Australian PM Julia Gillard asks Muslims to get out of Australia - Facts Analysis

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The whole world needs a leader like this!

Prime Minister Julia Gillard – Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

‘If you aren’t happy here then Leave. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country You accepted.’

Older Versions:

1. Prime Minister John Howard – Australia

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques. Quote: ‘IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.’

‘This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom’

‘We speak mainly English, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!’

‘Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.’

‘We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.’

‘This is Our Country, Our Land, and Our Lifestyle, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom, ‘The Right To Leave’.’

‘If you aren’t happy here then Leave. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country You accepted.’

Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American and Canadian citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

If you agree … please Send This On.

2. Muslims out of Australia!

Canberra Australia: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia 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 and her Queen 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 to 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 who 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 spy agencies monitoring the nation’s mosques.

Analysis:

These messages have been circulating through emails and social networks in several variants since 2005. All these messages talk about the issue of Islamic Sharia law in Australia, claiming that immigrant muslims in Australia must agree and abide by the parliamentary laws of Australia. The messages also claim that the Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard (others in older versions of messages) has asked the muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law to get out of Australia. There is an element of truth about the concerns of Islamic Sharia law and muslims terror in Australia, but all these messages are misinterpreted, misquoted and exaggerated versions of various discussions of Australian government officials and other editorial writings.

Islamic Sharia Law

Sharia means the path to a watering hole and is considered by muslims as a religious code for living, just like the bible offers a moral system for Christians. Sharia Law refers both to the Islamic system of law and the totality of Islamic way of life.

There have been Islamist movements in Muslim countries to reintroduce sharia, and attempts to impose it have sometimes been accompanied by controversy, violence and even warfare like the Second Sudanese Civil War. Sharia has a concept of justice different from that of secular Western law. In recent times, where Islamic immigration has been prevalent in western countries, the muslim minorities there have introduced the sharia family law for use in their own disputes. An example of this is the Britain’s Muslim Arbitration Tribunal which is set up to resolve the muslims disputes without seeking the official courts system.

Original source of messages

The original source of all these messages goes back to an article written by an American Air Force Veteran, Barry Loudermilk, who had sent it to a local newspaper called The Bartow Trader in Georgia. The article, quoted as ‘This is America. Like it or leave it’, talked about the issues of immigrants in America, patriotism and political correctness. Several hybrid variants of this message started circulating since the issue of muslims in Australia, changing and using names of Australian’s officials and prime ministers like Julia Gillard and John Howard.

Muslims Concern in Australia

The concern about muslim immigrants and domestic terrorism started in many countries including Australia soon after the London tube bombings on July 7, 2005. The shocking incident involved 4 Islamist home-grown terrorists as suicide bombers who targeted civilians using public transport system and as a result, 52 civilians were killed along with the bombers, also injuring more than 700 people. Following this event, John Howard, then prime minister of Australia held a conference with muslim leaders in Canberra to develop a national strategy to address the issues of intolerance and violence relating to muslims.

During the meeting, John Howard sought advice from muslims leaders and others to condemn and deny terrorism from Islamic schools and mosques. The Muslim community was also urged to train clerics in Australia in avoiding the import of radicals from overseas. Critical examination of Islamic schools and mosques was targeted by intelligence agencies since the government wanted to stamp out the homegrown terrorism and extremists. But the founder of Islamic Friendship Association, Keysar Trad, who was not present at the meeting expressed his concern about licensing of Muslim imams saying that it did not apply to Christian priests or Jewish rabbis, and it would create discrimination. Mr Howard later told Southern Cross radio:

“I have no desire and nor is it the government’s intention to interfere in any way with the freedom or practice of religion. We have a right to know whether there is, within any section of the Islamic community, a preaching of the virtues of terrorism, whether any comfort or harbour is given to terrorism within that community.”

Following this meeting, the Education minister, Brendan Nelson was to propose at a meeting with vice-chancellors and Muslim leaders the plans to support more imams to be be educated in Australian universities. He quoted saying:

“(This is) so muftis and the imams we have teaching the Islamic faith and values in Australia, whether in schools or any other place, are people that are Australians, understand know and live Australian values and have been taught in an Australian environment,” and also said that Muslims in Australia who did not want to accept local values should “clear off”.

All these consequences and statements were misinterpreted and the controversial messages were developed, based on the article of Barry Loudermilk.

However, in September 2005, the Council of Australian Government arranged a special meeting with Islamic community leaders to counter terrorism, where in a definite statement of principles were developed together so as to protect the values of harmony, justice and democracy in the country.

To conclude, no prime minister of Australia has ever asked muslim immigrants or people living under Islamic Sharia law to get out of the country. Those provocative messages should not be believed or encouraged.