Australia's New Terror Laws

[RoninLB]

After receiving the e-mail below I searched for a news article and found this site http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=2024&art_id=qw1127806921746B226 that confirmed it.



Subject: NOTE FROM AUSTRALIA

Sure straight and to the point ~ time somebody told those people "if you don't like the way we do things bye bye."

Get out if you want Sharia law, Australia tells Muslims

CANBERRA: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Shari law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. A day after a group of
mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown.

Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on national television. "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian
law and another the Islamic law, that is false If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option," Costello said. Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked move to the other country.

Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off". "Basically, people who don't want to be Australians, and they don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can basically clear off," he said. Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spies monitoring the nation's mosques.

AMERICANS and Brit's.....ARE YOU LISTENING? and reading?

[livi]

This should be interesting !

I wonder if Peter or Brendan could be persuaded to move and take a position in the Swedish Govt. I would personally help out with their pay checks.

[pbs911]

Good on 'em!

If one interpretes the 1st Amendment in a literalist frame of mind with the basis it was inteded to cover only Christian based religiouns it just might work here. . . . yea, right. . . like that will ever happen.

[bryanthompson]

Great, now the muslims are going to get offended and start blowing ***** up. Oh wait, they're already going that in places.

Give 'em the boot.

[Victor]

Yes, we don't muck around over here.

Is Bush listening? Dunno.

[Adam]

Yes, we kicked a Texan out of the country.

We've got scores of radical muslim clerics (including the bastard who preached that it was ok to rape young girls if they dressed "like whores"), yet we're terrified of offending the sensibilities of minorities. When are we going to start kicking these guys out??

Our Christmas paegants and decorations have to be amended to not offend Muslims. We now say "Happy Holiday", rather than "Merry Christmas". I thought this was a democratic, secular country. Why can't we say what we want to say, what we've traditionally said for over 200 years??

But - whenever a hot local issue is on the table, like insanely high fuel prices or the full sale of Telstra, Prime Minister Howard wheels out the "Spectre of Terrorism!" sideshow to distract the public from issues he can't seem fit to deal with (or simply doesn't want to).

I wholeheartedly support this new policy - if there's going to be action somewhere along the line, not just this being a new sound-byte that will help change the subject whenever it suits the party.

FWIW - they're smearing this American activist all over the news, how he's run training camps on violent protest. Personally, I don't have a problem with us deporting "professional international protesters", but they shouldn't be pouring it on as thick as they are when there are real issues at hand.

YMMV - I'll probably get flamed for this.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Victor

Yes, we don't muck around over here.
Is Bush listening? Dunno.

This country's politics is extremely divided on many issues compared to your's. I wouldn't think logical deportation would happen over here without a crisis.

The whole point being, as far as I'm concerned, is that terrorists can't exist without a supportive or apathetic population. Those war clerics provide it.

[Matt Holcomb]

If we really didn't want to turn moderate Muslims into extremists, or further galvanize existing hardliners, then each of us would visit a discount rug vendor and buy a slave-woven prayer rug or two.

[}{arlequin]

i like the concept, but i'm hoping that it actually gets implemented