http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/islamic-hardliners-return-for-sydney-convention-after-push-for-ban-fails/story-e6frg6nf-1225887315042

HUNDREDS of Islamic activists are assembling in Sydney for a convention being held by the controversial Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

This is its first big event in Australia since a failed push to outlaw it three years ago.

Senior Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) members have flown in from Britain for the conference, which is part of a series of events being held around the world, as the group steps up its campaign for the formation of a trans-national Islamic state.

HT's Australian spokesman, Uthman Badar, said the conference, the theme of which was the "struggle for Islam in the West", was aimed at countering rising hostility to "all things Islamic" in the Western world.

"Whether it be the US, the UK or Australia, we see constant attacks on Islam, its values, practices and symbols," Mr Badar said.

"If it's not the face veil that becomes a security issue overnight in Australia, it's the minarets that frighten Switzerland."

Security agencies will be closely monitoring the conference.

In 2007, when HT held its last international assembly in Australia, the federal government considered banning the organisation in response to claims that it incites religious hatred and indirectly encourages terrorism.

But ASIO advised the then attorney-general Philip Ruddock that there was insufficient evidence to proscribe the group as it did not advocate terrorism.

HT explicitly rejects the use of violence in its quest for an Islamic state. But it supports militant campaigns against Western forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, and opposes the existence of Israel, which it calls an "illegitimate" state that "must be removed".

"Hizb ut-Tahrir's platform actually forbids its members from acts of terror and there is no clear evidence of (HT) engaging in terrorism or the preparation of terrorism," said Clive Williams, head of terrorism studies at the Australian National University. "There are many instances, though, of those whose views were forged in Hizb ut-Tahrir subsequently taking part in terrorism."

HT is banned in much of the Middle East, but operates legally in more than 40 countries, with an estimated one million members worldwide.

It has been active in Australia since the early 1990s.

Mr Badar denied the organisation was extremist. "There is nothing extreme about wanting representative, accountable governance in the Muslim world, or wanting the end of foreign interference there by removing the despots who rule," he said.

Conservative community groups in Sydney are planning a rally to coincide with Sunday's conference in Lidcombe to demonstrate their opposition to HT.

"We're really concerned, we believe (the philosophy) of Hizb ut-Tahrir is not one of peace and co-existence. They want world domination," said Nick Folkes, Sydney organiser for the Australian Protectionist Party, a fringe group that supports ending all Muslim immigration.

"Co-existence cannot happen. It's all lovely and fluffy to say co-existence is possible, but it's not. We want to end Islamic immigration because they want sharia law and we don't want it."

The stance towards HT is a clear indication the West's "War on terror" is actually a war on Islam. HT are a group that engages in political work only, and does not believe in violent means to enact change, yet they're probably outlawed in more countries than any other Islamic group.

They expose the lies and the hypocrisy quite well, even just by their very existence.

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The stance towards HT

Would that be, the stance that it is a legal entity?

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"There are many instances, though, of those whose views were forged in Hizb ut-Tahrir subsequently taking part in terrorism."

Well who would have ever predicted that?

Everyone.

Even the lying Islamist extremists who write their "veil", or should that read, "mask" of lies, can take comfort in the fact that their religion praises deceitfulness and dishonesty, if it confuses the kafirs.

The sad thing is the go along to get along muslims who are so weak that they will allow any ratbag with a microphone set the agenda for his culture/faith/political party.
The fact that one entity is even allowed to encompass all three areas is against all western principles of the separation of church and state, something Islam can never do, and the primary reason that Islam can never be welcomed in our land.

mozzaok wrote on Jul 5^th, 2010 at 10:41pm:

[quote] The fact that one entity is even allowed to encompass all three areas is against all western principles of the separation of church and state, something Islam can never do, and the primary reason that Islam can never be welcomed in our land.

Something Islam can never do? Almost every country with a majority of Muslims is a secular state. The closest Muslim countries to us are Indonesia and Malaysia. Theocracies? Hardly.

But what do you want our land to do? Ban Islam? How would you do this?

They sure are crap countries though.

aikmann4 wrote on Jul 8^th, 2010 at 7:41am:

They sure are crap countries though.

Why? Malaysia is a great country. Penang is an amazing island with great food, and proof that a largely Islamic population can embrace cultural diversity and religious pluralism.

One million followers hmmm?  let's hope they don't all get together! that's a pretty formidable army.  :-/

I know a quite few Muslims, in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and the way the media and right wing pollies portray Muslims in this country bears no resemblance to the reality of the situation.
There are drop kicks and extremists in every society but the vast majority of  Muslims are no different to anyone else in how they live their lives and their hopes and dreams for themselves and their families.
I think way to many people take what they read and hear in the media as gospel truth instead of getting off their clackers and taking the time to make friends and socialize with people from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
Make the effort..You may be pleasantly surprised  :)

adelcrow wrote on Jul 10^th, 2010 at 10:13am:

I know a quite few Muslims, in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and the way the media and right wing pollies portray Muslims in this country bears no resemblance to the reality of the situation. There are drop kicks and extremists in every society but the vast majority of  Muslims are no different to anyone else in how they live their lives and their hopes and dreams for themselves and their families. I think way to many people take what they read and hear in the media as gospel truth instead of getting off their clackers and taking the time to make friends and socialize with people from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Make the effort..You may be pleasantly surprised  :)

Now that's the most sensible thing I've read here in a while.

There's many on this board that sit in their homes all day listening to Alan and watching Today Tonight. They haven't travelled to any Muslim countries or met any actual Muslims - a prerequisite, you'd think, for any for any informed knowledge on the subject.

But they live in a state of heightened panic about what Muslims might do. The effect of the World Trade Centre bombings was so profound that, nine years later, Muslims present such fear to people in the West that every Muslim has come to be a suspect - a suspect of crimes that haven't been committed yet (but surely will if we don't maintain a heightened state of vigilance). The overwealming thought is "how dare they?"

The blind, unquestioning hatred has become so profound that it blocks out any semblance of reason. The Ministry of Love, of course, keeps the fear alive. It's simple, and it's easy. You don't have to think too hard. The enemy is a vague and distant shadow, a muddled shape-shifter who rears into focus every now and then in a caricature, a parody of evil in an imaginary world, a world of illusion and rhetoric; Plato's cave.

The only terrorist attack we've had on Australian soil was done by the NSW Police's Special Branch - the Hilton bombing. We didn't have any Muslims back then, so they blamed a bunch of hippies; Ananda Marga. Tim Anderson and others spent years in jail until they were found innocent. The real bombers are still out there.

These are dangerous times, and every uncovered meat line uttered is filtered through the prism of self-riteous indignation: how dare they? Who do they think they are? The uncovered meat line was absurd, but Fred Nile puts out as much. Interesting that Fred Nile's now the vanguard of the circus-crusade.

Dangerous times? As dangerous as you want them to be. Muslims can't live in liberal democracies. Muslims can't live alongside anyone else - a self-fulfilling prophecy if there was ever one.

Still, Muslims do live in liberal democracies, and they do willingly live in pluralist societies all over the world. Times are changing, however, as fundamentalism takes a hold. Fundamentalism isn't just the poison of Islam, but a poison that effects the blood of all schools of thought. Parts of India, for example, have become torn by Muslim/Hindu rifts, where they were previously integrated. Both Muslims and Hindus blame this on "politics." It's interesting the way they see politics as something completely outside their power - a function of globalization and corporate hegemony.

I've always thought the less educated were more suceptible to fundamentalism, but this is proving to be untrue. Anyone can fall pray to it, and the more distanced we become from others, the more information we consume, the more we want simple answers. Instead of empathy, we search for isolation and exclusion. We want so badly to be right, and we hide our feelings of powerlessness.

We don't live in villages anymore, where we know who does what and how things in our small world work. We're divorced from the product of our labour and the process that makes the things we consume. In the end, of course, we become alienated from our enemies - we don't know who they are anymore, so much so that they can be anyone we choose.

The Muslim serves well, but in a long tradition of enemies, he'll be replaced before long.

Actually, what turned the tide on this forum against Muslims was not the media. Until a few Muslims turned up Sprint et al looked kind of looney going on about Muslims. What changed so many people's minds was when a few Australian Muslims turned up and reinforced parts of what Sprint was saying.

Sure, there are some regular Australian Muslims. I have met some of them. They seem nice enough, but I wouldn't expect any of them to come to my assistance if the lunatic Muslims take over. They would be too busy stressing that they weren't being a good enough Muslim. Even Abu seems quite normal until you make the effort to ask the difficult questions (and persist until you get a straight answer).

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Even Abu seems quite normal until you make the effort to ask the difficult questions (and persist until you get a straight answer)

Correction, I am normal, you're the abnormal one here.

abu_rashid wrote on Jul 11^th, 2010 at 1:37pm:

Quote: Even Abu seems quite normal until you make the effort to ask the difficult questions (and persist until you get a straight answer) Correction, I am normal, you're the abnormal one here.

No no, I'm the normal one. Everyone else here is subnormal.

It is time that our government is mindful of his own people first. I work near a place where prayer meetings every Friday for the Muslim prisoners and there is never parking and people involved in these meetings, even in the parking lot behind the shops and offices. They seem to think their rights. What kind of country and heritage, try to go to Australian children.

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It is time that our government is mindful of his own people first.

It's own people being???


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I work near a place where prayer meetings every Friday for the Muslim prisoners and there is never parking and people involved in these meetings, even in the parking lot behind the shops and offices.

Gotta give you that one. Some people who come from other countries (not just Muslims mind you, Christians and others as well), are shocking when it comes to parking, double parking, blocking the way etc.

I once saw a guy park right across the entrance to someone's driveway, and when I questioned him about it, he pointed to a sign that said "2P" and said it's ok as long as he doesn't stay for more than 2 hours.


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What kind of country and heritage, try to go to Australian children.

I don't know what language you're trying to speak there mate but it ain't English, the language of this country, so either learn to speak all proper like or go back to where you crawled out from you half wit.

Maqqa wrote on Jul 3^rd, 2010 at 9:32am:

"they want sharia law"

Do they?

Does anyone here?

jame-e wrote on Oct 25^th, 2010 at 9:07pm:

Maqqa wrote on Jul 3rd, 2010 at 9:32am: "they want sharia law" Do they? Does anyone here?

Poor ol' Macca - she couldn't handle the truth...

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?action=viewprofile;username=Maqqa