13
June 2002
Will Australia Ratify the International Criminal Court?
The federal government is about to decide whether to
ratify the treaty for the International Criminal Court. The Prime Minister has
been briefed by security officials in the USA about the implications of this
court - he noted today that the arguments are 'compelling'. This Court could
affect Australia's sovereignty. For more information and papers, click here .
Please contact your federal MPs today (one House of
representatives, 12 Senators). Click here for
details.
Also, click here to send an email
to the Prime Minister encouraging him not to support the ratification of the
International Criminal Court.
30 May 2002
Complaints lodged
with Equal Opportunity Commission under Racial and Religious Tolerance
Act
Ten complaints appear to have already been lodged with
Victoria's Equal Opportunity Commission under the Racial and Religious Tolerance
Act 2001 AD which came into effect on 1 January 2002 AD.
The first one that
we know of to be made public is a complaint by the Islamic Council of Victoria
and three people against Catch the Fire Ministries, its leader Pastor Danny
Nalliah and and another Christian pastor who is an expert on Islamic studies.
The complaint cites comments made at a seminar called 'Insight into Islam' held
by Catch the Fire Ministries, a newsletter published by them and an article on
their website.
We attended the seminar, which was designed to help
increase awareness and understanding of Islam following the events of September
11 and other events of Christian persecution around the world.
The speaker spoke from the Qur'an, the Hadith and other
Islamic texts. He made it clear that, as with many Christians, many people who
call themselves Muslims do not follow all the tenets and commands of the Qur'an
or Islam. The seminar included sessions on understanding jihad, a comparison of
the Qur'an and the Bible and a discussion of how to reach out to Muslim people
in love and build relationships.
The statements made in the complaint, and reported in the
media, were taken out of context and did not acknowledge that the actual
statements were direct quotes from the Qur'an and other Islamic texts. In other
words, the statements cited in the complaint were not the actual words of the
speaker.
At no time was this seminar intended to incite hatred or
contempt for Muslim people. Rather, it was to help Christians understand Muslim
people and encourage them to show love towards them.
Regarding the process:
Complaints
are made in writing to the EOC. A written response is then required from the
defendants to justify their statements. This response is given to the
complainants. If they are not satisfied with the response, a mediation session
is organised by the EOC. If mediation cannot achieve a satisfactory result, then
the complainants can take the complaint to the Victorian Civil and
Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
Media Reports:
A number of media reports painted a very poor
picture of the actual interviews that took place in relation to the complaint.
It was clearly stated at each interview that the words of the complaint were not
the words spoken at the meeting; that the intent of the meeting was to give a
greater understanding of Islam and that the teaching was given from the Qur'an
and other Islamic texts.
Articles from the media are as follows:
* Tuesday
28 May - Herald Sun
* Wednesday
29 May - Herald Sun
* Wednesday
29 May - The Age
* Thursday 30 May - Herald Sun - Andrew Bolt article
"Holy War of Words"
This is not available on free access but
is available on the Newstext Archive search for a fee. See the Herald Sun site.
Wednesday 15 May - Baise Moi
banned
The Office of Film and Literature Classification Review
Board announced last Friday that they have banned the film Baise Moi with its
actual sex and depictions of violence. This is great news - it follows a request
for a review by the Attorney General Daryl Williams after complaints from
members of the public.
Police stepped in to stop screenings in NSW. The Lumiere
Cinema maintained that they 'hadn't been told' and continued screening over the
weekend. They stopped screening on Monday.
Friday 3 May - Vilification
legislation proposed
Senator Brian Greig from Western Australia has said that he will
introduce a private member's bill that would outlaw 'vilification' against
homosexuals. He plans to do introduce this bill in the May 14-16 session of the
Senate. He is being supported by Senator Bob Brown of Tasmania. Both these men
are open homosexuals.
What would this bill do? The effect of such legislation
would be to stop people expressing opposition to the promotion of the homosexual
lifestyle. Although the legislation would talk of 'inciting hatred', such
legislation is open to interpretation by Equal Opportunity Commissions and the
courts.
ACTION:
Write to the Prime Minister, your federal Member and your 12
State Senators (2 in ACT and NT), asking them to vote against such legislation.
Click here for details of your
MPs.
Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 10 July 2002 |
