The Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) has asked – What do you want to know about Islam?
September 18th, 2012 by Warwick HughesThis blog sometimes goes off-climate-topic.
Following Muslim riots in Sydney last weekend and around the world recently – the ABC asks four questions.
In the wake of the unrest, ABC News Online is putting together an explainer on Islam and the protests.
Tell us the questions you want answered, and we will put them to an expert panel.
We have compiled the following questions to get things started:
1 – What have the recent protests by Muslims in Australia and around the world been about?
2 – How could a film have sparked such widespread outrage?
3 – Are all Muslims angry over the film, or just a minority?
4 – How do the violent responses to the film sit with Islamic teachings?
What else do you want to know?
It is clear from the comments below the ABC article that most people have an understanding of Islam and do not need help from the ABC.
Posted in News and Views | 7 Comments »
September 19th, 2012 at 1:09 am
The ABC asks the wrong questions, but then their intention was to lecture people with politically correct waffle, and apologies to the rioters. Maybe they were even thinking of a National Grovel day for the moslems.
What the ABC should have asked is
Who are these people?
What has this got to do with Australia?
Why are they being violent?
Why should they be allowed to stay in Australia?
Yes, I realise that most were probably born in Australia, but if they don’t accept australian ways, why keep them? I bet precious few came from the Auburn or Granville area (largely turkish sunni), or from west Sydney (Ismaeli Shia).
The fear of having to go and live in a strict moslem society would have most of these behaving much more cautiously about their moslem sensitivities.
And perhaps that prat film maker in the USA could be sent to join them. I mean, “pushing the boundaries” in the Arts with blasphemy, pornography or stupidity is so 1970′s.
September 19th, 2012 at 11:34 am
This is just a minor peripheral incident in a Sunni Shiia conflict that stretches from Pakistan to the Mediterranean. With every indication it will get worse.
September 19th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Questions 2,3&4 assume that the answer to question 1 is “the film” – so why bother asking? I suspect the answer lies deeper – substitute “cartoons” for “film” and some other possibilities may become apparent.
September 19th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
It will be interesting to see the response here when the Israelis take out Iran’s nuclear weapons facilities.
September 20th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Philip Bradley Says:
You might well ask which side the ABC is on? Neither, unless there is a “moslem grovelling on the floor party”.
I think Islam is more fractured than just down the major fault line. It would be tempting to see the current mess in Syria as Sunni v Shia, with the Shia being the Alawites supported by Iran. Totally repulsive as Assad is, at least he encouraged toleration for the various religions present in Syria. The Sunni “side” gets its support from the repressive Wahabi (Saudi Arabia) and various other “islamic” parties.
Whichever side wins, they will massacre their opponents, before then deciding to wipe out the Christians there (mostly the Assyrians).
There is no toleration at the edges of Islam. Anybody can set up a “holier than thou” sect. It’s like having hundreds of John Knox clones (or worse) on the loose. I was reminded of this recently while reading a description of Iraq; how the Sunni and Shia were at loggerheads, while a murderous sect was launching suicide raids trying to destabilise the country (plus several other religious disputes). That was in 960 AD.
September 20th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Graeme, you are right its more complex than Sunni-Shiia. You can add Salafists, Christians, Ahmadhdis and Kurds into the mix. Then there are the players on the periphery; Turks, Europeans, India, the Stans, Russia, Christian black Africans. If the Strait of Hormuz gets shut China’s economy is in deep trouble. Who knows what they will do if social unrest breaks out. Interesting times.
September 22nd, 2012 at 9:21 am
I guess we have all suffered the sight of teenage boys ( usually alcohol influenced) yelling & screaming & beating their breasts at each other in some sort of pissing contest to define the pecking/mating order. Sooner or later sobriety, poverty & hunger bring about behaviour modifications.
It is not really drawing a long bow to draw “parallels” to some cossetted group, intoxicated with self-righteousness whether they are politicians, religious leaders, Hollywood wannabes, feminists or just naughty little boys.