I had the odd feeling that the Shreik was absolutely salivating during his rant. He needs medication urgently.
Where do these strange people get their ideas? Australians are entitled to wear what they want, it is not up to some blow in ,weirdo to dictate OR threaten because this is a free country.
Maybe muslims are born with their heads screwed around the wrong way so that they are always looking to the past instead of the future.
They have come to the wrong country with their stupid despotic ideology.
No article ,however well written, will gloss over the fact that this is the way we do things and if it does not suit,go!

Why doesn't Shakira Hussein even consider where this all came from? Is it too much to ask that Muslims consider the source of the hate, anger and disrespect toward others that is their trademark everywhere around the world.

Islamic attitudes toward women flow from Mohammed to the Quran then from the hadiths into Muslim histories and then into the sermons of the Imams and from there into the lives of 21st century Muslims.

Any superficial research into contemporary Islamic communities show a total lack of respect for other groups, particularly towards women. Well, we all know that the Quran says it is fine and dandy to rape married women. Or did I take it "out of context"?

Do you have a clue, Shakira?

Rape especially is a something that seems to characterize Islam. We all know of events in Australia, not to mention Coptic women abducted, or hindu women taken for wives against their will.
http://web.mid-day.com/news/world/2005/november/123248.htm

There is also the rape epidemic happening in Europe - you know by who.... Not even Muslim women are exempt.
ADVENTURES IN OLD EUROPE: Girls Terrorized in France's Macho High-Rise Ghettos (Catherine Bremer, 2/28/03, Reuters)
Quote: A short bus ride from Paris, a world capital of romance, teen-age girls trapped in soulless, Soviet-style housing complexes are too scared to wear skirts and balk at the idea of dating. Imprisoned behind yellowed curtains that hang limply at windows, they stay indoors to avoid the jeers, bullying and the ominous risk of rape that lurks in dingy stairwells where gangs of boys of mostly North African origin hang out. "It's everywhere, all the time. Beatings, rapes, the lot.

Yet Muslims are in denial. They have no clue, I guess. Shame on you Shakira. Your denial and lack of honesty contribute to the suffering of women abused by Muslims. Shame!

John, Old Kactuzkid

Shakira Hussein has got it totally right. There is no longer intercultural exchange in this country but a dialogue of the deaf. People aren't listening. She instances the Herald journalists who heard what they wanted to hear, not what was said. People are being labelled by their clothing style and subjected to abuse or violence depending on whether, in he opinion of others, they're wearing too much or too little. It is not about Muslims or others, it's stereotyping people as different. Bronwyn Bishop and Sophie Panopolous are behaving as slightly better informed, slightly more refined, versions of Pauline Hanson. The message is precisely the same. Remember Hanson entered political life as a Liberal candidate. These 2005 Liberals are dog-whistling her supporters. Wedge politics has become dominant in Australia at the expense of rational discussion. Maintain reason and political sanity here because there are few other places it can flourish.

Apologies, Realist - your posts are so 'reasonable' I called you the wrong name :)

Since I'm posting, I'll comment that I categorise comments such as kactuz's above as every bit as extremist as those of ratbag Muslims as Sheik Faiz Mohammed. It is rabble rousers like him who should feel "shame", rather than articulate and reasonable Muslims such as Shakira Hussein. IMHO, our society would be better off with more Shakiras and less kactuzes, but I'm not suggesting that he should go back whence he came - but he would do us all a favour if he got off his bigoted soapbox!

As Shakira has ably pointed out, misogynist attempts to blame women for rape are by no means the sole preserve of extremist Muslim Sheiks. Such attitudes were evident in our judicial processes until very recently, and many Christian churches still promote prudishness in how their women should dress - for much the same patriarchal reasons as Muslim misogynists.

In case kactuz didn't notice, Shakira specifically rejects such idiotic edicts as being integral to her practice of her religion. As Robert points out, she seems to be trying to find common ground with us non-Muslims, yet this seems to be regarded by some as just another opportunity to bash Muslims.

There is no wrong kind of muslim they are all tared with the same brush. If they want the muslim faith stay in there own country, dont dring there problems on the rest of the world. We have enough of our own.

ahhh, there is no country called islam on any globe i own. but then what would i know.