Saturday, March 19, 2011

60 Minutes 20 March 2011

Might be worth a look...

TheGreat Divide

Reporter: Michael Usher
Producers: Danny Keens, Julia Timms

Some say it's the very thing that makes Australia great. Others believe it threatens our national identity.

It seems right now nothing divides opinion like multiculturalism.

Our government insists it's working here, a shining example for the rest of the world.

But in some countries like Britain and Germany they've declared multiculturalism a failure, a disastrous social policy that's torn communities apart.

But let's be frank here. This debate isn't so much about race as religion and a fear of one in particular - Islam.

Read Michael Usher's blog on this story and have your say

From the blog:

Have a look at the waves of immigration over the years - Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese and many more. Each wave and each decade has come with the good and the bad - the opportunities and the problems. However, each generation seems to find its place in Australia.

So why is it that the recent generation of Muslim immigrants is generating such fear and anger from so many Australians? Why do Burqas and Mosques offend?

I found it’s mostly to do with the Islamic extremists and their fundamental drive for pure Islam. Multiculturalism doesn’t feature in their thinking, wherever they live. There is only one God, one way of life, and one Islamic law – Sharia - no matter what suburb or country they’re living in. Islam is above all else.

Now the extremists don’t talk for all Muslims. But many Muslims are branded non-believers by their own if they dare speak out against the hardliners. So debate within the Muslim community is suppressed and the Muslim extremists rant publically as if they speak for all who follow Islam.

I spoke to some of those extremists in our story. Here in Australia and in the United Kingdom. I also interviewed a very moderate young Muslim woman, Samah Hadid, who lives in Bankstown and speaks incredibly honestly about what being Muslim means to her in multicultural Australia.

And perhaps a revelation for Michael Usher?

If I can lay down one personal opinion after talking with these people, it's that extremism has to be rejected and Islamic extremism is simply frightening. Pure interpretation of Islam shouldn’t force all Muslims to reject the societies where they settle, or inspire young minds to hate and attack the countries they call home.

9 comments:

stackja1945 said...

kae, I do not expect others to always agree with me. Why should these extremists be allowed to dictate?

kae said...

I'll wait until I see the program and decide whether it turns into an apologist session.

Merilyn said...

Will await your report. Find 60 minutes usually only gives one side of the story.
Just take a long look at what is going on at Christmas Island, they are demanding not asking, and seem to think they are entitled to have everything given to them, right now.

Mick Gold Coast QLD said...

The last time I watched 60 Minutes they were bagging Harry Butler, who knew the bush, for consulting to Evil BHP. That’d be 30 years back. ABC drones who stumbled accidentally into the private sector, I say.

In our lot there’s a migrant Asian wife, a daughter in law of a 1st generation Irish family and three sons in law of a 1st generation French family, Croatian migrants and migrants from old Lebanon. Each of the migrants followed the historically conventional route of meeting demanding entry criteria, waiting patiently, gratitude when accepted, head down and tail up (unassisted) upon arrival, enormous pride when “citizenised” and a lifetime of endeavour to capitalise on their opportunities.

We talk together as parents. By the popular definition they are deeply “racist” and untroubled by that. They all are appalled at what they see in the decade long bastardisation of the status they treasured as enormous good fortune. The Lebanese father in law, who has crafted extraordinary financial success, is most vehemently opposed to what he sees coming here from his region (he travels home regularly).

They are not in the least interested in the alien concept of wealth redistribution, outside of direct family, and they have all built impregnable walls around their wealth. There are lots of Lebanese friends from the children’s school years all much the same – family-centric, capitalist, dismissive of non-contributors, watchful and suspicious of politicians, male titular head making all the decisions (under the subtle command of the wives – my wife’s culture does that too, so very well, no battle to achieve over-equality that is inherent – Mick is head of the family, oh yeah!).

My wanderings through Asia, and friends from several countries there, have been instructive. Thailand and Vietnam use armies and guns to repel invaders, quietly – it could be happening this very afternoon. Singapore patrol boats work nightly to turn them back without question or self destructive “compassion” for anything inimical to its own interests (literally “We shall determine who comes and in what circumstances ...”), the Philippines stands armed on the jetty and hands the ferry captain their return fares – they don’t even get to disembark (a quiet shooting war has been going on forever in the south against the muslim enclave there).

Conversely, Mr Lee has crafted tiny Singapore so successfully with so many people from so many places by ensuring everyone knows who is in charge. To get to Mass there at Our Lady of Lourdes we all but walk through the grounds of Madrasah Islamic School.

The distinguishing difference with each of the countries I mention is war, invasion and a battle to regain their country. Australia knows football, meat pies, kangaroos and Holden cars and no-one has ever landed to try and take that from them. We’ve never been forced to appreciate what we have to protect.

Our knowledge of overseas is, at best, the end of season footy trip to Kuta, honeymoon in Phuket or a marriage reviver in Fiji. 1.4 billion people in SE Asia alone, within 8 hours of Brisbane Airport - we don’t know that and we know even less what it means to Australia.

Thank you kae, thank listeners – I’m going now to video our rugby first grade in action (for our Samoan coach to pore over!)

Anonymous said...

Multiculturalism is EVIL, simply EVIL. It will end within the next few years. Many Australians I talk to now have the nerve to talk up against the politically correct bullies that try to enforce it on us.

Merilyn said...

Ok watched 60 Minutes, [Liz Hayes is still a joke], saw that Chris Bowen, [he has "prissy lips" like Rudd], who dismissed any worries of the Australian people by his statement "that it works in this country".
Over all think he is a dill. Think the reporter allowed him to get away with very little scrutiny, poor effort.

Mick Gold Coast QLD said...

I did not bother, Merilyn, knowing the research effort by the "reporter" will be superficial at best and certainly party line friendly.

She probably pulls a couple of hundred thousand a year for her feeble contribution.

When I think of this multicult stuff I do prefer to rely on thoughtful conversation with people who have an experienced view of here and other places too (as I set out above).

Growing up in a society that easily accepted newcomers who had a go, with (typically) no special distaste for foreigners, I despair at the distortion of history in the modern dogma, developed as if all valuable thought and wisdom commenced only in about 2000.

Merilyn said...

Mick and Kae, Bob snorted half-way through and left me to it.
Agree with you Mick, most of my friends when growing up where from many countries and I enjoyed their company.
So it is back to not watching 60 Minutes.

Merilyn said...

P.S. Should have pointed out Mick that Liz Hayes did not do that one she was on an earlier section, but she is still a joke.