Islamists, Bugger Off!
The Australians have the right idea. Via Snopes:
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. The same should be done in the United States.A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. On the other hand President Bush hires security people from the UAE (United Arab Emirates of all places) to "secure" our nations ports.
It's nice to know that at least one democracy in the world can appreciate the separation of church and state. Treasurer Peter Costello hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on national television. "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian law and another the Islamic law, that this is false.
If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law, and have the opportunity to go to another country which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option," Costello said.
Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked move to the other country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off". "Basically, people who don't want to be Australians, and they don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can basically clear off," he said.
Wada minute... Howard's out of office. And if I read the Blair blog correctly (and maybe not, things have drifted leftward.
The new guy's response to these matters is indeterminate at this distance.
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at October 4, 2008 12:23 AM
Somebody - forget who - pointed to this link today. And even if they are no longer this way, it's how things should be. In Western nations across the globe. Western civ doesn't suit you? Bugger off!
Amy Alkon at October 4, 2008 1:48 AM
I hear ya, just sayin'... When I was kid in Indiana, and while typing this sentence now it becomes apparent how much things have changed... But back in the civil rights era, there were a lot of ugly people whose response to school integration was "Bus 'em back to Africa!" (Younger blog readers have probably never seen that sentence before.) And this wasn't sensible rhetoric then, and I'm not sure it's sensible rhetoric now.
I don't believe in magic, but I do think the United States has comic-book superpowers in terms of bringing people up to speed on modern life. We're certainly better at it than anyone else in the world.
So we have this shared basement in our place, and there was junk in it a couple years ago, so I called a handyman from the Valley to come haul it away in a little pickup truck. He was a middle easterner, pretty obviously first generation, though I have no idea where he was from. He had his son with him. After they loaded the stuff they waited a couple minutes for me to get the check signed and bring it down. When I came around the corner they were waiting in this tiny Toyota pickup. The teenage son was in the drivers seat with some THOMPIN' rap echoing through the garage, and Dad was sitting with patient resignation in the seat next to him.
The son had been, in the Mafia sense, "Made." He was in for life, American through-and-through, dreaming of sex with Beyonce and of wearing enough bling to impress his imaginary best friend, P-Diddy.
My nephews sent me to hear this song from a Brit born to Sri Lankan Tamils. The lyrics include references to printing fake visas (apparently she had some trouble getting into the States and is still pissed off about it). You'll hear more gunshots than you can count, always answered with a cash register...
But when you look at theme of the whole thing, she's not trying to overthrow the government or anything, she just wants to make money, and young people are supposed to want to make money.
What I'm saying is, we're likely to see freaky shit in the years ahead. Keep an eye on Dearborn. But let's not panic. We have powerful tools.
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at October 4, 2008 2:46 AM
The difference was that African Americans wanted to integrate into (white) society, and Muslims don't. That makes it sensible to tell those who don't want to be here, that they can leave.
Chrissy at October 4, 2008 7:55 AM
"Western civ doesn't suit you? Bugger off!"
I like it! And once we get the Islamists out the door, can we turn our attention to those who want Western Civ banned from the academe?
Gordon at October 4, 2008 4:40 PM
@Amy...
Crid is correct. The article is at least a year old.
I'm a member of the party now in power and can assure you that they will pander to Islam in exactly the same way many European governments have been doing. Our direction is likely to be very similar to that of the Blair government.
We are currently importing countless "interns" in the medical and pharmaceutical professions. Virtually all of them are being sourced from Muslim countries.
gwallan at October 4, 2008 6:36 PM
Ah, it is in fact three years old.
gwallan at October 4, 2008 6:38 PM
Not letting in people who don't appreciate the values of a culture makes a lot of sense.
The problem is, how do you determine what the values of a culture are? I think this is the big stumbling block.
Also, what do you do with the John Lindh Walkers of the world? As far as I'm concerned, he's an American, was born American, and should be allowed to stay in America... even if that means prison. So I, personally, wouldn't mind a double standard between native-born Americans and immigrants. We keep our own home-grown fruits and nuts, but don't let any more in.
But again, how are we going to define what the "mainstream values" are? And wouldn't that vary from state to state? Any ideas about how to implement it? Or is it like porn, we know it when we see it?
NicoleK at October 6, 2008 8:18 AM
Cool, very cool! We need more leaders with balls. More's the pity that he's no longer in office.
Nicole, you don't have to get that detailed. Want sharia court, go wlive in one of the theocracies where it's the law of the land. Here freedom is. Let's fucking keep it that way and rule number one your mosque is separate from the state.
T's Grammy at October 8, 2008 10:21 AM
Canada banned sharia in 2005, and with it Catholic & Jewish tribunals, so they're pissed off now too. It's secular law for everybody!
Chrissy at October 12, 2008 10:03 AM
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