In “Islamophobia is a fabrication” in the Sydney Morning Herald, March 30 (thanks to JE), Paul Sheehan tells the truth about the manipulative neologism “Islamophobia”
I’ve been considering a request from a post-graduatestudent who wants to do a thesis on Islamophobia in Australia. Shewrites: “I am researching the topic Islamophobia, and I am trying toprove whether Islamophobia is based on religion fear or cultural fearof Islam.”
What about proving that Islamophobia exists at all? That would bethe logical, ethical and scholarly starting point. But it appears theoutcome has already been decided. This would fit the prevailingorthodoxy in academia that the default position for Muslims inAustralia is victim. The jargon, “Islamophobia” is part of thisideological construct. Literally, it means fear of Muslims.
I reflected on all this while on holiday in Malaysia and theMaldives last week. This was my twelfth visit to Muslim societiesbecause I do not “fear” Muslims and do not “fear” Islam. Yes, there isample evidence that Australians have become uneasy about Muslims ingeneral and hostile in specific cases, but this is about cause andeffect.
Consider the series of blows to the image of Muslims in just thepast three weeks, where the everyday decency of the majority have beencollaterally damaged by the antics of the few.
On March 8, the night of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras,police say a group of about 100 young Muslim men, allegedly members ofa loose gang called MBM – Muslim Brotherhood Movement – moved throughthe centre of the city intimidating, harassing and beating bystanders.
On March 15, Abdul Darwiche was murdered, shot to death in ashopping centre in the latest hyper-violence involving two warringLebanese Muslim clans. Police later arrested Darwiche’s brother,Michael, for driving around with a loaded pistol. A third brother,Adnan, appeared in the NSW Supreme Court three years ago to besentenced for a double murder. He and his fellow accused, NasaemEl-Zeyat and Ramzi Aouad, laughed and joked, going out of their way toexpress their contempt for Australian law. After the three men were allgiven life sentences they shouted “God is great!” This was the sameAdnan Darwiche who purchased rocket launchers stolen from theAustralian Army, which have never been recovered.
Hundreds of mourners attended Abdul Darwiche’s funeral at theLakemba Mosque, where, within days, Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly wasinvolved in yet another controversy. Channel Nine obtained a copy of avideo surveillance tape which shows the former mufti of Australiakicking in a door, then returning soon after in the company of police.Apparently he called police over vandalism which he committed, blamingothers who are engaged in a power struggle at the mosque. Sheik Hilalyhas been embroiled repeatedly in controversy and provocation, makingnumerous inflammatory remarks about Australia and Australians.
A few days later, yet another rape sentence was handed down to oneof the K brothers, three of whom, during their various trials for gangrape, claimed they were victims of an anti-Muslim conspiracy. Betweenthem, four K brothers have been convicted of gang-raping five girls.
This sentencing followed closely on the conviction of seven Sydneyschoolboys for the aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl in atoilet block in Yagoona in 2007. According to police, the ring-leaderwas on his phone speaking in Arabic during the assaults and most or allof the boys are of Muslim background.
If this is so, these latest convictions produce a morbid tally ofmore than 30 young Muslim men involved in serious proven sexualassaults of non-Muslim girls in Sydney, involving the Skaf brothers,the K brothers, the E-M cousins, the Yagoona schoolboys and variousothers. Because sexual assault is the least reported crime (about 15per cent of incidents are reported to police) this particularphenomenon was certainly much broader. […]
Given the abundant evidence of violent cause and fearful effect,involving a small percentage of antagonists, the general charge ofIslamophobia is an ideological fabrication….Source