Civil rights organisation slams anti-Islam group
by MV MediaSource: SMH
March 03 2011
An anti-Islamic group’s opposition to a weekly Muslim prayer session being held in Melbourne’s inner suburbs has been condemned by a civil liberties organisation, Liberty Victoria.
Q Society opposes what it calls the “Islamisation of Australia”, saying accommodating Islamic custom and law threatens Australia’s basic freedoms.
It has started a petition against a planning amendment at Melbourne’s Port Phillip Council that would formalise an existing weekly hour-long prayer session at a St Kilda community house.
Muslims have been praying at the weekly Friday session for years.
Liberty Victoria president Spencer Zifcak said Q Society’s campaign “bears all the hallmarks of a deliberate attempt to deny to one religion the freedom of religious belief accorded to every other religion”.
With a large Jewish community living in the St Kilda area, Professor Zifcak said Jewish groups in the area had welcomed the planning application but Q Society was arguing that allowing more Muslims to pray in the community house “would be contrary to social cohesion in the area where people of the Christian and Jewish faiths are in a majority”.
Prof Zifcak said the Islamic prayer group had been meeting without incident or concern for years.
A spokesperson for the Q Society has described it as “a group of individuals from varying backgrounds, of different cultural and religious persuasions who are committed to safeguard and promote Australia’s free, open and democratic society”.
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Honestly saying, you guys need to wake up to yourselves, put your ear to the ground, and attempt to see what is coming your way. This country is turning on you... you can claim racism, islamaphobia, etc... we have a history of war and genocide.. why would you come here and deliberatley provoke us? not smart.
Re Q ...Why ban them? Consider this. If you go to any Muslim dominated country you are expected to adhere to their customs of dress, especially women. Men my not speak fraternise or touch any muslim woman. If they want to come here, shouldn't they renounce their desert garb and face coverings and attempt to abide by our customs and mores?
Why do you need a Djalaba , or Bhurka in Australia? It is not Sharia law to wear this ridiculous style of clothing in this counhtry. I don't deny them their worship, but i do balk at their inability to attempt to live like Australians when they are taking our tax dollars in higher payouts than our senior citizens are paid. If they want to be Arabs of Muslim faith then be Arabs in their own country otherwise start assimilating now
If muslims dont wish to live like us and conform to our way of life send them them back to there own country of origion. all they do is bring violence, distruction, and abuse there women, get rid of the outdated garb they wear, there men should allow them to have a will of there own. Educate them to our way of life, stop trying to bring muslim ways here, they are not wanted.Change your thinking there is more to life than the koran, open your eyes, look around you, why cant you see what is happening around you. Muslims have never had it so good as they do in this country. Muslims have cost us millions of dollars but you still want more. Start thinking like educated people ,then perhaps you will be much happier. Get a job, pay your way and earn respect. Don't bring good muslims down with you, there are a lot of good muslims who wish to live in peace, . Pray to God for freedom of opression, isn't that what you came here for, or is it just the free lunch at Australians expense, don't take us for fools.
I think it's you that needs to be educated. You are ignorant about the muslims way of life. All your information must be based from the propaganda machine...the media... which dominates the western world. You can't obviously think for yourself. You are contradicting yourself by saying "muslims have cost us millions of dollars" and then again you say" Don't bring good muslims down with you,there are are alot of good muslims who wish to live in peace". Who are you referring to??Not following you very clearly ...shows your lack of education because you don't make any sense. Since when did muslims bring violence to this country......and by the way...the outdated garb...Your saint is wearing it too...Mary Mckillop.
um, excuse me jean ellis that is extremely offensive to all people .You are not doing a good job on presenting yourself to the world.They are not going to conform to your *way of life * or whatever they are just trying to spread the message of one god , the belief that there is only one god is similar to your beliefs : Islam and Christianity & The Jewish believe in one god the 3 Abrahamic religions , genius.Free lunch? muslims wont come to a country for ' free lunch ' and like Le - Shay said ' outdated garb ' popes and monks still wear that , So you are just basically offending yourself .So shut up and think about what you writing before you type it
I believe that all people have the right to practice their religion but unfortunately, fear of the unknown as the Muslim religion is to most Australians can course division. We usually only hear negative stories about extremist.
I would love to have a better understanding of your wonderful culture and beliefs.
I think we should try banning the Q Society.
This Q Society group is really confused, they are having identity issues. If its members are from "varying backgrounds, of different cultural and religious persuasions", you'd expect them to embrace differences because that's what makes people vary after all, that's what makes society colourful. Instead of promoting Australia's democracy they are in fact working against it by attempting to suppress a group of individuals because of their religious beliefs. So my question to this group would be why should Australia allow your group to keep your cultural and religious differences while you are attempting to suppress the rights of another? Why are your differences acceptable while the differences of Australian Muslims are not? The Muslim prayer group has been meeting without incident for years, what has changed? Talk about double standards.
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Noone at Q has denied Muslims to pray. But facts and adherence to truth become rare commodities if one tries to defend the undefenceable. The issue Q has raised is firstly the current illegal use and secondly the total unsuitablility of this small community house to become a place of assembly for up to 100 (one hundred) people.
It would be a unsuitable venue for prayers of up to 100 whether you want to pray to Allah, Christ, Krishna, Vishna or the Flying Spaghetti Monster. It only happens that these days it is mostly in the name of Islam that we are constantly asked for special dispensation and to tolerate the intolerant - or else! And if you haven't noticed, the petition is against the council application, not against the prayer group. And now for the maxed-out race card with double jannat reward points for using the word Islamophobe.
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