Category Archives: Australia

Ed Husic shrugs off Facebook abuse after swearing in with Qur’an

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ed Husic sworn inAustralia’s first Muslim frontbencher said vitriolic and bigoted abuse posted on his Facebook page had not diminished the joy of his historic swearing-in as a federal parliamentary secretary.

Ed Husic, federal Labor MP for Chifley, was appointed on Monday as parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, Kevin Rudd, and parliamentary secretary for broadband.

Husic, the son of Bosnian migrants, was the first MP to be sworn in to federal parliament with his hand on a copy of the Qur’an. The religious text belonged to Husic’s father.

Husic told media on Tuesday afternoon that he had made a “straightforward decision as someone of the Muslim faith” to take the oath on the Qur’an. “I couldn’t take my oath on a Bible and I didn’t want to affirm. I am who I am and I just made a straightforward decision,” he said.

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Australian Defence Force investigates sexist and Islamophobic Facebook posts

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Australian Defence Force is investigating whether serving military personnel are linked to offensive Facebook pages that included grossly sexist and anti-Muslim posts.

Facebook pages emerged in recent days that appear connected to serving and former soldiers based in Townsville and refer to local women as “sluts”. One of the Facebook groups is titled “Big Tits Don’t Count If Ya Fat”.

One page includes posters stating “Death to all illegal immo’s” and “We have seen enough of Islam. Nuke Mecca”, with a picture of a stealth bomber flying over the annual Muslim Haj pilgrimage. Another states, “Thanks for burning this evil Quran”, above a pile of ashes.

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Gene Simmons calls Muslims ‘vile’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Gene SimmonsLegendary rock legend Gene Simmons sparked outrage in Australia earlier this month when he made anti-Muslim comments on a Melbourne radio station.

“This is a vile culture and if you think for a second that it’s willing to just live in the sands of God’s armpit, you’ve got another thing coming,” the Israeli-born musician said on Melbourne’s 3AW radio.

“They want to come and live right where you live and they think that you’re evil. Extremism believes that it’s okay to strap bombs onto your children and send them to paradise and whatever else and to behead people,” he continued.

The Kiss bassist, who was in Australia on tour, continued on his anti-Muslim rant for over a minute stating that dogs were treated better than Muslim women, and insinuating that the West was under threat.

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Queensland: CCTV of man who abused Muslim woman over hijab

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Bundaberg CCTV image

A city supermarket at the centre of a racially motivated verbal attack on an ethnic woman by another shopper has released CCTV footage of the confrontation.

The NewsMail ran a story in Saturday’s paper after speaking to Wendy Fay, who witnessed the woman being abused by a drunken man for wearing a scarf inside the Bundaberg Plaza Supa IGA last Wednesday.

Miss Fay said the man had repeatedly yelled, “you’re in Australia now, you can’t wear that sh*t on your head”, while other shoppers watched on silently.

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Australia: Local council threatened because it ‘supports Islamic jihad and sharia law’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Baw Baw Says NO to HalalA Gippsland council in south-east Victoria is receiving threatening letters from members of an anti-Islamic Facebook group over its halal program. The Facebook page uses the Baw Baw Shire official logo, contains anti-Islamic commentary and says the shire supports Islamic jihad and sharia law.

The group’s co-founder, Drouin resident Dianne Summerfield, says she set up the page because she is against the shire’s halal program, which helps local businesses become halal accredited. She says people are sending threatening letters to Baw Baw Shire councillors and staff because they are frustrated.

“To really look into … that having halal is the implementation of sharia law and once sharia law is instated into this country it brings on more problems than we know what to do with,” she said. “A lot of people are unaware in Australia of halal practices and sharia law and it’s to alert everybody … what this certification is all about … because this is Australia, we’re not a Muslim nation.”

The Baw Baw Shire Council declined to comment because it is afraid its spokesman will become the target of threats.

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Australian Muslim teenager claims she was held against her will by service station worker in perceived racist attack

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Teenager Hafsah Negussie claims she was held against her will at a Brisbane service station after a worker confused company policy and refused to serve her.

Ms Negussie, a Muslim who wears a veil while in public, said she tried to pay for her goods and go, but claimed the attendant locked the doors when she attempted to leave.

The incident, which occurred at a BP service station on Brisbane’s southside in December last year, was reported to police but no official report was filed until Ms Negussie came forward again in April.

“I’m Australian, I was born and raised here, I know my rights. It’s so horrific,” Ms Negussie said.

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Australia: Murdoch newspaper commissions article from Wilders on Boston bombings

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Fox News has disgraced itself over its coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing by providing a platform for a succession of notorious Islamophobes to whip up fear and hatred of Muslims. Not to be outdone, the Murdoch-owned newspaper The Australian has commissioned a piece from Geert Wilders on the subject.

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Australian Defence Force takes action against bigot

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Bernard GaynorControversial former Katter’s Australian Party member Bernard Gaynor has been charged by the Australian Defence Force over comments he made about Islam and the ADF’s participation in the 2013 Mardi Gras.

Mr Gaynor, an Army Reservist intelligence officer, said he was called to appear before his unit this morning where he was charged with seven offences including three counts of failure to comply with an order, three counts of prejudicial conduct and one count of disobeying a lawful command.

“Basically what I have been charged for is failing to comply with orders and for bringing the ADF into disrepute because I have suggested that the ADF understand Islam and why it leads some people to conduct violent activities and also because I criticised the ADF’s decision to march in the Mardi Gras,” he said. “I was requested to come into my unit this morning.”

Mr Gaynor said he would fight the charges, which are due to heard on May 3.

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Doveton mosque row heads to tribunal

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Doveton No Mosque sign

The controversial Doveton mosque is headed for a hearing at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal after its planning permit was declared invalid last week.

Casey Council issued a permit for the mosque, in Green Street, earlier this month after the VCAT advised it had received no objections.

However, at a brief hearing at the VCAT on Thursday, deputy commissioner Helen Gibson acknowledged that Catch the Fire Ministries, which plans to build its new church and headquarters next to the mosque site, had lodged an appeal within the required 21 days. She said the permit was therefore invalid and must be revoked. Ms Gibson apologised to the church group and the council for the error.

Catch the Fire’s objection will be heard at the VCAT in July on a date yet to be set.

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