Posted on 10/29/2006 6:17:49 PM PST by Fred Nerks
BEHIND the frenzied scenes and the headlines the Federal Government is quietly pleased about how the drama surrounding Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali is playing out. No one is happy, of course, about the comments that sparked the controversy – the sheik's Ramadan speech in which he referred to women as sexual meat and Satan's soldiers. What's pleased the Government and the Parliamentary Secretary responsible for Multicultural Affairs, Andrew Robb, is what came next; a spontaneous condemnation by most sections of the Muslim community of his grotesquely offensive remarks . It is important to realise that this has never happened before. The sheik's previous offences have seen a spluttering of Muslim protest and some equally assertive excuses for his views. Not this time. To quote a Government senior figure: "The (Muslim) representatives were out of the block on radio from 6.15am the morning after his speech was translated into English. Both men and women together condemning him without caveat." While it's still a work in progress, the Government, from Prime Minister John Howard down, is now hoping that the disgusting views on sexual equality that went so far as to condone rape, mark a bridge too far for the mufti. And hopefully maybe the last one. What the Government also hopes is that it marks the emergence of a new generation of moderate Muslims who due to their age and authority have previously been unable to prevail against the likes of the mufti. No longer. As well as a potential generational change in Muslim leadership, the events of last week also represent a positive response to the message Robb has been delivering to the community as he criss-crosses the country. That message; that divisions will continue to exist between Muslims and non-Muslims until the followers of the Prophet Mohammed begin...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
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