an area where moderate interpretations of sharia could co-exist within the Australian legal system. Some Muslims believe Islamic law is immutable, regardless of history, time, culture and location. The AFIC argues this is not the case and sharia can be applied in a way that fits in to Australia and is not extreme. The submission says,
“This means most of the regulations in Islamic law may be amended, changed, altered, and adapted to social change … Islamic law is changeable according to the requirements of different places and times, and therefore suits the values shared by Australian people,”
Sharia confers unilateral divorce rights on men, while women who initiate divorce are stripped of their property and financial entitlements.
In an interview, Mr Patel said:
“I’m saying that instead of letting the extremists within Islam take over the agenda, we are saying there is a path whereby it will work for all the communities in a moderate way. It is important for someone who is Muslim or a practising Jew that aspects of our religion which can be incorporated within the greater legal system are introduced. This is about personal issues about family, and won’t affect any other Australian,”
AFIC says criticisms of AFIC, as the peak body of Islamic organisations in Australia, “strongly supports that multiculturalism should lead to legal pluralism . . . and twin tolerations”. as being biased against women and treating them as second-class citizens are wrong. “It is important for Muslims to seriously consider this criticism,” the submission says. ”But it is also important for the Australian government to respect the rights of Muslim women who want to keep and maintain the way they dress, eat and interact with others, as long as such behaviour does not inflict harm to others.
AFIC, as the peak body of Islamic organisations in Australia, “strongly supports that multiculturalism should lead to legal pluralism . . . and twin tolerations”.
Well Mr Patel let me say this, there is nothing stopping women dressing as they please here if they want to wear traditional clothing, eat and interact with others that’s up to them but they don’t need Sharia Law to do so.
As a multicultural nation we have accepted many nationalities here and we have many different religions within our population. This is just an example of how arrogant some Muslims can be, another example is in the United states where muslims attending a private Roman Catholic University are offended at their Religious Symbolism. Well why go there?
It boils down to this Mr Patel, if you don’t like it don’t stay, Dont push your agenda onto us, If we as a nation allow Sharia law into our laws and culture well it is my opinion that it will just be time before extremists come along demanding a stronger form of sharia. What will be next? Stoning? Lashing? amputation? I don’t think so.
Our Laws work just fine, By becoming citizens and taking the pledge Immigrants have agreed to live by the laws of this country. Maybe some don’t belong here if they can’t live with our laws.
It’s about time those muslims who have come here for a better life stand up against these radicals, let it be known not all muslims are radicals. Show everyone there are more peace-loving muslims than there are Radicals
WHAT IS SHARIA LAW
Sharia law is “the path that must be followed by a Muslim”.
It brings together elements from the Koran and the Hadith, plus judges’ rulings from Islam’s first centuries. It was fixed by about the 10th century, and contains detailed instructions for practically every aspect of life.
In the West, it is most famous for its penal code: the prescribed punishments for sexual offences, which include stoning; for theft, which include amputation; and for apostasy, for which the punishment is death.
Much more important for most Muslims, however, are the parts of sharia that relate to the status of women, to contracts and to family law.
These include provisions that allow men several wives and that enshrine, in law, the inferiority of women.
Women can be divorced merely by their husbands reciting “I divorce you” three times; their testimony is worth less than that of men; and they cannot marry a non-Muslim man – although it is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim woman.
Within Sharia law, there are a group of “Haram” offenses which carry severe punishments. These include pre-marital sexual intercourse, sex by divorced persons, post-marital sex, adultery, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, drinking alcohol, theft, and highway robbery. Haram sexual offenses can carry a sentence of stoning to death or severe flogging. I fail to see how these laws would work with our laws. They have no regard for Human rights or the rights of women.
How you live your life, regardless of your religon, sexual preference, way of dress is your business, If you want to have a drink after work well go ahead that too is your choice. but in this country men and women are considered equal, a woman is not inferior to her husband.
Muslims came here because they wanted a better life, for themselves and their children and future generations. They took a pledge when they became citizens to uphold the Laws of Australia. Sharia Law is not Australian law, and hopefully never will be. If you want to live in a country that supports sharia law then all means go and do so, dont expect us to change our laws for you. I am sure you wouldnt change sharia laws for us.
http://coffeenchat.wordpress.com/2011/10/27/american-muslims-why-americans-are-confused/
http://coffeenchat.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/american-muslim-confusion-perfect-example/
Three more Australian soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan + Poll
Once again we have the news of 3 more brave aussies killed and seven more injured in Afghanistan.
Reports have not named the three but say that a corporal, captain and lance corporal were members of the Mentoring Task Force in southern Afghanistan. Of the three, the corporal and lance corporal were on their first deployment to Afghanistan while the captain was on a second tour.The corporal and the captain had earlier this year taken part in flood and cyclone relief operations in Queensland. Of the wounded, one soldier was being treated for life threatening wounds, four had serious wounds, and the other two had minor wounds. An Afghan interpreter was also killed.
News of the Australian deaths came as a suicide car bomber in the capital Kabul struck a US-run NATO bus travelling through the south-west of the city, killing at least 17 people, including 13 US soldiers. It is not known at this stage if both are connected.
The biggest question right now is should we bring our people home. My personal feeling on this is YES. If one rebel can infiltrate the Afghanistan Army how many more have. It is concerning because where else have these rebels infiltrated, just going along day by day waiting to strike.
How high a price are we willing to pay?
The Australian forces in Afghanistan have suffered 32 fatalities. 207 soldiers have been wounded.
United States deaths, more than 1,450 have died in hostile action and 14,611 have been wounded in action in Afghanistan.
British forces have suffered 383 fatalities and 1,802 wounded in action, another 3,472 have suffered from disease or non-battle injuries.
This list goes on in fact there have been a total of 2,716 Coalition deaths in Afghanistan.
There is no war against terror that we can possibly win that will eradicate the extremist views and actions. Last week President Hamid Karzai said in an interview, Afghanistan would support Pakistan in case of military conflict between Pakistan and the United States. So tell me again why we are there. Its time these people stood up and took some resopnsibility and trained their own people. Its time to bring our people home.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said it was a bitter day for Australia, and acknowledged that public support for Australia’s mission in Afghanistan could be further damaged by the incident. She urged Australians not to judge the progress of the mission on one incident alone.
One incident alone, well I dont know how it can be called one incident when this is the second time this year an ANA soldier has targeted a member of the ADF. Lance Corporal Andrew Jones was shot dead by a rogue ANA soldier. That to me raises some serious questions. Questions i think our governments need to be able to answer if they want to justify our troops being there.
How do we know we are training the right people when the ANA dont even know who they have on their side?
Fears of infiltration within the Afghan army ranks have risen as Western backers fund and train a huge expansion of the fledgling national force ahead of the withdrawal of all foreign combat forces scheduled for 2014.
The ADF has launched an investigation to determine whether the gunman, from the ANA’s 6th Kandak unit, was a Taliban or terrorist infiltrator, or whether there was another motivation for the attack. Little is yet known about the shooter but it is believed he had been in the force for some time and was not a new recruit. well to me that raises a lot of concerns.
No matter what the motivation behind the attacks the fact remains a rebel has been a member of the ANA for some time undetected. Striking out when he saw fit killing our men. No one can know how the families of these men feel. Yes they volunteered to defend us, but at no time did they sign up to be sitting ducks. How many more rebels are in the ANA? The longer we stay there the greater the odds of this happening again. Lets get our people out now!!!
Sympathies, prayers and thoughts to family, friends and colleagues.
Lest We Forget.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-29/three-australian-soldiers-killed-in-afghanistan/3608612
http://news.yahoo.com/3-australian-soldiers-killed-afghanistan-220152308.html
http://www.news.com.au/national/aussie-troops-shot-dead-in-afghanistan/story-e6frfkvr-1226180499845
Moamar Gaddafi is Dead!
Libya’s new leaders have confirmed Moamar Gaddafi, Libya’s former dictator, was killed when fighters overran his hometown of Sirte. they said, Gaddafi was found hiding in a cement drainpipe below the main road during the gunbattle that clinched their victory over the city of Sirte. Libyan TV showed mobile phone footage which showed Gaddafi wounded and bloodied, but still alive, He was apparently shot in the legs received a blow the head. He was then taken by ambulance to hospital where he later died.
Western leaders have welcomed the death of Moamar Gaddafi saying it is the end of despotism, tyranny, dictatorship and ultimately war in the north African country.
As Libyans fired automatic weapons into the air and danced for joy on the streets of Tripoli and Sirte , world leaders began to weigh in on the death of Gaddafi who had ruled for 42 years overthe oil-rich north African nation.
President Barack Obama said the United States would be a partner to Libya following Gaddafi’s death, which he said had lifted a “dark shadow” Libya. In a speech from the White House Rose Garden, Mr Obama said,
“Today we can definitively say the Gaddafi regime has come to an end. The last major regime strongholds have fallen. The new government is consolidating control over the country. And one of the world’s longest serving dictators is no more, This marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the people of Libya who now have the opportunity to determine their own destiny in a new and democratic Libya.”
British prime minister David Cameron it was an occasion to remember his victims, and a chance for a “democratic future” for Libya.
“I think today is a day to remember all of Colonel Gaddafi’s victims” including those who died in the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jet over the Scottish town of Lockerbie People in Libya today have an even greater chance, after this news, of building themselves a strong and democratic future, I’m proud of the role Britain has played in helping them to bring that about and I pay tribute to the bravery of the Libyans who helped to liberate their country.”
French foreign minister Alain Juppe said, France was “proud” to have helped bring freedom to the country, and “end of 42 years of tyranny” referring to the role of French forces in NATO action in Libya during the seven-month conflict.
“The announcement of the death of Gaddafi and the collapse of Sirte is the end of a very difficult period for the Libyan people. It’s the end of 42 years of tyranny, of a military conflict that has been very difficult for the Libyan people,” Mr Juppe told reporters in New Delhi. It’s a historic event. It’s the beginning of a new period, of a democracy, freedom and the rebuilding of the country,”
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said Gaddafi’s death was the begining of a “historic transition” for Libya.
“Let us recognise immediately that this is only the end of the beginning. The road ahead for Libya and its people will be difficult and full of challenges. Now is the time for all Libyans to come together.”
Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said after the death of his onetime ally: “Now the war is over.” “Sic transit gloria mundi (Thus passes the glory of the world),” he said about the ousted ruler of Italy’s former colony.
Australia’s Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said it was an historic day for Libyans and for the Arab world, but that there were challenges still to come.
“This is just the end of the beginning – as we reflect on the sacrifices which have been made to obtain political freedom in Libya, we must also now reflect on the future challenges and that’s where Australia also stands ready to assist,”
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Libyans “can now look to the future. After 10 months of extraordinary sacrifices, the Libyan people can say with pride and confidence that they have shaken off a regime that terrorised and oppressed for more than 40 years,” She also urged the new leaders to build a democratic future in full respect for human rights, and said that “while the crimes of the past must be addressed, the leadership must also seek a path of national reconciliation”, and the EU will remain “a strong and committed” partner in the future.
The news means an end also to the “repression from which the Libyan people have suffered for too long”, EU president Herman Van Rompuy said in a joint statement with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso.
European Parliament president Jerzy Buzek will visit Libya from Saturday.
“I am happy I will be visiting a country fully liberated from a dictator who has imposed his iron fist for more than 40 years. Now Libya can truly turn the page,”
Moamar Gaddafi Veteran Libyan strongman was killed on October 20, 2011, and new regime forces defeated the last pocket of resistance in his home town Sirte.
Gaddafi, Born in the desert near Sirte in 1942, reputedly in a Bedouin tent. was in power for 42 years and had imposed himself as a key international player the West could not ignore. He led a coup on September 1, 1969, overthrowing the Western-backed elderly King Idriss. As a young colonel, Gaddafi established himself as an unpredictable, belligerent leader who alienated the West soon after seizing power, accusing it of launching a “new crusade” against the Arabs. His idol was Egyptian president and fervent Arab nationalist Gamal Abdel Nasser, and a fan of Mao Zedong, Stalin and even Hitler.
Libya, For decades was linked to a spate of terrorist attacks all over the world, with Gaddafi was also accused of using Libya’s oil wealth as the country is Africa’s third largest producer, to fund and arm rebel groups across Africa and beyond.
In 1986, Libyan agents were blamed for the deaths of three people who were killed in a bombing in a West Berlin nightclub in Germany.After the incident under the presidency of Ronald Reagan the US administration, regarded Gaddafi as “public enemy number one”.Reagan dubbed the Libyan leader the “mad dog of the Middle East” and sent US jets to Tripoli to bomb his compound in the Libyan capital.
Libya then became an international pariah in the aftermath of bombing of the 1988 Lockerbie airliner, but things began to thaw when Libya agreed to pay compensation to the families of the 270 people who were killed.
In 2003 Gaddafi declared that he was giving up the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, this promped the lifting of UN sanctions.
This declaration dramatically shored-up Libya’s ties with the West and was topped off with a visit by then US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in September 2008.
Gaddafi was elected chairman of the African Union In February 2009, after he tired from championing Arab unity and months later African tribal dignitaries gave him the title of “king of kings”.
Gaddafi was reportedly grooming his son, Seif al-Islam who is one of eight children plus an adopted daughter who was killed in US bombing raids in 1986 as his successor.
Confusion surrounds the fate of other members of Gaddafi’s family and inner circle. An NTC representative said up to 17 senior members of the Gaddafi regime have been apprehended or killed. There have been reports that his sons Mutassim Gaddafi and Saif al-Islam have been killed but other reports say Mutassim has been captured alive and that al-Islam has fled.
Mohammed El Senussi, considered by Libyan royalists to be the heir to the old Libyan throne, issued this statement:
The flag of freedom is now flying in Sirte and across Libya on this historic day. People throughout Libya took up arms just eight months ago and in that short time they have been united in their resolve to rid the country of evil
The new Libya must be organised under the rule of law and there is no greater time than right now to demonstrate that commitment by ensuring there are no acts of vengeance against Gaddafi’s supporters and that justice is dealt with by the courts.
Today begins a new chapter in our history. I look forward now with confidence that the people of Libya will build a future we can all be proud of. Now is the time to put freedom and the sanctity of life at the heart of our society and to put the era of terror and oppression behind us.
1,000 year old Viking burial site found in Scotland
Archaeologists working in the Scottish Highlands discovered A 1,000-year-old Viking burial site. Viking specialists from the University of Glasgow say the boat is likely to be from the 10th century AD.
The remains of a high-status Viking with an axe, sword and spear, who was buried in his boat, which was held together with 200 metal rivets, were found in a 5 metre long grave. The Grave, located on a remote Scottish peninsula, The amazing find is the first undisturbed Viking ship burial found on the British mainland.
Hannah Cobb, the dig project’s co-director, described the discovery on the Ardnamurchan peninsula as “an exciting find”.
“A Viking boat burial is an incredible discovery, but in addition to that, the artefacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain, The Vikings would have dug a boat shaped hole and then they would have dragged the boat up from the sea and put the boat into the hole and laid all his possessions around him. His shield would have been laid on his chest and his sword was at his side and then they filled up the boat with stones and that’s exactly what we found when we came to excavate it. Though we have excavated many important artefacts over the years, I think it’s fair to say that this year the archaeology has really exceeded our expectations,”
The archaeologists also unearthed part of a shield, a bronze ring-pin, a whetstone from Norway and Viking pottery at the site.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-19/12c000yo-viking-burial-site-found-in-britain/3580162
http://www.wvwnews.net/story.php?id=10550
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/10/19/Viking-ship-burial-found-in-Scotland/UPI-99021319055638/
CHINA; 2 year old in hit and run.Ignored and left for dead + Poll
On October 13th, closed circuit cameras caught a van running over a two-year-old girl on a narrow Foshan street. The driver takes off, which would be outrage enough. But perhaps even worse than the original sin, the same cameras caught more than a dozen people over the next few minutes passing by without so much as a pause, unconcerned for the fate of the downed toddler.
More than a dozen people over the next seven minutes walk or drive past the girl on bicycles and she is run over by a second truck, state media reported on Monday. A woman then pulls the girl to the side of the street before her mother, a migrant worker in the city, rushes into the frame.
The girl, now hospitalized, is in a coma, China’s Xinhua news agency reported, citing doctors. The country’s official English-language newspaper China Daily, said the girl had been declared “brain dead” and that she could die at any time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwhVUL-H46M
WEEK IN REVIEW
Quite a lot happened over the last week, we began the week with the lack of common sense in today’s world. This lack is causing people to do some stupid things that end up taking lives. Take the teenage girl with her ipod earphones in listening to music, she had it so loud she never heard the warnings yelled at her before crossing a railway crossing and as a result walked out in front of a train. Accidents like this should not happen if we all use some common sense.
Next we had the launch of Zynga’s new game on Facebook, Mafia Wars 2. this was quite a disappointment, I had hoped Zynga had learnt some lessons from their original game, but apparently not. The game was glitchy with load errors, lockups. It was too busy and once again as with all Zynga games your forced to spam your friends. While on the subject Facebook have a couple of issues this week. firstly over cookies, nowit was claimed they were used to track what we look at. Facobook denies this, and says they “Facebook does not track users across the web. Instead, we use cookies on social plug-ins to personalise content (e.g. show you what your friends liked), to help maintain and improve what we do (e.g. measure click-through rate), or for safety and security (e.g. keeping underage kids from trying to sign up with a different age). No information we receive when you see a social plug-in is used to target ads, we delete or anonymise this information within 90 days, and we never sell your information.” well considering these cookies work when your logged out of facebook i would call it tracking. Facebook has another issue haunting them and that is they refuse to shut rape page run by schoolboy. Seriously they think this is right and proper?
We also had an actress Iranian actress Marzieh Vafamehr who was sentenced to 9o lashes and 12 months in prison for her part in an australian produced film “My Tehran for Sale”.
We also had the Anniversary of the Bali bombings. on that day Deadly car and suicide bombs ripped through two Kuta nightclubs , killing 202 people including 88 Australians. Ceremonies were held across the nation to mark the ninth anniversary.
In Government news the Labour party had a win with the carbon tax bill and a loss with the immigration proposal. well to me its a loose lose situation. Firstly with the carbon tax, some low income earners will be worse off despite the compensation package offered by the government. As for the proposal to deal with the assylum seekers, well what can i say? both parties agree that off shore processing is whats needed yet here we are back to processing them onshore, which the people smugglers will no doubt take advantage of , so we can expect to see more arriving now. this will result in overcrowding in the detention centers. and some living outside the centers while they wait for processing.
Finally there is the 14 year old boy who while on vacation with his parents in Bali, who found himself arrested for possession of drugs. He has tested positive for drugs and will be transfered to Kerobokan jail for processing. Dr Asrorum Niam says a judge can order the 14-year-old into a drug rehabilitation program, instead of prison, but he says the teenager should be treated in Indonesia, not Australia. He says Indonesian officials need to monitor the treatment and would not know if the boy was complying with the court’s decision if he was allowed to return to Australia.
Well that is the week in review hopefully next week will be a bit lighter. Stay safe!
Samsung seeks iPhone ban in Australia – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Samsung Electronics says it is trying to block the sale of Apple’s newest iPhone in Australia and Japan, escalating its legal battle with the US giant after several setbacks.
Samsung says it has filed for preliminary injunctions in courts in New South Wales and Tokyo, seeking a ban on sales of the iPhone 4S on the grounds it infringes Samsung’s technology patents.
The South Korean firm says it is also seeking a sales ban on the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 in Japan, after Apple won a temporary ban on sales of Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet in Australia.
“Apple has continued to violate our patent rights and free-ride on our technology. We will no longer stand idly by and will steadfastly protect our intellectual property,” Samsung said.
The filing in Japan cites infringement of technology patents, Samsung said, accusing Apple of also violating in Australia three of its wireless technologies essential for operating mobile phones.
via Samsung seeks iPhone ban in Australia – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
UPDATE: Bali, 14 year old on drug charges.
An Indonesian prosecutor says The Australian teenager accused of buying marijuana in Bali will be transferred to Kerobokan jail for processing.Prosecutors had said they would not object to the boy, from Morisset Park north of Newcastle, being released into his parents’ care until his case goes to court.They now say he will be taken to the same prison as Schapelle Corby and the Bali Nine before lawyers can appeal to have him temporarily released as a minor.
The head of Indonesia’s Child Protection Commission says the Australian teenager should be kept in Indonesia for rehabilitation.Dr Asrorum Niam says a judge can order the 14-year-old into a drug rehabilitation program, instead of prison, but he says the teenager should be treated in Indonesia, not Australia. He says Indonesian officials need to monitor the treatment and would not know if the boy was complying with the court’s decision if he was allowed to return to Australia.
The head of Bali’s drug squad, Superintendent Mulyadi, says the boy is in good health.He confirmed the 14-year-old will be moved to another location once prosecutors receive the summary of evidence against him.
“We are waiting for the request and then we will find a suitable custody for the minor,He’s still here for a while for sure until the P21 process is complete,”
He said referring to the summary of evidence documents which police are in the process of compiling.It could still be weeks before the summary of evidence is presented to prosecutors, but the lawyer for the boy has previously said that he is hopeful it will be presented by the end of the week.
Police have completed their investigation but cannot present their evidence until they receive a crucial report from welfare officers from the Indonesian corrections department who interviewed the boy last Friday.
Under article 128 of Indonesian narcotics laws, those caught with a small amount of the drug are able to be released if they are defined as a frequent user.The boy would still face court, but his parents would have to ensure he completed his rehabilitation. If they fail to report regularly, they could be jailed instead for up to six months. But the case to have the boy released for rehabilitation instead of being sent to jail still needs to be proven in court.
Video http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-17/boy-set-for-notorious-bali-jail/3575754
Spot of fun with a Dash of Serious 