UPDATE: More of my tendentious writing ...

A certain tabloid columnist recently described my writing as tendentious. According to the AskOxford website, the word "tendentious" means: "calculated to promote a particular cause or point of view" The bulk of what I write is opinion and review. So obviously I do promote a point of view. As for whether I promote a cause, I wonder what possible objection the tabloid columnist in question would have to the causes promoted here, here, here and here.

Anyway, here is some of the stuff I've written recently ...


The events in Islamabad shook all of us. The disgusting and cowardly attacks against civilians brought home yet again the fact that terrorism affects all people regardless of background, ethnicity and faith. My take on these dastardly acts appeared in The Age here, as well as on the Brisbane Times website here.
The New Zealand Herald published this piece I wrote about Western silence on the continued attacks by (pseudo-)Hindu militants against Indian Christians.


A recent piece I wrote for Crikey on the documentary Embedded With Sheikh Hilaly broadcast on SBS on 23 September 2008 appears here.

UPDATE I: In relation to The Age article, I received correspondence from Professor William Shepard, who taught religious studies at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Professor Shepard is fluent in written and spoken Arabic (both classical and modern) and is regarded as a world authority on the work of Syed Qutb. Here is what Professor Shepard said ...

Good article, but let me point out that Ramadan is not one of the "sacred months" when there is to be no fighting. I believe they are Dhu-Qa‘da, Dhul-Hijja, Muharram and Rajab. I might add that it is not only the "post-modern left" have hijacked terrorism studies but also the neo-conservative right.

Thanks to Professor Shepard for his correction and comment.

UPDATE II: A Kiwi chap named Bill wrote this response to my NZ Herald article ...

I have just read the article by Irfan Yusuf your associate editor in the NZ Herald 22/8/08. May I congratulate him for his courage and honesty. I have never seen an article in a New Zealand paper criticizing Hindu and Muslim extremist and government actions against Christian minorities in Asia (especially those who have changed or wish to change their religion). It blew me away! Our politicians and Western media are too secular, anti-Christian and self-interested as well as being scared of the political and trade consequences. Coming from Mr Yusuf they carry great weight and are overdue.

I have often thought of contacting our government or some authorities in Asia over this long standing tragedy but have been warned off as it might put local Christians in danger from Islamic and Hindu government security police who constantly harass them or from violent religious extremists. If your protest is taken to heart it will go a long way to right a wrong and convince us that Islam's claim to be a peace loving and tolerant religion isn't just words. However I'm afraid I won't be holding my breath waiting as it has been allowed to become so ingrained and widespread.

Well done! I respect you for your stand for what is right.

Yes, tendentious writing indeed!

UPDATE III: In relation to the Crikey piece, one chap named Tony had this response on the Crikey website ...

The Hilaly 'documentary' was an exercise in opportunism which didn't work for either the sheikh or the interviewer because both were so clearly inept in the art of ingenuous communication. What positive outcome this show could possibly have delivered remains a mystery, as does the steady decline of the SBS ethos to report intelligently on our multicultural society. I can hear dopes prattle incomprehensibly any day of the week. Both these clowns should retire.

I guess all this controversy about the program will do wonders for the ratings. Once again, SBS will be laughing all the way to the bank! Given their positive nett contribution to television in Australia, good luck to them.

Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf


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MEDIA: The long journey from getting red-faced on Channel 9 ...

Some 2 decades ago, a young Melbourne uni student named Ahmed performed before a live studio audience on the “Red Faces” segment of the Channel 9 classic Hey Hey! It’s Saturday show. (You remember? That show featuring Daryl Sommers, some big ostrich and a host of other stars.)

I remember that Egyptian kid copping plenty of flack from religious elders. Back in those days, the whole idea of using popular culture to break down stereotypes was just a little too cutting edge for middle-aged migrant male-dominated mosque committees.

Since then, mosque elders have told some rather bad jokes about why swimsuit models (or at least Muslim ones) shouldn’t take off their veils. In doing so, at best they’ve unnecessarily turned their communities into a national laughing stock. Things weren’t helped by over-the-top and irrational responses to the Danish cartoons.

But last night, a bunch of young Muslim Melbournians proved once and for all that mufti day is well and truly over, and that Muslims do have a sense of humour. Apart from the young Egyptian (now known as Dr Ahmed Hassan, a qualified ophthalmologist), new SBS talkshow Salam Café featured a couple of young stand-up comics, three charming hostesses, an author and a guy who is, quite literally, one major son-of-a-mufti.

Compeer Ahmed Imam, whose dad was appointed Australia’s Mufti last June, had the audience in near-hysterics as he helped guest and funnyman Dave Hughes dress up in the ceremonial robes and headgear of a mufti.

Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf

CRIKEY: Why bagging The Chaser is bad policy

While the pollies and the tabloids have been going nuts over the ABC Chaser team’s celebrity obituary song, it seems the voters (or at least the viewers) couldn’t give a dead rat’s Channel-10-newsreader’s-husband.

When I last checked, some 74% of voters surveyed by News Limited didn’t find the song offensive. Now I know these polls are notoriously inaccurate, but they do illustrate that even tabloid readers are capable of seeing through a beat-up. And good on News Limited for reporting this fact.

What young voters might find offensive is politicians bagging one of their main election resources. On SBS's Insight recently, Jenny Brockie found a large number of young people get their information on politics from shows like The Chaser. Here’s an excerpt:

JENNY BROCKIE: … And I'm interested in how some of you are getting your information in the run-up to this election. Mitch Gray, you're 18, you're voting for the first time. Tell me how you found out about APEC?

MITCH GRAY: 'Chaser'. I subscribe to it by iTunes. I didn't know anything about it until I watched 'Chaser' and for me all you hear about it was in the news, in the papers, how they shut off the whole Sydney CBD centre and you watched 'Chaser' jump out of the cars, chuck a couple of Canadian flags in, got all the way in, thought, "Well, we can't keep going," turned around, and you think about that, security-wise, it just, it's sort of a bit disheartening.

JENNY BROCKIE: Alright, so that became a major source of information for you, a satire program.

MITCH GRAY: Yeah, you always hear them paying out Rudd, Howard, you know, channel companies, because their policies are wrong or they're bad and they test-drive and things like that. That's where I get all my political information from.

JENNY BROCKIE: Do people get their information from comedy? Yeah, how many of you? Yeah, Doug.

DOUG GAUL: Basically from the 'Chaser' as well and whatever I catch. I watch a little bit of news and, um, basically I just think that youth's exposure to politics is very minimal as you grow up. I think a lot of it has to do with the way that you grow up at home. There's not a lot at school so basically it's what you take on yourself and what your parents show you.

These results aren't surprising. In the US, a number of studies have shown that young news consumers get much of their info from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Howard and Rudd should remember that before they lash out on The Chaser as they did yesterday -- and this morning.

First published in the Crikey daily alert on 19 October 2007.

Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf