TO HIJAB OR NOT HIJAB
This whole scarf fiasco cracks me up. Those of us that grew up in Australia during the sixties and before would remember the swathes of scarves and mantillas that adorned the head of every God fearing Catholic woman on Sunday mornings. It was a simple dogmatic way of honouring one’s God. None would walk on hallowed ground without at least a hanky covering one’s scone!
The more secular our society has become, the less value has been put on these outward showings of faith. In our free society though no one should have to suffer indignity for following his or her faith in this manner.
An interview of a young Muslim man on Today/Tonight showed him explaining that Muslims would never assimilate properly into Australian society. The Jews have operated the same way. Religious Jews keep socially to themselves and have not assimilated, but that does not mean that they don’t contribute to our society in many wonderful ways.
The Hijab reminds me of a Catholic nun’s habit, attire designed to provide modesty and an outward showing of commitment to faith.
It wasn’t that long ago that Catholics were reviled in this country. As a kid in Sydney, growing up in the ‘60s, a couple of mates and myself would have to walk home every day past a public school and awaited in anticipation to be abused and be the target of rock throwing from gangs of Protestant kids. We stood strong and tall and replied in kind because it had been ingrained into us that ours was the only real Christian church, as all the others were built on bulldust.
Does any of this ring any bells out there? A now somewhat illiterate population, due to Kirner’s Government stuffing up of the education system in the Eighties, appears to be a-feared of women in HIJAB. Sure Islam in Australia now is as virulent as Catholicism of a couple of centuries ago, seen as insidious and threatening, yet lesser, but I reckon we need to give these people a chance.
The Islamic religion started with the Prophet in the crucible of all Western and Middle Eastern religions. Hey guys three ‘one and only’ Gods could not have come from the same place. Coming philosophically from the same place surely the problem we have is purely interpretation.
When you see a woman in a Hijab think warmly of her commitment to honouring her idea of Godhead.
I can't believe the outright facism sprouting from Battleship Bronnie's mouth though! Imagine banning the wearing of headgear in our public schools. Freedom of expression of religious choice is a cornerstone of our democracy. Don't let these mealy mouthed Bush apologists put fear into our minds based on a piece of clothing.
The more secular our society has become, the less value has been put on these outward showings of faith. In our free society though no one should have to suffer indignity for following his or her faith in this manner.
An interview of a young Muslim man on Today/Tonight showed him explaining that Muslims would never assimilate properly into Australian society. The Jews have operated the same way. Religious Jews keep socially to themselves and have not assimilated, but that does not mean that they don’t contribute to our society in many wonderful ways.
The Hijab reminds me of a Catholic nun’s habit, attire designed to provide modesty and an outward showing of commitment to faith.
It wasn’t that long ago that Catholics were reviled in this country. As a kid in Sydney, growing up in the ‘60s, a couple of mates and myself would have to walk home every day past a public school and awaited in anticipation to be abused and be the target of rock throwing from gangs of Protestant kids. We stood strong and tall and replied in kind because it had been ingrained into us that ours was the only real Christian church, as all the others were built on bulldust.
Does any of this ring any bells out there? A now somewhat illiterate population, due to Kirner’s Government stuffing up of the education system in the Eighties, appears to be a-feared of women in HIJAB. Sure Islam in Australia now is as virulent as Catholicism of a couple of centuries ago, seen as insidious and threatening, yet lesser, but I reckon we need to give these people a chance.
The Islamic religion started with the Prophet in the crucible of all Western and Middle Eastern religions. Hey guys three ‘one and only’ Gods could not have come from the same place. Coming philosophically from the same place surely the problem we have is purely interpretation.
When you see a woman in a Hijab think warmly of her commitment to honouring her idea of Godhead.
I can't believe the outright facism sprouting from Battleship Bronnie's mouth though! Imagine banning the wearing of headgear in our public schools. Freedom of expression of religious choice is a cornerstone of our democracy. Don't let these mealy mouthed Bush apologists put fear into our minds based on a piece of clothing.
Comments
Are you trying to tell me that Mossad have not carried out 'activities' in Australia, and as far as the nuns go , I was beat up a Catholic, you would never meet a harsher, more brutal creature than a Catholic nun from the sixties. Anti semitism? Bloody hell Anon, the palestinian Jews have been blowing up Arabs since ben Gurian stole the place for the birth of Israel. I'm more worried about the extremist Christians and what havoc they can prevail on the people of the world.
Only a very small number of muslims have anything to do with radicalism, yet a broad brush is used to instill fear in our hearts by a media with nothing better to do than drum up threads of fear and see how long they can get them to fly.