Not at all.

You were left a link that more than answers the
question.

This issue has been dealt with.

Hi IsMise,

You were asking: "Does this mean that FGM, bigamy, forcing women to wear certain clothing and having child brides is not sanctioned by Australian multiculturalism?"

Of course not, since these breach the equal rights of Australians, Muslim girls and women. End of.

Clearly, at a deep level, there is a contradiction between aspects of multiculturalism and Australian conventions - and always, always, Australian values must prevail. All Australians are entitled, equally entitled, to the full protections and freedoms of Australian law.

I'm relieved that Dr Soutphommasane has put into words his opposition tov cultural relativism, which has plagued the social sciences for decades now - the notion that all cultures, i.e. all cultural practices, are equally valid. The burning of witches ? The killing of people for casting spells on someone ? Girls promised at birth in marriage ? The cutting of both girls and boys in initiation ceremonies or on some pretext ? The killing of women for supposedly looking at another bloke ? The lifelong subordination of women ?

It's interesting that so many vile cultural practices target either women or young people, or both. Clearly 'culture' is a tarted-up way of justifying power relations within groups, i.e. male domination, and I'm amazed that people who think they sympathise with Marxism would ever condone such practices, and the maintenance of such social relations. They certainly have no place in Australia, or anywhere in the modern world.

Cheers,

Joe

Dear Joe,

We have a legal system that we are all expected
to abide by in this country. Of course we must have respect
for new cultures as well as old, but that does not mean that
we embrace of make legal or turn a blind eye to brutal
or demeaning or discriminatory customs brought from abroad.
Where they break our law, criminal charges should be laid.
FGM, child-brides, et cetera are illegal in this country.

Dear Foxy,

«We have a legal system that we are all expected to abide by in this country.»

Not again... you have mentioned this before, this well-known fact that there are some brutes around who expect us to abide by their legal system. People may have all sorts of expectations of us: your parents for example may want you to be a doctor or a lawyer, but that doesn't mean that you need to fulfil their expectations!

Foxy,

Do you include Aboriginal Australians or may some of them practice their discriminatory, anti women's rights traditional customs at will?

Dear Is Mise,

Everyone is subject to the laws of this country.
However according to the Supreme Court rulings
disadvantage and case by case circumstances are
supposed to be taken into account in a person's
sentencing. The following link explains:

http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/law/aboriginality-disadvantage-and-sentencing