The indefensible...
Is it just me or does everyone think its an interesting time for Muslims in Australia?
In general, I am loathe to comment on religion of any sort. I spent a lot of time in Shepparton, Victoria, where there are thousands of Muslims and they are some of my favourite people in the whole wide world…
Not only that, but I’m Catholic and we’re a pretty solid target at times for religious bigots too. So people in glass houses and all that....
But I just want to say a couple of things about the goings on this week.
I can actually accept the uncovered meat claim from the Mufti. I don’t like it, but I understand those comments were meant for Muslim women only, not the wider community. And they operate under a different set of rules than the rest of us. They wear a hijab or burqa by choice…in fact they wear it with pride and a comment like that, as offensive as it might sound to us, it is just designed to make Mulsim women feel better about their decision to cover up.
If anything, I think the Mufti’s 'uncovered meat' outburst is more offensive to men. That the sight of a woman’s leg might cause them to rape her. If I was a man in the mufti’s congregation, I would be significantly more affronted than as a woman.
And there is something else I can’t accept. In the past couple of days there has been a couple of comments about convicted rapists. Claims that young Muslim rapists have been unfairly treated by the Australian courts…
I can live with people telling girls to cover up, to not walk the streets alone. I don’t like it but I can live with it.
What I can’t stand accept is the defence of rapists.
I know we have lots of red necks in Australia, people of all denominations who quietly believe exactly what Sheik Al Hilaly was saying. But I never hear them defend rapists.
If I was a Muslim woman the events of the past few days would have me questioning which Mufti's sermons I wanted to hear.
What is a mufti who rants that rapists have been unfairly treated really saying about men’s rights and entitlements? And Muslims, men and women everywhere, need to think about that.
In general, I am loathe to comment on religion of any sort. I spent a lot of time in Shepparton, Victoria, where there are thousands of Muslims and they are some of my favourite people in the whole wide world…
Not only that, but I’m Catholic and we’re a pretty solid target at times for religious bigots too. So people in glass houses and all that....
But I just want to say a couple of things about the goings on this week.
I can actually accept the uncovered meat claim from the Mufti. I don’t like it, but I understand those comments were meant for Muslim women only, not the wider community. And they operate under a different set of rules than the rest of us. They wear a hijab or burqa by choice…in fact they wear it with pride and a comment like that, as offensive as it might sound to us, it is just designed to make Mulsim women feel better about their decision to cover up.
If anything, I think the Mufti’s 'uncovered meat' outburst is more offensive to men. That the sight of a woman’s leg might cause them to rape her. If I was a man in the mufti’s congregation, I would be significantly more affronted than as a woman.
And there is something else I can’t accept. In the past couple of days there has been a couple of comments about convicted rapists. Claims that young Muslim rapists have been unfairly treated by the Australian courts…
I can live with people telling girls to cover up, to not walk the streets alone. I don’t like it but I can live with it.
What I can’t stand accept is the defence of rapists.
I know we have lots of red necks in Australia, people of all denominations who quietly believe exactly what Sheik Al Hilaly was saying. But I never hear them defend rapists.
If I was a Muslim woman the events of the past few days would have me questioning which Mufti's sermons I wanted to hear.
What is a mufti who rants that rapists have been unfairly treated really saying about men’s rights and entitlements? And Muslims, men and women everywhere, need to think about that.
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