One of the recent big news issues in Australia have been the comments made by Sheik Alhilali, one of Australia's most prominent Muslim clerics. An extract from a news report on the ninemsn website:
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"Sheik Alhilali outraged Muslim community leaders and politicians across the political spectrum with his comments, made during a Ramadan sermon to 500 worshippers in Sydney last month.

Excerpts from a recording of the 17-minute sermon appeared in The Australian newspaper.

The Sheik alluded to rapes in 2000 in which four women were separately gang-raped by young Muslim men, including Bilal Skaf, who received a 55-year jail sentence, later reduced.

He said there were women who "sway suggestively" and wore make-up and inappropriate clothes, "and then you get a judge without mercy (rahma) and gives you 65 years," The Australian reported.

"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat," the sheik asked.

"The uncovered meat is the problem."

"If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab (head scarf), no problem would have occurred."
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Although the Sheik and many of his spokespeople have defended the comments, saying that they have been taken out of context, they stil annoy me to a large degree. It's effect and the appearance of intolerance is similar, although to a smaller degree, with the comments made by the Pope earlier in the year.

I get angry when leaders, any type although religious will apply in the context of this blog, who are considered by followers of a certain belief to be able to represent them confidently and looking out for the interests of them make comments that stir up prejudices and cause outrage. When a large proportion of the Australian population still do not have even a basic understanding of the Islamic religion, especially the diversity in which it is practised an followed in Australia, comment made like that only make it easier for people to strenghten ignorant prejudices.

When so many people, of all faiths, are working so hard to try and shake off stereotypical images presented of them and to reach out and make connections and encourage inter-fatih and intercultural dialogue it is distressing to see their work being torn apart. In a coutnry as multi-cultural as Australia all religious leaders, while entitled to make any comment they choose, must be able to represent their religion in the context of our society and ensure that they are not adding unnecessary burdens to the people who look to them for representation and guidance.

Just food for thought.
Peace,
Hilary

Woot! I was just so happy with the result that I thought that I should write about it.
For those of you who don't know (and I doubt there would be many on this website who don't) STAND UP was an even organised for the 15th and 16th of October. It was an attempt to break the Guiness World Record for the number of people to stand up for a cause and I am overjoyed to report that over 23 MILLION people stood up worldwide.

I think that that is phenomenal. We smashed the record and we did it in style! When you think about it, it was so easy to do and I think that those are the kind of ideas that are going to help bring the major issues into the spotlight. I think that if people realise that they can make a difference just by standing up and by doing this are bringing the MDG's to the attention of their governments, then more people are going to be encouraged to find out more and get involved.

I was on the millennium campaign website looking at a few of the photos and you can't help, and this definetley counds corny, but feel a real sense of unification with people. If people in a school in Australia who are surrounded by an abundance of resources can stand up alongside hcildren in a school with just one computer and a totally different lifestyle, for the same cause, then you can't help but feel that we stand a damn good fighting chance.

Peace
Hilary

I was reading an article the other day, and it was mainly concerning the statements of the Executive Director of the WFP in the run-up to World Food Day. He was talking about how 400 million children are living in hunger. He also spoke on how not having enough food from the beginning of life outsidde the womb will have negative impacts on learning, behaviour and health throughout the life cycle of any hungry child. As well, he added that if the mother is hungry throughout the pregnancy this can also have a negative impact on the growth potential, in all areas of life, of the unborn child.

For anybody a lot of this information is nothing new. However the one thing I can't understand is how anybody could not suddenly feel the instant need to do something or at the very least, find out more about the situation. Throughout the millennia it has no doubt been seen that man has the potential to be and often has been, incredibly selfish. When push comes to shove, it's every man (or woman etc. etc.) for themselves and it's not hard to blame them for it when you know that's exactly what you would do yourself. However, situations like these incite question when you consider that it would not adversely affect anyone to take out five minutes of their day to write to their local member or for a government to commit more money and food to causes suah as the WFP when we have a surplus of such resources anyway.

Often for younger people, the thought it "Oh, how sad, I could never live like that" and bingo! there is the problem. Many young people are unable to empathise with the situation of these children or they cannot really understand the scope of numbers involved because 400 million of anything is often difficult to comprehend. Fortunately, almost no child in this country will have to suffer from malnutrition and while this is a blessing for those it is also a curse in that it is difficult to rally others to a cause that is so incredibly alien and when sitting in the movies, with a coke and a popcorn is that much easier and much more in reach of our comfort zone.

Finally term 3 holidays have arrived and I can get rid of my terrible winter unifrom for good before I move into the senior uniform for next winter. I can get up when I want, do what I like. Oh and study. Our school is just so fabulous that they have decided to put our exams on the second day back of term. How convenient, I hear you say. How nice of them to consider us and our want of burning all school books, by making that all but impossible.

Oh well. At least I get to go to school, right?