I hoped you would notice. They were only given control over 10 units, out of 13000 homes.

I am not sure whether you are asking why we are giving free housing at all, or why Islamics specifically. Obviously the housing commission should not be discriminating against any religion.

I'm not sure about that. Plenty of Christian organisations also manage government funds for needy people. I think in this case it's more about choice. Where practical, the government gives people the option of going through a number of different organisations. This makes sense to me. I can imagine that a refugee would feel far more comfortable working with a group with a similar ethnic or religious background than a facelss bureaucrat. They are in a far better position to help the refugees ease into Australian society because they ahve far more knowledge of their situation.

Perth Muslim school raided and boss charged  Print EXCLUSIVE: Paul Lampathakis and Nicole Cox

December 08, 2007 05:00pm
A MUSLIM school in Kenwick has been raided by police and shut down by WA Education Minister Mark McGowan. The school's head faces a stealing charge.

Mr McGowan said he had taken the extraordinary step of closing Muslim Ladies' College in Kenwick because of allegations, including fraud and the use of unregistered teachers who were focusing mainly on religion, rather than the WA curriculum.

The school's acting director, Zubair Sayed, appeared in East Perth Magistrates Court on Saturday charged with stealing.

The court was told the charge related to an alleged theft offence -- of $355,934 -- in April, when Mr Sayed, of Sarah Close, Canning Vale, was a company director of Muslim Links Australia Ltd.

It is alleged the school was overclaiming for state and federal government funds for students. Police prosecutor Sgt Scott McCormick told the court that detectives had discovered the money had been sent to Pakistan.

"This is a matter which is of extreme seriousness, whereby Mr Sayed obtained public money from the commonwealth by deceit,'' Sgt McCormick said. "The state wishes to put on the record that this is a very serious charge.''

The court was told that Mr Sayed wrote a Commonwealth Bank cheque for money from the Federal Government that was meant for the Muslim Ladies' College to educate students.

At the time, Mr Sayed's brother was principal of the college.

Magistrate Vicki Stewart granted Mr Sayed bail, with conditions he surrender his passport, not be within 1km of international sea or air ports, report to Cannington police station each Wednesday and reside at his home address.

He was released on $100,000 bail and a $100,000 surety to reappear in Perth Magistrates Court on January 2 next year.

On Friday, Mr McGowan told The Sunday Times: "I want to make it clear that this decision (to close the school) has not been made because this is a Muslim school.

"This decision has been made because this is a school that is not educating students properly.

"An investigation into the operations of the college by the Department of Educational Services began in December 2006 -- following complaints about the conduct of the principal-administrator, staffing of the college and the educational program.''

Key areas investigated included whether teachers were registered, the appropriateness of qualifications of teachers, inadequate educational leadership and standard of education, and the sufficiency of the school's resources.

Mr McGowan said other concerns were about the college's governance structure, the condition of buildings, and facilities and enrolment, and attendance procedures.

He said it was found that teachers were inexperienced in teaching and understanding the curriculum framework, and students weren't being taught all required subjects.

"The college has employed a number of unregistered teachers and many with limited authority to teach,'' he said. ``Teachers are not spending 50 per cent of the school day on literacy and numeracy, as required.

"Instead (they) spend a large amount of time on religious studies. This is clearly unacceptable and seriously damaging to the student's academic well-being.

"The school is not being properly led because the director of the college (Anwar Sayed) is in Afghanistan and has been for most of the year.''

Mr McGowan wrote to the school's governing body to notify them of his decision, which took effect from Friday.

He said enrolments had declined in the past year, from about 90 students at the beginning of 2007 to about 50 or 60 students currently.



http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,22892651-948,00.html

http://news.smh.com.au/fears-over-another-cronullastyle-riot/20071223-1io9.html

There are fears a Cronulla-style riot may be brewing as tensions grow over plans to build an Islamic school in south-west Sydney.

Police are believed to be investigating a series of mobile phone text messages circulating Sydney, purportedly inciting violence.

"We have come together to call for calm after becoming aware of text messages being sent around targeting young Australian Muslims," Independent Centre of Research Australia Youth Centre president Fadi Abdul-Rahman told The Sunday Telegraph.

Dr Millikan launched an attack on Christian Democrats leader Fred Nile, whose comments in the past week may be seen as having added fuel to the fire.

Tensions escalated at Camden on Wednesday night at a public meeting to discuss the proposed 1,200 student Islamic school.

Iran war?

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I find the comment about the catholic school very hard to believe. If it isn't a racial thing, why even bring up the number of muslims?

School opponent denies being anti-Muslim

http://news.smh.com.au/school-opponent-denies-being-antimuslim/20080108-1krc.html

The leader of a residents group which opposes plans for an Islamic school on Sydney's southwestern fringe says the issue is not one of religious intolerance.

Spokesman Emil Sremchevich said hundreds of Camden residents had attended heated public gatherings because they felt their democratic rights were not being observed.

"We're a community of 30,000 people and the majority so far has expressed a negative sentiment towards this proposal.

"Therefore, we seek a referendum on this issue and for council to give us polling rights to say 'yay or nay,'" Mr Sremchevich told the Nine Network.

"Camden residents need to be given the rights to chose what type of development they want in their area."

Mr Sremchevich said census data showed there were fewer than 200 muslims living in Camden and the area had two public high schools which were half full.

The community would be equally concerned about plans to place a Catholic school on the proposed rural site, he said.

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Govt rejects call for Islamic courts

http://news.smh.com.au/govt-rejects-call-for-islamic-courts/20080208-1r0s.html

The federal government has ruled out the introduction of Islamic courts in Australia, following debate triggered by the global head of the Anglican Church.

Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams said Muslims should to be able to resolve marital and financial disputes under Islamic courts, rather than the mainstream judicial system.

Dr Williams said in a radio interview in Britain that allowing Islamic Sharia law to operate in some circumstances could help improve social cohesion.

A similar proposal was put forward by Australian Muslim leaders to Howard government minister Peter McGauran in April 2005, but was rejected.

Australia's new attorney-general Robert McClelland also ruled out the introduction of Sharia law in Australia.

Yasser Soliman, who sits on the Victorian Multicultural Commission and is president of the Victorian Islamic Family and Childcare Agency, said there could be a role for Islamic courts, but Sharia law had to be clearly defined.

"It needs to be clarified and put down clearly on paper how it would run because everyone walking around has a different understanding of what Sharia means," Mr Soliman said.

He said, for example, that Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims would interpret Sharia law differently.

"It would have to be accepted by the wider community, as well as the Muslim community, because there has been quite a lot of injustice happening in recent times under the name of Sharia," he said.

Mr Soliman said Sharia law was not written in stone but extracted and deduced from teachings in the Koran and what people agreed with amongst themselves.

"The idea is worth exploring but it is not worth adopting the first suggestion by one group which may be pushing for it - you have got to consult quite widely and it has to be optional for individuals," Mr Soliman said.

"I can see some potential applications in matters of family disputes, inheritance law and so on - that would be a win/win for the Muslim community and the wider community."

Melbourne and Sydney have Jewish courts, or Beth Din, which rule on divorce, conversions and adoptions.

Bishop Robert Forsyth, spokesman for the Sydney Anglican diocese, said the move would lead to the "ghettoisation" of the law in Australia.

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Terror group urged to kill 1,000: court

http://news.smh.com.au/terror-group-urged-to-kill-1000-court/20080213-1rvk.html

The leader of a Melbourne-based terrorist group told his members they should kill 1,000 non-believers to try to force the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq, a court has heard.

Among targets discussed to inflict maximum casualties were railway stations or football grounds, the Victorian Supreme Court was told on Wednesday.

In its opening address in Australia's biggest terrorist trial, the prosecution said the group regarded Australia as a country at war and that indiscriminate murder of innocent citizens was justified by the teachings of Islam.

On trial are Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 47, Aimen Joud, 23, Shane Kent, 31, Hany Taha, 23, Ezzit Raad, 26, Abdullah Merhi, 22, Bassam Raad, 26, Shoue Hammoud, 28, Majed Raad, 23, and Amer Haddara, 28.

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Documents glorified Sept 11: court told

http://news.smh.com.au/documents-glorified-sept-11-court-told/20080214-1s87.html

Documents seized from some of the 12 Melbourne men on trial on terrorism charges glorified the September 11 attacks on the United States, a court has been told.

Crown prosecutor Richard Maidment told the Victorian Supreme Court material seized during ASIO raids on the homes of the men in 2005 included videos of Osama bin Laden and bomb making manuals.

:/ I always thought Islam was a type of ham...

Classic Liberal wrote on Mar 4^th, 2008 at 10:50am:


Is lamb? Is good?