Geert Wilder's visit to Australia imminent...

[Mr Rayon]

Yep, there's gonna be lots of religious interfaith dialogue going on in the next few weeks in Australia.

Also, Geert Wilders is visiting Australia soon!

But what could all of this could lead to?

 

Relations between Muslims and non-Muslims in Europe seem to be polarised.

In my opinion, Muslims have integrated quite well here in Australia. Though still I'm slightly anxious about my country.

 

I want Muslims and non-Muslims to respect and understand each other.

What can Muslims do to foster good relations?

What can non-Muslims do?

 

Should more Muslims invite more non-Muslims to mosque open days?

 

Singapore is a good example of a country which seems to have good relations between the Muslims and non-Muslim communities.

 

 

TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Now to our guest.

Geert Wilders is the Dutch anti-immigration and anti-Islam MP. He's the founder of the right wing Party For Freedom.

Next week, Geert Wilders arrives in Australia for a visit that's been a long time in the making. He planned to come here about a year ago and drew early support from Liberal Senator Cory Bernadi who later distanced himself from the idea.

Now he's being sponsored by the anti-Islamic group The Q Society, on a road trip that's sure to fire debate over what constitutes free speech or hate speech.

Geert Wilders joins us now live from The Hague. Thanks for being there.

...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-13/anti-muslim-campaigner-coming-to-australia/4517870

 

 

 

IT'S billed as the ''largest, the biggest and the best-ever Islamic event in the history of Australia'' - a three-day festival for an expected 20,000 Muslims - and it will be held in Melbourne in March.

But the chief attraction is a Saudi imam who has called for violent jihad.

 

The description above comes from the Australian Islamic Peace Conference Facebook page. It is an extraordinary coup for organiser Waseem Razvi to entice Dr Abdul Rahman al-Sudais who, as the man in charge of Islam's two holiest mosques in Mecca and Medina, could be considered the world's foremost imam.

 

He will be one of many international speakers at the conference - endorsed by the Islamic Council of Victoria, Preston Mosque and leading Muslim groups - in the lead-up to which 1000 local volunteers are being trained to carry out ''dawah'' or proselytism for Islam.

 

<iframe id="dcAd-1-4" src="http://ad-apac.doubleclick.net/adi/onl.age.news/national;cat=national;ctype=article;pos=3;sz=300x250;tile=4;ord=3.5562655E7?" width='300' height='250' scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0"> </iframe> But Dr Mark Durie, an Anglican priest, believes Dr al-Sudais should be refused a visa because he has called for the annihilation of the Jews, whom he called the ''scum of humanity'', ''rats of the world'', ''prophet killers'' and ''pigs and monkeys''.

 

Dr Durie, who was an expert witness on the Christian side in the Islamic Council of Victoria case against Catch the Fire Ministries, said that Dr al-Sudais was famous in the Muslim world for his recitations, ''the Pavarotti of the Koran''.

 

''But he's not a figure of conciliation and unity, that's for sure. I'm concerned promoting him in Australia will create a channel of influence for his ideas on Jews and jihad.''

Mr Razvi was surprised on Tuesday to hear of the allegations against Dr al-Sudais.

''But he's just one speaker, and all he will do is recitation [of the Koran]. For us the public speakers have to be in English. And his final confirmation has not yet come.''

 

Mr Razvi, 32 and founder of the Islamic Research and Education Academy, said he had three goals in staging the festival. The first was to unite Islamic organisations on one platform, because it would encourage the next generation of Muslims to see the leaders and scholars working together.

 

The second goal was to build bridges between the Muslim community and mainstream Australia. Unlike traditional Islamic conferences, it had a strong multifaith element, including invitations to Melbourne's Anglican and Catholic archbishops and Protestant, Buddhist and Hindu leaders to speak. ''This way the Muslim community gets to hear the other side, and if there is any isolation of either side this can break the ice,'' he said.

 

The third goal was to build bridges to secular authorities, with invitations to federal and state leaders, police, the lord mayor and others.

His advice to Dr Durie was: ''Attend the conference and see. You will come out with a different view.''

http://www.theage.com.au/national/fiery-imam-invited-to-speak-here-20121211-2b7td.html

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZW0Hbd-Enjc

 

 

 

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has courted growing anti-immigrant opinion in Germany by claiming the country's attempts to create a multicultural society have "utterly failed".

Speaking to a meeting of young members of her Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel said the idea of people from different cultural backgrounds living happily "side by side" did not work.

She said the onus was on immigrants to do more to integrate into German society.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/17/angela-merkel-german-multiculturalism-failed

 

What is the cause for multiculturalism to fail in Germany?

And what should Australians do so that we can help Muslims integrate within our society?

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

The group which plans to host a visit to Australia by controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders is being accused of distributing anti-Islamic leaflets to letterboxes in Victoria.

It is not the first time the Q Society has been accused of using letter drops to spread bigotry.

...

"This got my back up. I'm feeling that it's inflaming the general public and I don't think that's the right way to go," she said.

 

"The flyer is definitely anti-Islamic. That's my impression.

 

"Because it says down further, 'When less than 3 per cent of Australia's population is Muslim, why are we allowing the Australian Government to support this?'."

On its website, the Q Society says Australia should be based on Judeo-Christian values and what it calls the "Islamisation of Australia" is its call to arms.

...

Keysar Trad from the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils says the leaflet is typical of the Q Society and most Australians will dismiss the material.

 

"This is more than Islamophobic, this is agitating fear in Australia," he said.

 

"When our neighbours and our friends see this disgusting leaflet, they will... after ripping it up and throwing it in the bin, they will realise that the Q Society is not a society that is acting in the interest of the Australian community."

 

It is not the first time Q Society leaflets have raised the ire of residents and community leaders. Another leaflet rails against the Halal food industry.

...

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-10/anti-islam-group-accused-of-spreading-bigotry/4306108

 

Edited February 13, 2013 by Mr Rayon