Give me western culture any day. Even if it is just Mark Steyn’s Song of the
Week.
I agree with him. Give me Western culture any day. I’d rather live north of the Sydney Harbour Bridge than in suburban Karachi. And I’m the first to criticise leaders of nominally Muslim states, local Muslim leaders, terrorist goons, imbecilic Muslim protestors, quiescent Muslims slow to condemn terrorism from among their ranks, Muslim societies that oppress women and local thick-Sheiks.
I also have no problems with respecting and even participating in non-Muslim religious events.
But it makes me sick in the stomach when I see allegedly conservative politicians and media suggest that preserving Western values and further the goals of national security means generating hatred toward and derision of anything even remotely related to my ethno-religious heritage.
And it makes me even sicker when Steyn speaks and writes that the best way to stop people converting to Islam is to convince them that it’s better and cooler to be Australian or Canadian or English or French than to be Muslim. As if you cannot be Muslim and Aussie or English at the same time.
Western culture is my culture, and doesn’t conflict with my religious heritage. If Steyn and his fellow travellers cannot accept the pluralism of Western culture, they should find another culture.
I respect and support what the CIS does, and I don’t expect them to always invite imams and Muslim apologists. But having Steyn on stage is as offensive to Muslims as having David Irving on stage would be to Jews. But to be fair, one of the CIS’s own senior scholars (Owen Harries) deftly demolished Steyn’s entire argument.
If the CIS are genuine about open and honest debate, they should at least enable an unedited transcript of the entire function to be made available to the public. Unedited. Leave all the ugly bits in. Including the altercation between Steyn and myself. Including the bits where Steyn gives advice on how to stop people converting to Islam. Including where Steyn describes Islam as an “apocalyptic” faith engulfing Europe, and that Islam cannot exist in a pluralistic society.
(And also leave unedited the brilliant surgical analysis of Owen Harries as well.)
Steyn aked me to look into my heart and ask who is committing the terrorist acts and why. I know who they are. And if Steyn could look into their hearts, he'd see that his rhetoric fills the bin-Ladins and Zawahiris with joy.
Steyn’s attempts to marginalise and demonise Muslims will only serve the interests of al-Qaida in the long run. Terrorist recruiters want ordinary Muslim citizens of Western countries to feel alienated, saying: “They hate you. They’ll never accept you. Come and join us”.
If I believed everything I read and hear from Mark Steyn reflects official government policy, I’d probably believe them. Steyn is doing al-Qaida’s work, whether he accepts it or not.
13 comments:
Yes, we really must have more English and Australian Muslims, so they can fly on planes to the USA, and blow them up.
Death To America!
Thanks for that comment, Banjo.
Irf said:
I also have no problems with respecting and even participating in non-Muslim religious events.
That is the point which you miss every time. You live in a secular state - there will be non-Muslim events. The good thing for you and your fellow travellers is that this tolerant, Western, secularised state allows you to practice your faith as you choose.
I'm an alcoholic - how do you think I would go down on the corner with my bottle of wine in Riyadh?
natural-law student (IY pseudo)is really missing the point.
If he and that other bastard fat paki slug want to piss off and leave our country, then they are free to do so.
If they remain here, however, we will fight tooth and nail to have them deported and removed from our proud white country.
The only good muslim is a dead muslim.
You're in luck.
The CIS have published a transcript.
Now everyone can see what was really said, and why both you and Loewenstein misrepresented Steyn quite badly.
The tracsript has been edited. I took notes throughout the proceedings. They have particularly edited the bit where the girl asks him about converts.
There are still strong traces of islamophobia that have survived despite the editing. I suspect the CIS may have edited the transcript after obtaining legal advice.
Given the controversy surrounding the night, the CIS should also have allowed downloading or streaming of the actual recording. Then again, that's easy to edit also.
Steyn also shows some quite chronic degrees of ignorance of Islamic theology. In saying this, I can only presume he wasn't trying to deliberately misrepresent theology in the way Cardinal Pell seems to have.
If Steyn's only message was that Muslim citizens of the West will have trouble assimilating because Western culture is lost and there is nothing to assimilate to, I'd say it was a harmless and clever but deluded argument.
But Steyn went beyond that, saying that Islam itself (and not just a small minority of Muslims) was the problem.
I disagree with Steyn in relation to Western culture losing its identity to multiculturalism. Owen Harries put it well by reminding us that "in my father's house there are many mansions".
I grew up in the 1970's when multiculturalism was taking baby steps. I grew older as it developed. And I myself find some parts of it distasteful.
But to blame all these untasteful manifestations on all people who happen to have Muslim heritage is nonsense.
People talk about Muslims needing to stand up and condemn terror. When I made the suggestion of the possible mass-expulsion of Muslims from Australia, not a single person in the hall ande certainly none of the speakers stood up and said that this simply would never happen. Not one.
More later.
You went to see Mark Steyn with a huge chip on both shoulders.
Your note-taking would have reflected this.
The audio will be available on the ABC at some point - presumably also for download. At that point will you concede anything? Or will the ABC also have edited it "on legal advice"?
For what it's worth, you were also convinced that afternoon that you didn't shout "please do" when Mark Steyn said he could drop dead. You attempted to intimidate and bully a complete stranger (who asked a question after you, referring to it) with threats of a lawsuit until at least a dozen people confirmed what they too had heard. You are in denial Irfan. Get over it.
The tracsript has been edited.
Yeah right, just like they've magically edited Mark Steyn's writings so that they've removed him saying 3000 Muslims took a sickie on September 11.
Are you yet to approve my comment in " The Banana Monarchy?", or do you have a problem with me pointing out that Keating used the phrase in 1986, not 1996?
I note you have not yet approved my comment regarding your harrassment of an audience member at the CIS forum.
Irf sounds like a Big Brother contestant, whinging and whining about being edited.
The truth can sometimes hit people like a slap in the face, Irf, you have been slapped for your islamism.
OK, everyone, don't get so paranoid. If I couldn't moderate comments straight away, it doesn't mean I want to silence you (including persons too gutless to reveal their identity.
It's just that I have a life. I tend not to spend every waking hour moderating comments sent to this blog.
Andjam, good to see you at least have some guts. I will get that reference to you when I can find some spare time.
Anon @ 714, I am not sure what you mean by "islamism". If you mean having a roughly Muslim heritage, yes, this is something I cannot deny. If you mean subscribing to the politics of bin-Ladin, you might like to provide some evidence from stuff I have written which evidences this.
Anon @ 940am, Can you please provide your recollection of the conversation between me and the person I allegedly bullied. Also advise of where you were standing in relation to myself and this person. And if you have some backbone, why not just log in so we know who you are.
Muslims do, and should now get very paranoid.
The people of Australia demand MUSLIMS OUT!
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