'The Shire' Riots
I'll give a candy cane to anyone who hasn't heard about the Cronulla riots these last couple of days.. Most of the papers - and many commentators and the public also - have labelled it as a 'racially driven' as a result of the increasing violence on the Middle Eastern beach-goers behalf.. A retaliation against the Middle Eastern 'Lebs'. I understand their motive, but what idiot serves alcohol to a bunch of youths shouting 'Aussie Pride' and what losers rip scarves off the heads of Muslim girls?
Predominantly, the violence seems to be racially triggered - courtesy of the Middle Eastern-appearance dudes who abused the lifeguards last week - but the incident with the whole 'let's her scarf off' pulls all sorts of issues into the picture. The 'hijab' scarf is worn by many Muslim women 'as a sign of their faith and submission to Allah (not to men), and so that all Muslim women are respected equally rather than for their appearance, and as a matter of social responsibility' (Wikipedia 2005). The fact that the Anglo-Celts at Cronulla - white Aussies, in other words - targetted this high school girl and her 'khimer' is a sign that this event was somewhat gendered; or it could merely be a response to the gendered aspects of the Muslim religion as a whole.
Another thing I found was that soon after the second wave of riots, the mothers of these Middle-Eastern men were encouraged to exercise some discipline over their young teenage sons in an attempt to curb the violence between these two groups. This article dictates that mothers (a gendered role) played a significant role in the Lebanese family and that 'in Islam, paradise lies at the feet of your mother, so to disobey your mother is to disobey God'. So it seems, that these violent events bring all sorts of issues into the picture- not just race.
Scarier still, some commentators (Damien Murphy, primarily) have even traced on the subject of 'mateship' - a term laced in masculinity - and the breadth that it has been taken to in light of these riots. It's an interesting term, considering that in this case it seems to apply to both sides of the conflict. Anglo mates looking out for fellow Anglo mates, and Arabs looking out for other Arabs. Pity they're not looking out for eachother, regardless of race and religion.
What scares me is the fact that these events have been broadcasted all over the world and that we're no longer seen as the 'peaceful and lucky' country that we always have been. Laid-back and go with the flow coolio. Multiculturally cool and all that. Far from it, it seems. Apparently, this was going to happen sooner or later, but the fact that it happened so violently and almost so suddenly really irks me. And our divine PM says Australians aren't racist.. Pfft. Everyone does it. It's just that nobody talks about it.
posted by Unknown @ 8:41 pm
5 Comments:
it didnt happen suddenly this has been building for the best part of two decades. Islam is not compatible with Australian life and never will be.
Give it another ten years (maybe five) and we will be living through the French experience.
Call me racist if you want but as far as I am concerned if you come to live in AU then you try to fit in with us and not force us to kowtow to your minority.
Gonzo
1: My anonymity has nothing to do with cowardice it is more to do with not being bothered registering a name just to make a few comments. Speaking of anonymity I guess Dr Gonzo (apart from insulting Hunter S.) is your real name is it? I went to your profile but couldn't find your phone number, name, or address so your pathetic attack failed in its very first sentence maybe Godwin could help you as I am sure your an adherent.
2: The picture of Alan Jones (someone I dislike) with a swastika on his forehead on your blogs index page is a very telling statement as to where your head is at. Maybe it was carved there in memory of Lt. Calley?
3: 'generic regurgitation of discourse and rhetoric' is a great statement but maybe you should attribute it to the blogger who first used it (the real Dr. Gonzo would of).
4: If I was a sheep and a follower I would be posting PC bullshit in which I blamed all of Australia's current social ills on 'racist white australians' (just like little ole PC you). I bet you are all hot under the collar about those 'dumb racist aussies' who chose to wrap themselves in the flag but you won't spare a thought for the fact that the lebanese were there in force burning Australian flags.
5: You said that I had illustrated the main pitfall of democracy being that the majority rules. While I may agree that democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding whats for dinner I am not so stupid as to think that the lamb doesn't have its own lobbyists and taxpayer funded obfuscation campaign claiming that lamb is poisonous to wolves.
6: How you came to the conclusion that I was doing algebra with peoples feelings is beyond me and just demonstrates that you will read what you want into others comments so long as you can make them fit your narrow agenda.
7: Please explain how anything I have said marks me as a rednecked racist KKK member(with an inferiority complex). I have stated a simple truth and as anyone who has spent time at cronulla or maroubra knows the racist antagonisation comes predominantly from the lebanese gangs (then again you probably haven't heard of Telopea street and that in itself makes you completely unqualified to be making the statements that you are. Then again, that underqualification and PC agenda is obvious when you read the words you have attempted to put into my mouth.
8: calling me a 'crying pansie' is truly pathetic. You need to get back to uni and join a focus group and talk about the crap that obviously fills your mind as talking seems to be all your sort are good for. If you are an example of the youth that are the future of this country then we're stuffed. You probably wouldn't know a racist if he stabbed you in the back and called you a skip (whoops that wasn't you it was a 'dumb white racist aussie male' minding his own business on Sunday night.
9: coward, follower, sheep, whinging pansie. These are words that must do awfully well when your in the debating club.
Colin
0439741898 (is that cowardly enough for you)
http://www.secularislam.org/humanrights/compatible.htm
Yeowch.. Me thinks someone's getting a little riled up here. I admire your passion & heavy analysis of this event, although I'm just blogging here. No sweeping statements or whatnot. Settle down - take a chill pill.
The only issue I'm focusing on here is that Islam has gendered aspects to it, just like every other religion - Christianity included. I don't think it wise to be so close-minded about any of these things and the fact that you 'Colin' are making sweeping statements about Islam, I think is a bit rich. This is a free country - sure, we migrate here to find a better life and some of us are ignorant and choose to carry on like a bunch of arseholes but most of us migrants are very peaceful people.
The only downside is that most of those who seem to be causing trouble are labelled - read: LABEL - as those of 'Middle Eastern appearance', a generic term if not much else. I have a lot of friends who are of 'Middle Eastern appearance' and THEY don't feel any need to have the Anglos bow down to them. On the contrary, they're ashamed by the acts of some members of their community on Monday night (the 'retaliation' by the 'Lebs' in case anyone missed it). And as for the Anglos - are you not to blame also for your parade of 'whiteness' and 'Aussie' way of life in your stupid display on Sunday?
My personal opinion (feel free to flame): It's our government. You'd think that we'd all be civilised and not think in black and white in this modern day and age. And yet some of us still regard migrants as a threat. Gee, I wonder, who were the first migrants to this land? If anyone even has a trace of ownership to this land its the Aborigines - they've lived here 39800 years longer than the Anglos. And to think that our divine PM reckons that 'this is not a racial problem'. Bollocks, says I.
Hi Maggie
I'm not going to flame you as you haven't attempted to put words in my mouth I never said.
I also have friends of many races including my arab neighbours who agree with me that the 'lebanese gangs'(they call them lebanese too) are out of control.
http://www.quadrant.org.au/php/article_view.php?article_id=581
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