Perhaps the women could be allowed to have opinions about their own faith. Aboriginals had to be white Saxon Christians. Do Arab women?

Foxy: People of good will can have different opinions and still not be coming from a place of malice.

Of course they can. Even though we have differences it doesn't mean I don't love you as a friend.

Is Mise: No wonder they call it "The Deep North"!!

No, it was like that all over. My 2nd. wife was HCofE & she copped a barreling over marrying a Catholic from her rellies. (Brisbane but from Tasmania) She was unfaithful therefore I ditched her. Two in a row for the same reason is not a good look.

Banjo: he would have been heart broken and died of shame to think those in his church could do such things.

Just wait until the investigation is all over & the OPD's, Scouts & Guides, Government Orphanages have been fully looked at.

Banjo: I am sure many Catholics will leave the church in disgust.

I don't think so. Will the Southern Baptists & Charismatics be leaving in droves when they get found out. Oh, that's right. They weren't really SB or C, eh? Strange how that happens.

Question. We haven't heard from Iftikhar or any of his ideas on how Islam will Integrate into Australian Culture. I hope I didn't frighten him off.

No comment, apart from Foxy's, on Saffran article, or the new lone wolf again part of the Islamis Pack operating around Young. I remember 20 years ago the Authorities caught an Islamic Group training for Jihad in the Young area & one around Ogange too. Or, the Separate Country with-in Australia for moslims. Why is that? Touchy, touchy, I guess.

"Perhaps the women could be allowed to have opinions about their own faith. Aboriginals had to be white Saxon Christians. Do Arab women?"

Profound words, Nick. I think, but I'm not quite sure. Do you mean (God, what a silly question: Nick meaning anything) that the rights of women will depend on what culture or religion they are attached to ? That women's rights can be dictated by their culture or their religion ? i.e. by the men in those cultures or religions ? I'm sure that many men would love it that way.

So is there some tension between 'Australian values' and multiculturalism ? Does 'Australian values' take it for granted that Muslim women have as many rights as Muslim men, and as any other Australian, including women - while 'multiculturalism' may be interpreted as dictating that women 'in a culture' have only the rights dictated by that 'culture' ?

Appalling. No. We must declare that people can privately hold whatever views they like, but in Australia, all people have the approval to exercise equal rights, etc. Let culture and religion take a back seat, while their adherents analyse their defects.

In short, people should have freedom of religion, but no right to enforce any backward rules on anybody else. In other words, freedom to believe but no right to put those beliefs into practice if they conflict with 'Australian values'. Sounds fine to me.

Joe

It's interesting to read all the various opinions on
this forum about the rights of/or lack of -
Muslim women in this country.
Perhaps we should ask the women themselves
who are experienced with those issues what their
opinions are.

Here's one woman attempting to do precisely
that:

http://rightnow.org.au/opinion-3/the-challenges-of-being-a-muslim-woman-in-a-multicultural-society/

Dunno wot you mean Joe , do you?
Australian values are not the same as the Law. Mature women can choose who they marry and we can't presume that anyone forces anything .But women's refuges are chocka with ocker sheilas.