Australian socialists oppose anti-Muslim racists
"This Saturday groups of neo-nazis are planning to march to the Islamic Cultural Centre in Melbourne's northern suburb of Brunswick. They are using the comments of Sheik Hilaly about 'uncovered meat' to justify their message of racist hate. These hypocrites never complain when non-Muslims make comments against women.
"For example the Australian judge who said: 'If every man stopped the first time a woman said "No", the world would be a much less exciting place to live.' Or the comments of ex-Governor General Peter Hollingsworth condoning the sexual abuse of a 14-year old girl: 'My belief is that this was not sex abuse. There was no suggestion of rape or anything like that. Quite the contrary, my information is that it was, rather, the other way around.'
"The confidence of the neo-nazis to march stems directly from the anti-Muslim sentiment whipped up by Howard (and Bush and Blair) to justify the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Not a week goes past but one or other rightwing politician or TV programme is talking about 'Muslim gangs'. This language is used to get the public support to justify bombing Iraq into the Stone Age. Ordinary Australians are being told to view all Muslims as potential terrorists."
Martin Sullivan
in Resisting Islamophobia, Far Right Racists, Australia
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