Monday, January 19, 2009

BLOGS: Caroline gives Indian Parsees a good slap ...

It seems slapping an ALP candidate at the last federal election wasn't good enough for Caroline Overington, blogger for The Australian. Overington now decides that the best way to defend Jews from collective calumny is to impose some collective calumny on Indian Parsees.

Overington disputes the following claims written in a recent column for The Age:
The Parsees of India might provide a model. The Parsees are a very tiny, very rich ethnic and religious minority. They own perhaps most of the land in central Mumbai as well as the country’s largest conglomerate. And yet ordinary Indians admire and
respect them. Violence against them is unthinkable ...

Their overriding characteristic is a deep interest in the welfare of others. They have established hospitals, libraries, schools, museums and many other institutions and, most importantly, not for the Parsee community exclusively but for everyone.
To rebut this claim, Overington cites that great and most reliable resource - Wikipedia - to claim Parsees are self-centred and not as selfless as they are made out to be:
Well, actually no, as this article points out:
Parsi-only fertility clinic has been set up in Mumbai to encourage the community to reproduce itself.

Perhaps Caroline should travel to India and Pakistan and see what important work Parsees are doing in the fields of health, education and other philanthropy before she next maligns this minority community.

There are generous philanthropic Jews, Christians, Muslims, Parsees, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, athiests etc etc. Anyone can be generous. And anyone can have an ulterior motive for their generosity. Which religion teaches people not to be generous?

Caroline could have made that point without collectively slapping one particular group. In attacking what she felt was someone else's bigotry, she exposed her own.

With friends like Overington, unconditional supporters of Israel don't need enemies.

UPDATE I: It seems that those nasty racist anti-Jewish anti-Israeli Israelis have now joined the neo-Nazi bandwagon. Margaret Simons' blog The Content Makers reports about a rather nasty anti-Semitic anti-Israeli column that appeared on this mainstream Israeli website which apparently is:
... the website of the country’s largest circulating newspaper.
Simons was tipped off about this offensive vicious anti-Semitic diatribe by:
... an Israeli-Australian who ... points out that [the Backman piece] is mild in the extreme compared to some of what is published in the Israeli media.
Here are some lengthy excerpts from this disgraceful column ...
Our reputation – our fault
Israelis' violent, vulgar behavior abroad is root of growing hatred towards us that has nothing to do with anti-Semitism
Yehuda Nuriel
Published: 12.06.08
If you continue the trek a little further, you can encounter the women of the Dao tribe, who have learned to say "Come and fuck me" in Hebrew. Yes, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was right – these women's teachers were asses. No, actually why insult the asses? Their teachers were plain Israelis like me and you.
The global traveling season is now at its peak. Hordes of tourists are storming Thailand and Laos, South America and Kenya. And the battle has already been decided. The Israeli, any Israeli, has become an icon of evilness, ugliness, corruption and exploitation. There is no use searching for ways to change the behavior of Israelis abroad. This is a lost cause.

Worsening reputation

Travel Independent (www.travelindependent.info) is the online Mecca for tourists worldwide. The website offers accurate, concise and helpful reviews on any destination in the world.

And this is what the site has to say about us in its summary on India: "Aside from Indians you will find travels from all over Europe, USA and Australia/NZ, including as in Nepal/Thailand and South America, a large number of Israelis many of whom are fresh out of the army and seem to do everything they can to further worsen their reputation with locals and foreigners alike."

Travel Independent isn't anti-Semitic. As a travel destination, it gives Israel very warm recommendations. The Hmong women aren't anti-Semitic as well, and neither are the people of Japan, Peru or Tanzania, or most of the western travelers who witness this humiliation.

A new form of hatred towards Israelis is developing among people who don't even have a clue where the country is. An "anti-Semitism" that has nothing to do with God or Judaism.

Years of cultural corruption

For his part, the Israeli traveler goes out of his way not to be identified as an Israeli, not due to security concerns but simply for fear he will not be welcome. And he makes great efforts not to go where other Israelis go, not for the sake of exclusiveness, but simply because he knows that his countrymen will be the first ones to screw him over.

The Israeli pig is the product of years-long and ongoing cultural corruption. He will force the locals to watch episodes from the reality show "the Big Brother" and give them Israeli nick-names just for laughs.

His language is poor, and he is utterly uninterested in broadening his horizons. He is hostile towards Arabs and hostile towards foreigners in general and feels obligated to cheat them whenever he can (empty the open buffet; sneak six people into a double room at night so as not to come out "a sucker.") He takes over drug and women trafficking hubs just for the sense of power and bullying.

And this image can no longer be altered. Look at them and see us: a violent horde that treats the world as yet another policing mission, a destination that needs to be conquered and subdued.

No wonder that in Hebrew the verb "to do" refers both to the act of sexual conquest and to the completion of the Israeli traveler's tough, military-style trip abroad: "I did Bolivia."
I urge The Australian to immediately commission an editorial asking whether such anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic comments really reflect the opinions of the editors of Yedioth Ahronoth. There's absolutely no doubt that the amount of anti-Israel and/or anti-Semitic material in Israeli newspapers has just gone too far.

I mean, seriously! Fancy Israeli writers and journalists and newspapers publishing articles critical of Israelis! What next? Will we see Islamophobic anti-Muslim sectarian bigots like this disgraceful character write and publish articles critical of Muslims, Muslim countries and Muslim community leaders?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Irfan,

Seeing as you lack the courage to post comments at my site under your own name, I’m returning your latest batch.

Cheers,

Tim

Peter, where does it say that martyrs get 72 virgins in heaven? The Gympie Times?

AK, you are a communist. Because in the eyes of the lunatic Right, anyone who isn't part of their club is a communist. The sad thing is that outside the US and Israel, it really is only the lunatic Right that blindly defend the Israeli military indefensible. So enjoy your status as a communist secure in the knowledge that having wackos like RebeccaH and Danny "Muslims are all evil" Lewis attack you does some serious good to your credibility.And next time you post something, ignore the "Publications guidelines". Tim and others at the Tele do. That's why the Tele got into huge trouble over some comments attacking judges some months back. And soon there could be more trouble ...... then again, if all else fails, Tim can always go back and work for [i]The Bulletin[/i] ...

Jordan, not all Muslims were outraged. Quite a few thought it was a storm in a teacup. What damage can 12 cartoons do to the honour of a man adored by millions? Though it was ironic that the same newspaper refused to print a cartoon depicting Christ in a certain way. Free speech only works as far as protecting one's own rights to try and defend others. It doesn't apply when one risks being offended.Further, Jordan, don't expect the likes of Daniel Lewis to move to Israel. His sole contribution to Zionism and Israel consists of writing racist diatribe on blogs and hysterical letters to the editor from his comfortable surrounds of Rushcutters Bay. Danny-boy is an armchair Zionist.For some real entertainment, go to the Australian Jewish News letters pages and see how Jewish readers find Daniel's imbecilic anti-Arab and anti-Muslim line so embarrassing and offensive. Anyone who thinks all Israel supporters think like Danny should think again.

I again encourage sensible readers (the few that choose to read the rants published here) to visit the Australian Jewish News website's letters section. See how many AJN readers are embarrassed by Danny's sycophantic and racist nonsense. Danny believes the only way to defend Israel is to make racist comments about Palestinians and Arabs.

So Jeff, I take it you have taken the long flight from Tewantin to Gaza in recent times?

Anonymous said...

Here are some more:

[i]"The Age is damaged beyond repair."[/i]But that won't stop Danny Lewis from submitting racist anti-Palestinian letters to the editor of The Age.

[quote][i]Muslims kill non-Muslims in dozens of countries.[/i][/quote][b]Letter to The Australian, Daniel Lewis, 10/01/09.[/b]Isn't it curious how bigotry always sounds the same, regardless of who it is directed at?

It will be interesting to see if the Tele apologises when a group of Palestinians sues Nationwide News for comments left on this blog.

Now that really is racist trash. Jordan, are you sure you're not a troll?

Daniel, I thought you were allergic to politeness. Woops, I forgot. Backman isn't a Muslim and/or Arab and/or Palestinian.

GerardB, you obviously don't read any of Janet Albrechtsen's columns in The Oz. Or any stuff by John Stone of that moronic Canadian theatre critic who wants to be as funny as PJ O'Rourke but doesn't have sufficient brain cells.

He should have also mentioned that Israel regularly cuts power and water off to Gazans. Israel also enforces a blockade so that basic medicines cannot get into Gaza. So lovely of Israel. So philanthropic.As for Caroline, the last encounter she had with a Jew was on election day wheen she slapped him in the face. Perhaps her blog posts represented some kind of compensation ...

Anonymous said...

And the rest:

[i]The various blogs at The Australian are home to some of the countries biggest moonbats, antisemites and unemployable nutjobs.[/i]Were you looking in the mirror when you typed these lines, Danny-boy? :lol:

[i]So, in other words, they’d publish a blatantly bigoted anti-Muslim scribe?Somehow, I don’t think so.[/i] That's what Mr Blair's blog and News Limited tabloids are for, RebeccaH. You can print and blog as much anti-Muslim stuff as you like here. Plus the Herald publishes the likes of Paul Sheehan and Miranda Devine.Thanks to all this venom, the tabloid polls showed most Aussies wanna ban the hijab. I guess more orthodox Jewish women will have to stop wearing hea scarves and start wearing wigs.

Barrie, are you a follower of that racist xenophobe, the late Meir Kahane? The only people I've heard talk about "Judea and Samaria" are Meir Kahane's followers.

What were the ridiculous statements?

Wow, time for Danny Lewis to make some remark about 1.2 billion Moslems being in some conspiracy to drown the world in violence and blood. Danny? You there?

Irf said...

Gee, Tim. I'd have thought having posts like that on your blog would have reduced the legal liability you and your buddies have exposed your employer to. Whoever posted these comments was perhaps doing you a favour.

Anonymous said...

Irfan, you nasty bitch, you! Leaving anonymous posts on Blair's blog. As if anyone else on Blair's blog does that. And now you've hurt the poor chap's feelings.

LOL

Anonymous said...
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Irf said...

Far out, Tim. Did you bring one of your cheer squad with you?

Anonymous said...

"Whoever posted these comments ..."

Are you claiming it wasn't you, Irfy? Lies make baby Mohammed cry.

Irf said...

Tim, a few points:

1. Who on earth is "baby Mohammed"?

2. Do you refuse the posts of all those who don't use real names? Or is it just that your friends have rather unusual and highly abbreviated names?

3. Why don't we discuss this matter in the presence of your Editor-in-Chief and Roger Coombs? And perhaps a Nationwide News in-house lawyer. I might even arrange for a Human Rights Commissioner to be there. It should be an interesting discussion.

4. Do you think people with Parkinson's disease and/or MS will appreciate your joke about Muhammad Ali's health?

Anonymous said...

Excellent response Irfan. It is clear that someone above is rattled by your excellent blog posts and is getting their knickers in a knot over it. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

1. Who on earth is "baby Mohammed"?

You've not heard a similar line about baby Jesus? Oh, well. Joke wasted.

2. Do you refuse the posts of all those who don't use real names? Or is it just that your friends have rather unusual and highly abbreviated names?

As someone who seeks to be prominent in public debate, you should own your views instead of playing stupid internet games by using fake names. It's childish. Other commenters don't publish columns or appear on TV or radio. You do, so grow up. Try to live by the standards that you demand of others.

3. Why don't we discuss this matter in the presence of your Editor-in-Chief and Roger Coombs? And perhaps a Nationwide News in-house lawyer. I might even arrange for a Human Rights Commissioner to be there. It should be an interesting discussion.

No discussion with you is interesting, Irfan, unless the subject is pathological dishonesty. Then you'd be a fascinating case study.

4. Do you think people with Parkinson's disease and/or MS will appreciate your joke about Muhammad Ali's health?

It was an old-guy joke. You may have seen one or two during the election campaign, about John McCain.

Irf said...

1. I never knew such a joke existed.

2. Mr Blair, I don't seek to be prominent in anything. This isn't my bread and butter. I only do this because there are chronic racists who love generating hatred toward certain communities with whom I have some affiliation. I'm not a media professional. You hold yourself out to be a commentator and media professional. You do this for a living. And by publishing racist, anti-Semitic, Muslim-phobic and bigotted nonsense on a blog hosted by Nationwide News, you are exposing your employero to unnecessary legal liability. The fact that you defame me and allow others to do so on a blog published by Nationwide News is neither here or there. I still have at least a few months to decide on whether to pursue anything, againt whom and in what jurisdiction. But when you allow entire groups to be defamed, you deserve whatever legal ramifications will come to you.

3. You're in no position to judge my honesty. Personal attacks only make your arguments look shallow. And if you wish to do a no-show, that's fine. I'll contact Mr Coombs myself.

4. So you make jokes about old blokes with Parkinson's disease. And then you ask me to "grow up". I guess that says it all ...

Anonymous said...
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