In her maiden speech in parliament, Pauline Hanson revealed the egoist nature of Western society. Her stance was supported by Graham Campbell, who is notorious for his anti-Islam view. We look at the nature of Australian society, and compare it within the context of Islam.
Part 1: ELITISM
He said: I am better than him, You created me from fire, and created him from clay." [S7:V12]
So was the first reported case of elitism, and the promise, that through the same trap, Satan would attempt to beguile humanity.
The second reported case was the competition between Cain and Able, that bout of elitism ended in the elitist killing the humble of the two. (refer 5: 27-31)
Ever since, man has been trying to prove that he is better than the next, except for those saved by Allah.
What brings one to write about elitism? Is it indeed the threat faced by the society we live in when a member of this society abuses her position of honour, and stirs these feelings of elitism? You know, the case between Adam and Satan was one being exclaiming superiority over another, the case with Cain and Able was that of one person not being able to bear the superiority of another when this was proven to him, so he killed him.
Today, the elitist builds a cult, to rally support, and then looks for what it considers the weakest in its society, and rallies its cult to prey on this weak section of its society. It can go on a larger scale, if it is intelligent, and make all in its society members of its cult, and prey on neighbouring societies.
I cannot resist the Hitler parallel, wanting to destroy every person who did not fit into the particular mould he had in mind, and today's fame-starved individuals who have an image, and appear to believe that fitting to that image holds the salvation for the society they live in.
So Pauline Hanson talks about the big picture, without looking at it; she looks at the threat from the position of a desperate coward, not realising the opportunities which a little tact, a little research, and the realisation of just how powerful one is, would generate for the improvement of her society.
Then we have Graeme Campbell, who went a step further and actually named Muslims as being undesirable immigrants because Islamic fundamentalism is so alien to western culture.
He was sufficiently brave to actually come out and say this, yet, from the Muslim viewpoint, our ideology is the best salvation for the people of Australia, and the people of the world in general. Yes, we are a threat to the culture of drunkenness, paedophilia, and mostly we are a big threat to the culture of ELITISM.
To us, the most honourable is the most pious, and we are not in the position to judge this piety, so we as Muslims, are fundamentally opposed to the notion of elitism. We encourage the principle that we are all to Adam, and Adam was created from earth.
The noise generated by so many, and the mass support that these elitist individuals seem to rally is incredible to say the least. It would be easier to understand this mentality in Rwanda, or in some South American countries, or any third world country where Islam is a minority. But in Australia, it is extremely perturbing.
So how is this elitism countered? It seems that the reaction only came when the bank balance started to suffer, when condemnation came from the president of the Olympic body, from our foreign customers, from people who can influence our own personal benefits. They were not criticised because their views are evil, not because they are destructive, but because they would reflect badly on us.
How many from our own community reacted on the basis that Pauline is threatening our own personal lifestyles? How many of us were angered for Allah alone, rather than self interest? If we are angered because of self interest, then we are no different to her, we should sign up as fellow elitists.
How far removed are these elitist notions from our Messenger (peace and blessings upon him), he used to look for these disadvantaged groups and be the first to offer assistance, and encouraged his companions and all Muslims to offer assistance to them.
Traditionally, the Muslim notion and reaction is to welcome a disadvantaged person, and serve upon them, and offer every assistance which we are capable of. This indeed is diametrically opposed to the elitist views which are touted by so many in this community.
Let them go back to their own country! They stuffed it up there, let them solve their own problems! We do not want their problems in our country! When in Rome, do as the Romans do! They do not assimilate! Assimilation is now the most vile word to my hearing because it has been so abused by these people.
It is astounding how, when Pauline started the assimilation argument that the media found a Muslim woman wearing the Hijab, slightly overweight, doing her shopping, and channel nine would show her in an advertisement for one of their shows, right after the assimilation comment. They do not film a fat Australian woman in tight bicycle shorts, or tight pants, or an Australian drunk, or a nun, or an Australian welfare cheat. NO!!! They show a Muslim woman wearing a Hijab, she is not assimilating, it would be okay if this same woman walked around in bicycle shorts, with her body vulgarly bulging out to the point of regurgitation.
These people are whacked, they have not got a clue! Unfortunately, there are too many of them to be described as a minority. Perhaps they are the vocal section of a wider group, because it seems that the Liberal and Labour governments have tacitly approved and employed a form of discrimination in their policies before this fiasco.
One just needs to look at the points system, and how these favour European migrants. Or the government services, or the way non - Westerners are treated by many in our community.
However, the politically correct discrimination practised by other Parliamentarians was different. Whilst it was there, and enforced, the little man, who had become accustomed to so much being given to him, did not really understand it, it was too subtle, and too well exercised, you had to be astute to discover it.
Pauline Hanson was the panacea for this little man who needed it spelled out. Her words, although they did not call for action against migrants who are already in this country, gave this little man the license to vet out his frustrations on these migrants. Instead of guarding the borders of the country against the illegal entrants into Australia, he wanted to reverse the migration, and make life intolerable for the migrants already here, and send them back. He does not care about their contribution to society. He did not understand why the other parliamentarians were discreet about voicing these views.
The unwillingness of the other parliamentarians to give more than the least lip service to these views just shows that these people tacitly support such views. Elitism is rife in our politics, the classic example is the report in the paper of a couple of parliamentarians wanting to gag a Greens senator for not wearing his tie, and the report named one of these as one of the people speaking out against Pauline. It is just a struggle to grab anything which will boost their egos, to justify their elitism. Simultaneously blinded to any fact which would breed understanding.
So the little man feels braver now, and is able to justify taunting our sisters when they walk in the streets as he passes them in his car. Or to taunt me because I look non Western. He is justified, because Pauline has inadvertently convinced him that such actions are the solution to the problems of this country and he is the white knight in his shining armour, with the blue Australian Blood (or should I say: the beer Australian blood) who must come to the rescue.
As these people are responding to the suggestions of Satan, unhesitantly, and the basic suggestion, the very one which fell him from grace, the "I am better than he" principle, they are heading to the same fate.
And how many a community passed away before them, which are now destroyed: "And how many a township have We destroyed while it was sinful, so that it lies in ruins, and a deserted well, and lofty tower! Have they not traveled in the land, and have they hearts wherewith to feel and ears wherewith to hear? For indeed it is not the eyes that grow blind, but it is the hearts, which are within the bosoms, that grow blind." [S22:V45-46]
"See they not how many generation We destroyed before them, whom We had established in the earth more firmly that We have established you, and We shed on them abundant showers from the sky, and made the rivers flow beneath them. Yet We destroyed them for their sins and created after them another generation." [S6:V6]
"And We have indeed written in the Zabour after the Zikr, that the Earth will be inherited by my servants who are righteous." [S21:V105]
In a way, they feel safe because of the quantity of water which surrounds this country, so they feel fortified behind this great body, it gives them a feeling of security. But the reality is, the land belongs to God, not to them, and if those foreigners, whom they fear as migrants are not permitted to enter as migrants, they will come as settlers, in numbers so large that they will not be able to process them, hold them, or stop them. What will they do then? If these foreigners who are restraining themselves, because they see a legal hope, that they can come to this vast mainly uninhabited land for whatever reason, are told that there is no longer a legal way to come here, what will they do?
What will a starving person do when he wants food?
They will no longer respect these laws which were drafted in a cocoon away from the reality that the land of Australia does not belong to white European man. In fact, if the original inhabitants had their way, or if we want to employ Pauline Hanson justice, then white man should pack his bags and leave this country, for your people Pauline, have been the worst of guests!
The criminal dregs of white society colonised this country, and now, they only take the select choice of other societies, and the descendants of these criminal dregs tell us that they are better than us. And because we are not elitists, we tolerate them. Yet they want us to assimilate, perhaps they will only become satisfied when we each die our hair red, wear blue/green contact lenses, and operate a fish and chips shop, otherwise, we would not be truly assimilating, would we?
"As for those whose souls the angels took while still they were wronging themselves - the angels said, "in what were you engaged?" They said, "We were weak in the land." They said: "was not Allah's earth spacious, so that you might have emigrated in it?" So for those, their abode is hell, and it is a bad destination." [S4:V97]
So it is a duty for the oppressed to seek out a land where he can practice his faith without persecution, rather than join the rot.
Of course, Australia has to feature prominently in this treatise, for no reason other than the fact that I live here.
A study of other western countries will show the situation to be worse. In America for example, the situation with elitism sees the neighbouring Mexicans whose Texas was usurped from them by the Yanks being treated like unwanted feral animals, they are refused any basic human rights, and reports have been filed of their numbers being bashed and humiliated by border patrols. The US policies are more far reaching, it seems that as their power of communication, and weapon potential grows, they expand their influence and interference in the domestic affairs of foreign nations. So we see subversive activities in practically all South American countries to keep them unstable so that they can never pose a threat to the myth of the great free America.
If we look further, we see their interference in the affairs of Islamic countries which are on the other side of the globe, we see them shape the politics of Egypt, Saudi, Kuwait and many other countries, and we see them suppressing the revival of Islam there.
Canada is an example of irony, a country divided into two official languages seeing the French side banning shop signs in languages other than French.
Yet the French appear to be the most intolerant going to the extent of banning the importation of basic Islamic books into their country, including simple books such as Dr Yusuf Al-Qaradawy's "The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam", and banning Muslim women from attending high schools and universities if their head is covered with a scarf. To the point of having police there to stop these sisters from entering university grounds.
The British are no better, their incestuous relationship and influence over Arab countries saw them debating the introduction of a new law to deport Muslims on suspicion of so called "fundamentalist" links without a trial. Not to mention their support of the Serbs in the Balkan conflict through opposing arms sale to the Bosnian Muslims.
The Germans are not free from blame either, apart from their open support to the Croatians in the Balkan conflict, Turkish Muslims have been hunted by youth gangs in Germany as well as having a number of Muslim homes burnt at the hands of these gangs.
The Communists in particular have practised their elitism against all religion and Islam in particular, turning mosques into factories, and deporting entire Muslim communities such as the mass deportation of 3 million Chechens at the end of WW2 by Stalin where one million died on the way, and their brutal invasion of Chechnya and their inhuman treatment of Muslims there.
The Chinese are also actively practicing their form of elitism on minorities in their country and abroad with persecutions of Muslims, and the entering into treaties with Russia and other countries to counter the growing threat of the "Islamic Menace".
There are other examples in Africa, Rwanda Hootoos and Tutsies, and in Palestine, where Palestinian Muslims in particular have no rights whatsoever, to the extent that the murder of a Palestinian earns the Israeli murderer a penalty of one third of a cent and a suspended prison sentence. They have an excuse though, they are "God's chosen people" - what they do not realise is that they have been chosen as fuel for His fire, but they will keep this murder going until we stop them with the help of Allah.
India, the Asian country which is dominated by the lowest of the low amongst racists, the class society which divides its own people into four classes and places people of other faiths, and Muslims in particular as the lowest of the low. The policies of these cow worshippers, and their extermination of Muslims in their countries and inside Kashmir (to the silence of Western countries) is one more example of how this feeling of elitism is not restricted to the colour of the elitist, it is a lifestyle of those idiots who have intoxicated themselves with a false feeling of power, and who actively exercise this power against others.
What it boils down to is that elitism is practised to the detriment of others in many Western countries, as well as would be Western countries, on various scales. It seems that a common victim of this elitism with all these countries is the Muslim; this is evident through both government policies and the way their media reports negatively on Islam.
The joke is on the elitists and the Muslims who stand idly by letting all this take place without exercising the power given to us by Islam. "And if you turn away, He will exchange a people other than you, then they will not be like you." [S47: V38]
By Br. Keysar Trad
This article was first published in the 16th issue of Nida'ul Islam magazine (http://www.islam.org.au),
December - January 1996-97]
