IN A DISTURBING potential indication of things to come, the Murdoch press today carries a story about a Muslim housing estate being marketed in Riverstone, in Sydney’s north-west. This is not the Australian way, and such religion-based enterprises have no place in this country.
I have opined previously about the unacceptability of the creeping introduction of Islamic culture in Australia and its inappropriate nature viewed against some manifestations of its impact on mainstream Australian society.
And readers will recall, too, that this column is resolutely opposed to the introduction of Sharia law in Australia on any scale and in any way, shape or form.
With this in mind, I angrily read a piece in today’s edition of Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, which details a commercial plan that can only be designed to establish a dedicated Muslim-only enclave.
The company responsible for the development, Qartaba Homes, claims to be offering “the real estate deal of a lifetime,” offering interest-free mortgages that are open to people of all faiths and religious backgrounds; the fact religion is even mentioned in the selling features of marketing propaganda is cause for at least one raised eyebrow.
The ruse is exposed, however, in its claim that such loans are “100% halal” and a “chance to escape Riba (interest)” because interest is a sin under Islamic law.
And an advertisement or flyer for the scheme apparently promises “100 per cent Halal housing to the growing Muslim community of Australia.”
I haven’t seen this flyer, but if anyone has access to a copy and wishes to scan it and post it as a link to a PDF in the comments section, I’m happy to approve its posting.
That said, however, the company’s claims that it can’t operate in a Muslim-only fashion — backed by quoted comment from a spokesman from the NSW minister for Fair Trading that there are no grounds to take action for discrimination over the Qartaba flyer — are no doubt technically correct, but disingenuous.
Certainly, it’s plausible that the scheme is being marketed in such a way as to avoid breaching any laws with its collateral; any business operator — Muslim or otherwise — need only take routine due diligence in their activities to ensure that.
But the reality, as anyone with any brains at all would clearly recognise, is very different.
Why would anyone from a non-Muslim background be remotely interested in living in what is clearly and obviously intended to be a religiously based, Sharia-observant, all Muslim community?
The idea of interest free mortgage loans might be appealing, but the fact it’s actually being specified that the proffered mortgages do not attract interest because “interest is a sin under Islamic law” in no way constitutes an acceptable business case in Australia.
This is the type of thing, clearly, that is exercising the minds of business leaders in the Muslim community now the fallout from the disgraceful Sydney riot in September seems to have settled.
And there is no place for it in this country.
Australia has always been a welcoming country to people from different backgrounds — and faiths — and has the benefit on the flipside of that of being able to boast one of the richest and most vibrant and diverse social fabrics in the world.
After all, Australia is — at its roots — an immigrant society.
What it isn’t, however, is an ordered system of engineered ethnic enclaves.
It is true that places like Springvale in Melbourne, Cabramatta in Sydney, and Darra in Brisbane have earned a reputation over the years as being “enclaves” for various immigrant communities at various times; indeed, I remember as a teenager that Darra, for example, was the epicentre of Brisbane’s Vietnamese community.
The difference — and it is significant — is that these suburbs, and others like them, were gateways; typically, they were places migrants first settled as they found their feet in a new country before moving on and out into the wider Australian community, where so many great things have been shared with those of us who were already here.
The proposed development at Riverstone, by contrast, appears to be a deliberate attempt to establish a bedrock Islamist community as a virtual island, on which Sharia law is the operative basis of society, and on which Muslims enjoy primacy.
The second difference, of course, is that it’s based on religion, and even in a free and tolerant country like ours is, anything that resembles religiously based segregation needs to be knocked on the head forthwith.
And all of this raises a bigger question: if Muslims are committed to becoming a part of mainstream society, why do they need to be establishing what virtually amounts to a walled community?
We have discussed, previously, things like fast food outlets only selling halal food to avoid offending Muslims — with the attendant disregard for the other 98% of the population that such practices imply — and gender-segregated sports facilities that “respect” Muslim patrons (in total disrespect of everyone else).
And Sharia law has no place — and I want to be emphatic about this — no place whatsoever in Australian society.
If Muslims wish to develop walled communities — irrespective of the attention paid to the finer details of the literature that accompanies them to ensure they do not breach anti-discrimination laws — and live in them under Sharia law, my strong recommendation would be for them to get out of Australia and go and live somewhere else, where such lifestyles are common and accepted practice.
The take-up of land under the scheme by Muslims may, indeed, be “not that overwhelming,” as the Tele article quotes Qartaba director Khurram Jawaid as claiming. But then again, given the subdivision application for the estate hasn’t even yet been lodged with the Blacktown City Council, that’s hardly a surprise.
I think the Liberal MP for the NSW state seat of Hawkesbury, Ray Williams, hits the nail on the head perfectly when he says that “(he) can only imagine the repercussions if a developer were to advertise a new Judeo-Christian housing estate; they would be hung, drawn and quartered.”
And Williams is also right when he points out that marketing a 100% halal Muslim community is hardly inclusive.
Clearly, Muslim members of the Australian community would (rightly) be outraged if a Christian development such as this were to be offered for sale in a manner that very obviously, if implicitly, excluded them — or at the very least made it clear that the offering was being made in such a way that they really weren’t welcome to participate.
And that being the case, why do those responsible for this particular Muslim-based project believe that precisely the same thing, in reverse, is appropriate to do themselves?
Reblogged this on Iain Hall's SANDPIT and commented:
To my mind the real test of their caveat would be if a Jew could actually buy into this estate, some how I doubt it though.
Cue the rabit left suggestting thta any objections to this scheme are a consequenc of “islamaphpobia”
Cheers Comrades
Welcome to Australiastan!
The birthing of this enclave, if it gets off the ground, is just the taste of what we will be required to accept down the track.
For years I have been ranting about Australia being incapable of observing and learning from the mistakes of other countries caught up in Islamic mass migration. Notably, the United Kingdom, France and Holland.
I imagine this Muslim housing estate situated in Riverstone would need to be sanctioned – or has been sanctioned by the relevant Local Government. I think some questions need to be answered.
Obviously, some people require frequent reminders this is Australia. It is not the Middle East. Or Indonesia.
Australia must remain a Sharia-free zone.
Well …finally people are opening their eyes to what has been an insidious infiltration of Islam into our society and culture.
There have been warnings of this from myself and others for years – only to be blasted a ‘Rascist’.
Time to wake up Australia and protect what is our unique culture and heritage.
You won’t miss it until it is gone and what sort of legacy is that for our children and their children.
They will only be able to read about how Australia was pre Islam in banned or hidden history books.
this cannot go ahead – australia is already dying…………………
Yale, please make sure the relevant authorities hear what Australia, through your bog, thinks of this outrage.
Why do Muslims feel it is necessary to inhabit yet another area of Sydney? There are parts of southwestern Sydney and, indeed, closer to the city around Arncliffe where, if you did not know any better, you would think you had stumbled into a suburb of Beirut. Coincidence that the vast majority of Sydney’s drive-by shootings occur in areas where there is a high Muslim population? I think not. THIS IS AUSTRALIA! I’m so angry about this. Please, people of the northwest, let’s fight for our beautiful area. This must not be allowed to go ahead.
If Muslims want to live in a muslim based community let them……..go back to where they came from, or is it stuffed up so much that it is now virtually uninhabitable?????????????
Keep Australia for those who want to be Australian!!!!
Those immigrants/illegals/refugees who do not want to become a wholly Australian citizen, with only one passport, should be asked to leave, or indeed given the big push by the current dickhead Australian Government.
Yes, but there’s no Centrelink where they come from!
This is a really, really bad idea and the government has rocks in its head if it allows this to go on and people should use their democratic rights to vote against this! Whilst there are Muslims who are interested in assimilation and being Australian with Australian values, they are in the minority because most are not and don’t want it. What do you think they teach in those giant mosques? They certainly don’t teach love thy neighbour. They teach the fundamental principles of Islam, which are in, and of, themselves, un-Australian, anti-female, anti-Jewish, anti-Christian and anti-progress. Bad for people and bad for animals. Halal, if you recall, means the slaughter of animals whilst fully awake: remember all the stuff in the news about live exports and how disgusting and cruel that is? The whole entire reason live export is happening is because of halal practice. These people are against frozen meat, for chrissake! Animals Australia should be all over this! Furthermore, allowing Muslim enclaves has caused massive problems overseas. If you don’t believe me, then read further at the mess in Britain and parts of Europe where this has been allowed and has proliferated. It is almost out of control. Make no mistake, Enclaves = power bases. The government is ridiculous if they think it won’t happen here. Next, they’ll be trying to sneak Sharia law into our legal system. Then, watch Australia be jet-propelled back into the Stone-Age!
So true all these comments! If this goes ahead then whats next? They will have their own abattoirs where we wont even be allowed in to make sure that the animals are humanely slaughtered!. How is this NOT being discriminative?? And why is it always the Muslims that have to have THEIR way? Like the Mosque in Auburn, their Halal meat, no interest home loans??? Why is their religion being held higher than all Australians? Can you imagine if we went to Iraq and said, now we Christians will live here, have no interest, have it OUR way and you have to slaughter the animals the way we Christians say. We would be shot in the street! I wonder what other religions are thinking of this also!!!
OK people…..let your voices be heard.
I have forwarded this onto Today, ACA and various Politicians….I beg for all Australians who are outraged by this to do the same.
Share with everyone you know – if we don’t, the result will be as good as being our own doing.
Evil will only survive if Good men do nothing….
I live and work in the Riverstone area and am horrified that this is even a possibility. I’m annoyed on so many different levels. I’ve always been annoyed that they leave there countries because of their crappy lives and come here for a new one, however once they get here, they try and recreate their lives to how they lived before and change our ways to suit them. IT’S NOT ON. If your life was that bad to come here, CHANGE IT, don’t make us change our lives so we can live in your virtual reproduction of your own country. And now to be having areas of OUR COUNTRY to recreate another replica of their old lives *well except for the benefits that the government hands out to them* and now we have to suffer. Well I guess we are the infidels, so why shouldn’t we suffer. And what will the government allow next? Already we are asked to change the way we celebrate our holidays, Anzac Day and anything else they decide they don’t like. Our children cannot do what we did as children at schools anymore in fear that it offends these NEW citizens. We should be looking after OUR OWN and stopping these groups coming into OUR country and changing OUR way of life. And why should we as Australians have to pay interest on things and they get away with it. Why is it that we have Australians that need help with housing and other things and don’t get the help they need but we allow other groups to float into Australia illegally and we give them the world. WAKE UP AUSTRALIA, EITHER STOP THEM COMING IN OR THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO STAND IT’S GROUND AND TELL THEM “THIS IS HOW IT IS” LIKE IT OR LEAVE. WE NEED A FAIR GO FOR AUSTRALIANS. STOP THIS MUSLIM ENCLAVE. STOP ALLOWING THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME HERE TO START A NEW LIFE FROM LETTING US LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE THEY USED TO BY LIVING BY THEIR RULES, LAWS AND RELIGION.
This is hardly a prelude to any form of Sharia law being introduced. I mean, even if this goes through and ends up creating a segregated community, the Muslims who are buying this land (or homes) are likely working professionals – doctors, engineers and so on. They’ve grown up here or immigrated knowing that they have to abide by our rules and contribute to our society as much any other Australian. These aren’t the refugees or illegal immigrants living off the government.
Being from South Africa, I can name to you a Muslim suburb in every major city there, remnants of the Apartheid era when segregation was forced. There are no specific laws for those areas and no Muslim movements pushing for Sharia law for themselves or for anyone else. And there is no reason to believe that any of that will happen here when we have a fraction of the Muslim population. Those suburbs were probably safer than most by the way and not particularly bad places to live either (if you could tolerate the local mosque’s sirens).
Hi Umad, and welcome; I take your point, but even then there are a few glaring differences. One, this isn’t South Africa, and certainly not in the sense that it is comparable to serrations list South Africa during apartheid; two, part of the problem is that there is — at minimum — circumstantial evidence at least that whilst the people of whom you speak ought know about compliance with Australian law and participation in society, they don’t, in practice, either wish to do so or to be seen to do so; and three, what might be tolerated in Australia (or more to the point, have tolerance legislated for it) seems likely to be proving very different to what you experienced in South Africa.
My wish is that Muslims forget this nonsense about having Sharia law in Australia and cutting themselves off from the rest of us; surely they have more to offer us than the sight of their turned back.
And in truth, they would find themselves made very welcome in this country if their approach to it mirrored that of the millions of migrants from all parts of the world who have preceded them over the past sixty years or so.
I don’t think Australians are racist people per se and I don’t think this is an issue of racism, but I hear it just about everywhere I go now: this lot are the ones who, literally, aren’t making many friends, aside from those people who feel obliged by law to smile and say nothing.
The sad and ironic thing about this is that the one country, historically, which has been most welcoming of people from other cultures — ours — is brewing and simmering a very deep level of resentment over the Muslim immigration program. Crack-brained schemes like the one discussed here don’t help in any way with that.
And ultimately, the National Party in South Africa segregated blacks and whites for a reason: to keep the blacks out of the way. It wasn’t right then and it isn’t right now, and Muslims in Australia shutting themselves away — with the highest rate of population increase of any ethnic or demographic group in Australia, through migration and natural increase — aren’t going to help their cause in winning understanding from the aggrieved sections in Australian society, let alone any real tolerance.
Yale, the director of Qartaba Homes has explicitly mentioned that it won’t be a “gated” community nor shall the selling of the blocks of land be limited to Muslims only.
Hi Asad — and welcome; yes, I saw that, but if you read the rest of the article you will see I have dealt with those points.
I will be interested to see how close to, say, three quarters of the blocks get snapped up by the non-Muslim community. Common sense and simple reality suggests it will be a lot closer to none of them.
I don’t understand what’s the issue and all this noise about?! Catholic schools are okay but Islamic, Jews schools are not. Churches in suburbs are okay but mosques are not! A suburb full of Christian population is Aussie dream but a majority of Asian suburb or specially Muslim community an issue. Get real, get life!
Catholics, Jews and Christians don’t blow up planes, trains , buildings and people……Muslims do.
Every Muslim is a potential threat to all of us and those that say they know peaceful loving Muslims are the same as the people who knew the Boston bombers to be peaceful loving men.
I used to say every Muslim may not be a terrorist – but every terrorist is a Muslim, now I say they are all potentially deadly.
Islam is the scourge of this generation.