Re: CJ's "Too funny, Horus. Irfan was a candidate for the Liberal Party...yada yada yada

Weeell he certainly sounded very Laborite when I skim read it(early this morning before my coffee fix) --that's probably why they didnt invite him back!

To tell the truth CJ, I made that comment just to give you a break –it's no fun kicking your butt aaall the time –especially when everyone else is doing it too!

So, we'll mark that one down to you -one point -tick

Score up date:
CJ 1
Horus 101

I think we're in danger of romanticising the bogans, or at least letting them have a tug of themselves; they seem to be relishing their outlaw status, as though they had something lucid to say, or something better on offer. Let's not forget they're making a virtue of their ignorance and crude narcissisnm (I prefer refined narcissism). Boguns are bogus; there the most predictable of all conservatives (which is saying something) dressed up as radicals.

"Why don't we have a consistent thread of resistance to racism running in our political and popular culture?" asks Irfan Yusuf.

The theme of his article is the anti-Islamic sentiments expressed by Pauline Hanson and her English "counter-part" Melanie Phillips.
He seeks to give an interfaith flavour to his story by belatedly comparing anti-Islamic sentiment to anti-Semitism and even anti-Catholicism, before accusing Catholics of being largely responsible for the marginalisation of "other groups", clearly meaning Muslims.

Most, if not all of his "argument" revolves around denigrating Pauline Hanson and, by extension, all the other "bogans" who agree with her.

As part of his attack against Pauline Hanson he mocks her for her comment that "there are Christian Muslims - there is no problems about that".
Yet Irfan Yusuf is continually harping on about racism against Muslims.
Who is the more reprehensible?
Pauline Hanson for mistakenly using the term Muslims when she should have said Arabs?
Or Irfan Yusuf for deliberately misrepresenting opposition to Islam as racism?

You can't have it both ways, Irfan Yusuf.
Is Islam a race, making Pauline Hanson right?
Or is Islam not a race, making you wrong?

I personally support the clear intent of Pauline Hanson's statement.
Arab Christians, you are more than welcome to come to Australia to escape
the 1400 years of persecution by Muslims in the Middle East.

Arab Muslims, if you believe in the Koran, which clearly exhorts all Muslims to
"kill the disbelievers wherever you find them"(Sura 2:191),
then please stay in the Middle East.

Does that make me a racist or merely anti-Islamic?

What I am saying, in my own way, is that ones man's bogan is another man's union member, average wage earner, etc. It all depends upon where one sits in the social hierarchy, or where one sits geographically as well.

To a lot of recent migrants, everyone who is a skippie is a bogan to one degree or another...

To others, everyone in a menial job may fall into that category...

To most, those who listen to Loud Music, wear black and drive old Holdens or Fords which have a lot of grunt...

Still, others restrict the tag "bogan" to twits wearing mullets, tight jeans, thongs and flannies (where it quite deservedly belongs), down to the dole office, off to score then back home for a billy.

Personally, I fall into all of these groups (or have done) except the last. I have no qualms about that, nor any hangups about it. I like Metallica, I also like some Country, so what?

My point was, the people a LOT of people call bogans are the actual backbone of the Country. They don't earn the big money (except those on FIFO mine jobs), but without them the Country doesn't run (it'd be a whole lot of chiefs, no indians).

That is why their opinion counts, not as much as it should mind, but it still counts. They basically control a LOT of seats and always will (quite frankly, nobody else WANTS to live there, actually they don't WANT to live there either).

But when they control the electorate, they control the conduct of the Elected Representative. It really isn't that hard to understand.

Actually, the Pauline Hanson phenomenon is a direct result of the abandonment of the Labor-Party core, for some Loony-Left Ideal coupled with a Right-Wing that makes Howard look like a socialist.

The Labor Party has lost its way, it is trying to serve two masters, the ACTU and the University Educated, Right-Wing elite (NB most of the ACTU members are Uni educated too), who really think the unions are too pushy and demanding, but still want their votes.

Thanks for the link about bogans CJ.

I think I might be one sometimes at least in appearance - especially when out weeding the veggie patch in tracky dacks, boots and a daggy t-shirt.
:)

Irfan asks: "Why don't we have a consistent thread of resistance to racism running in our political and popular culture?"

My answer would be that there is no overarching authority that we, as Australians, can defer to for guidance and which clearly denouces racism.

Muslims, as individuals and like anyone else, can succumb to sterotyping people based on race, ethnicity, religion and so forth.

However, from my experience, whenever there is a hint of such prejudice there has always been someone to remind them of their deen, way of life, and the words of the Prophet (may peace and blessing be upon him) when he said:

"All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action."

In fact it happended the other day, in a Masjid that we were renovating, with someone of Arab parentage correcting an Aussie of Anglo-Celtic background (both Muslim). There was no enmity or argument because we all knew he had the authority of our Prophet to support him.

From my experience, the broader Australian community does not appear to have this sort of authority to fall back upon.

Or am i wrong? I would welcome constructive comments

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu Irfan