Australia has always considered itself a fair and equitable nation and has numerous acts of parliament that inform us about our duties and obligations; what is and isn’t allowed.
Unfortunately, these acts, while written with good intentions, usually solve one problem or potential problem and create other problems; the law of unforseen consequences.
A recent example of how the Australian Government had to legislate to overcome existing legislation which would have prevented it from acting, was when the Northern Territory Intervention occurred in 2007. The Racial Discrimination Act had to be suspended because the Intervention was aimed at improving the living conditions of indigenous Australians (Aborigines), a discrete racial group.
The whole thing reminded me of smoke and mirrors. For decades we have been discriminating in favour of Aborigines and nobody spoke up about it. On this occasion, the government decided that some of its activities would be unpopular and therefore suspended the Racial Discrimination Act just to be sure.
What does this have to do with religion in Australia?
Section 116 of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (Australian Constitution) states that:
“The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any
religion, or for imposing any religious observance, or for
prohibiting the free exercise of any religion, and no religious test
shall be required as a qualification for any office or public trust
under the Commonwealth.”
Because there is no definition of what religion means in the Constitution, we must use a denotation in a dictionary of which there are dozens. Essentially a religion is something a group of people believes in. So, a group of people could get together and say that tomatos are god incarnate and the creators of the universe who have incarnated as tomatos. They could set up the Tomato Faith and begin songs and dances and hold weekly group meetings. Technically speaking, if they applied to the Australian Government for recognition and funding, they would be accepted and receive taxation exempt status and all the protections that go with being a religion.
This is really no stranger than people believing in virgin births, original sin, hell and an eternity of fire and brimstone and getting tax free exemptions. Tomatos could be God incarnate … how would we prove otherwise?
Because of this, muslims in Australia can practise their religion, Islam. The difficulty is that Islam is not just a religion, it also incorporates a totalitarian system of government that is totally opposed to democracy and freedom, the two key cornerstones of our Federation.
No other religion has a system of law and governance linked to a mystical being who demands obedience or death.
We cannot lawfully prevent anyone from practising Islam, so effectively, they can take over our government and there’s nothing we can do.
Is it time to classify Islam not as a religion, but the totalitarian system of governance that it is? Or perhaps if we can’t get rid of Islam because of its religious component, we prevent it from practising Shari’a Law.
Ban Shari’a Law in Australia and Islam will become impotent.
Dark Horse
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I truly believe Sharia MUST be outlawed in ALL western nations if Democracy is to survive for our children’s children. I’m from the US and have been here for 15 years. There is a remembrance demonstartion in Sydney. Go to…
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/08/major-rush-for-september-11th-ground-zero-mosque-protest-.html
and…
http://ko-kr.facebook.com/group.php?gid=181961173023
I most likely will try to attend. We must not be complacent in this. I intend to visit your blog often. I’m also on Facebook under same user name as comment.
Thanks for commenting sensibly and intelligently. I don’t care what muslims do in Islamic countries (with some exceptions eg, stoning, killing people for adultery etc), but I won’t try to force my views upon them. When they come to my country I don’t want them to try to Islamize it which is what they are trying to do. Shari’a Law and freedom and democracy are incompatible at any level. Therefore, we don’t want Shari’a in Australia (or in any free, democratic country). We need forceful politicians that won’t put up with the spoilt child approach of Islamists who cry racist and discrimination etc every time they can’t get what they want. They are the scourge of the earth; everywhere there is violence and hatred, Islam is not far from it.
this great nation slowly pushes out & bagges out christianity each day at a time-yet we as christians still continually show kindness to those who hate us-we all make mistakes but we as christians at least put others needs be fore our own…this kindness doesnt show in islamic/muslim teaching yet you show more leaniency to these wackos who dont even care for the future of australians its funny how when people are laying/dying in hospital yet they cry out to god in heaven for help when things go bad,or when peoples lives fall apart its funny how its christians that are the first to step in to help -actions speak louder than words freedom comes from jesus christ, take christianity away from australia and replace it with the quran/sharia islamic foundations and then tell me if you still bagg out christianity
Danny
Thanks for your post. I don’t follow a religion but I do come from a country based on Christian principles and practices and I know that they are far, far superior to those adopted by muslims. It’s an unfortunate fact of life that we are brain washed into religious belief of different kinds depending on where one is born and following our parent’s traditions. Christianity has the key saving grace that if one decides that it is not for them, they can leave and follow some other religion or decide not to follow any. In Islam, if you leave, you are subject to a death penalty … it’s a very oppressive system of complete control of individuals’ bodies, lives and minds.
I live in hope that as people become more educated, begin to think more critically, and learn the truth about religion, that they will prefer living as humanists and cast off the myths of gods, saviours, rewards and punishments, miracles and all the rest that goes with it. Statistics indicate that there is a new age of enlightenment approaching in which people will do just that. The world will become a better place.
Dark Horse