It was with genuine sadness that I read that Andrew Bolt, reportedly in response to death threats from a supporter of Islamic State, has felt it necessary to move his children out of the family home. No-one has the right to threaten violence against another person, no matter how odious their views, and everyone in Australia has the right to feel safe in their own home.
The threat came the day after Bolt wrote a column for the Herald Sun condemning a letter written by the Grand Mufti of Australia following the Prime Minister’s Iftar dinner for Muslim leaders.
“Ibrahim Abu Mohammad has written an astonishing letter warning that to criticise even a gay-hating imam is to risk inciting terrorist attacks against us,” Bolt wrote. “His inflammatory letter perfectly demonstrates why Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was a fool to hold an Iftar dinner for the Mufti and other troubling Muslim leaders during the election campaign.”
“Again and again, whether the Mufti means this or not, the clear inference is that if we criticise Islam or his clerics, we risk death,” Bolt said in an interview with Pauline Hanson. “What free society can tolerate such an implied threat or danger? How can the Mufti not see that the true responsibility for Islamist terrorism lies not with the victims but with the perpetrators – and with the faith which seems to licence them to mass murder?”
Bolt has, of course, completely misrepresented what the Grand Mufti actually wrote.
Dr Mohammed spoke of the significant community work done by the moderate Sheikh Shady and asked why he was being singled out for comments he made about homosexuality six years ago that only reflect the same beliefs held and expressed by other religious groups. He also pointed out that Sheikh Shady has a good relationship with young Muslims and is one of the most active Imams in supporting co-operative work with various government agencies and departments.
Sheik Shady had responded to media criticism by stating, “As an Australian and a Muslim I unreservedly condemn the vilification and oppression of any group of people based on race, religion, gender, sexuality, or any other criteria for that matter. Islam’s position on [homosexuality] is clear like many other major religions however Islam espouses there is no compulsion in religion and diversity is the norm.”
The Mufti warned that “targeted media attacks have had and will continue to have negative consequences on our wider society. It might be those few statements reported in the media that a young person reads which could lead him to deluded beliefs regarding the plight of Muslims. The youth might see media statements attacking Islamic leaders and interpret this as an attack on their religion, brethren and wider Muslim community. This could lead such a young person to believe he is now living in danger in this country. And this is exactly what ISIL and their counterparts seek to convince the youth of the world.”
This is very similar advice to that given by ASIO boss Duncan Lewis in December last year when he personally phoned some Coalition MPs asking them to temper their comments to avoid causing offence. This view had also been advocated publicly by the previous head of ASIO, David Irvine.
When a few conservative politicians and commentators expressed outrage at the suppression of their freedom to vilify whoever they wanted, Julie Bishop said “If the director-general of ASIO has formed a view that the public debate might have the potential to put at risk the work that his organisation is undertaking in countering terrorism, then of course he should speak out.”
Andrew Bolt’s feverish protection of freedom of speech apparently does not extend to Muslims expressing their views about homosexuality. I remember a recent resident of Kirribilli House who held similar reservations about same sex relationships. Bolt also refuses to listen to the experts about what damage his intemperate comments could potentially cause, as did Abbott.
As Dr Mohammed asked, “Do such media outlets realise they are igniting fires, dividing our society, and spreading hatred?”
Ask yourself this – if you were a Muslim Australian, would you feel safe living in a country that elects Pauline Hanson, George Christensen, Cory Bernardi and Peter Dutton while giving Andrew Bolt, Miranda Devine and Alan Jones a media platform? Come to think of it, you don’t have to be Muslim to find that scary.
This is going to be a very testing time for all of us and I would call on the saner members of the community to pull together to quell the fires that ignorance and intolerance inevitably stoke.
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