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Spiritual Warrior For Islam One Of Many In Australia
Jihad Unspun ^ | 2-27-03

Posted on 02/27/2003 4:32:32 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer

"Let it be known, there's thousands of Osama bin Ladens here and if they ever find Osama bin Laden, another thousand will pop up," says Khalid, who is not alone as an Aboriginal convert to Islam who admires the terrorist leader. In his 40s and unemployed, Khalid, who has lived in Sydney and is visiting relatives in South Australia, converted to Islam more than a decade ago when he was in jail.

"Wherever you are, Osama bin Laden, I love you, brother and I do it for you and I pray for you because to me you're just a spiritual warrior standing up for Islam and propagating freedom around the world," says Khalid, one of four Aboriginal Muslims featured in an SBS-TV Insight program to be screened tonight.

Solomon, an unemployed 23-year-old from La Perouse community who now lives in another part of Sydney, says he does not believe bin Laden is a terrorist. "I've spoken to many people that have seen the great things that bin Laden has done for their countries, so in that sense I'm a supporter of bin Laden, but I'm not a supporter of terrorism," Solomon says. "If there's solid proof showing that bin Laden blew something up and killed innocent people then I wouldn't be a supporter of him, but I don't believe there is any solid proof of that."

Solomon, who like the other men interviewed for the program did not want their surnames used for fear of reprisals, told reporter Julie Nimmo that he had been investigated by ASIO and that he feared that if he left Australia, he would not be allowed to return. There are an estimated 500 to 1000 indigenous Muslims nationwide, including recent converts and non-practising descendants of followers of Islam, such as Arnhem Land people with Macassan ancestry, according to Karander Seyit, editor of the Sydney newspaper The Australian Muslim News.

Ms Nimmo found they face discrimination both from Australian Muslims who look askance when they enter mosques and fellow Aborigines. Like the majority of Muslims in Australia, most do not support bin Laden, she said.

Justin, a University of Technology Sydney law student in his early 20s, says in the program that Islam helps him override his sense of worthlessness as an Aboriginal man. "It gives me the strength to think, 'Yes, I am a man, I am a human being. You're no better than what I am and there's nothing you can do to me'."

Shahzad, 31, a Sydney lawyer originally from Western Australia, tells of his great grandfather, an Afghan camel driver who married an Aboriginal woman and who after her death took his family back to Baluchistan to escape authorities who wanted to take his children.

"It's not a part of our religion to stand there and get stepped on. This is why Islam is so good for the Aboriginal people," Solomon says.


TOPICS: Canada; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Germany; Israel; Japan; Mexico; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: islam; jihad; terrorism

1 posted on 02/27/2003 4:32:33 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
converted to Islam more than a decade ago when he was in jail.

Did everyone's interest in this cult originate from a jail cell?

That's all I hear about is these converts to islum when they were in jail.

I think we better take a closer look at what's going on in our prisons.

2 posted on 02/27/2003 4:38:18 AM PST by evad (It IS a Crusade)
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To: evad
No it is just that Islam is the perfect religion for Thugs and Criminals...
3 posted on 02/27/2003 4:47:48 AM PST by observer5
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To: observer5
No it is just that Islam is the perfect religion for Thugs and Criminals...


Good point! Its ok to lie, if you come upon an unbeliever you can kill him and take his money, its ok to rape the enemy, etc. ROPMA!
4 posted on 02/27/2003 5:11:02 AM PST by Tunehead54 (Support our President! Support our Military! Support the USA!)
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To: evad
Stop letting them recruit in the prisons.
5 posted on 02/27/2003 5:41:34 AM PST by sheik yerbouty
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
If there really are a lot of Aussie Muslims who feel as "Khalid," "Shahzad" and "Solomon" do, Australia could be in for some serious hurt. It is, after all, physically close to the largest concentrations of Muslims in the world.

I hope the Bali bombing wasn't the start of a major wave of Terror Down Under.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit The Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com

6 posted on 02/27/2003 6:26:15 AM PST by fporretto (Curmudgeon Emeritus, Palace of Reason)
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