From Australia’s Herald Sun (hat tip: Gramfan), yet more proof of Western double-standards that are eroding our way of life. Sheik Feiz Mohammed has already been heard from on the Anvil before, and if you want to sample some of his DVD box set, you can listen in my Multimedia section right now. And I have to say, the term firebrand is becoming quite clich�. Ugh.
A PRO-TERROR hate film that urges children to martyr themselves in a war of Islam versus the West and calls Jews “pigs” has been given a PG rating by Australia’s censors.
Firebrand Sheik Feiz Mohammed’s DVD box set, which also calls for the murder of non-believers, was initially seized by federal anti-terror police.
But the Office of Film and Literature Classification has ruled The Death Series suitable to be bought and watched by children.
Family groups and the Jewish community have slammed the shock decision as weak and out of touch.
It has also made a mockery of the Attorney-General’s plans for tough laws banning material that “advocates” terrorism.
The PG rating was handed down as the Sunday Herald Sun learned that Australian-born Sheik Feiz, in exile in Lebanon, is preaching to Australians by phone.
The films urge parents to make their children holy warriors and martyrs and praises jihad as Islam’s pinnacle.
The radical sheik makes snorting noises on the films as he describes Jews as the “army of pigs”.
He blames a lack of courage for martyrdom on the battlefield for the “humiliation” of Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Cuba.
The censors’ finding means children of any age can watch the films, but it is advised under-15s have a parent present.
The finding said the sheik’s calls to “jihad” and “martyrdom” were ambiguous.
And it found comments describing Jews as an “army of pigs” and saying “behind me is the Jew, come kill him” were mitigated by the context.
The Australian/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council said the PG rating proved censorship guidelines had dangerous shortcomings.
“In the Feiz Mohammed case, as well as others, there seems to be inadequate consideration to the dangers posed by the non-fiction advocacy of violence and bigotry, as opposed to its graphic depiction,” said council head Dr Colin Rubenstein.
He said he hoped a review of laws would deal with the serious problem of incitement.
The Australian Family Association said the Sheik Feiz decision was just the latest ruling by “hardened” censors detached from community values.
“If you’re giving a PG rating to something encouraging children to be suicide bombers and breeding hatred, a lot of parents would be concerned about that,” spokeswoman Angela Conway said.
“So what if the scene is not visually strong? It’s still a pretty toxic message being promoted. What social purpose is served by being slack about this?”
She said the censors had failed the common good and protection of young people in a string of R ratings granted to real sex films. Sheik Feiz, the spiritual head of Sydney’s Global Islamic Youth Centre, previously provoked outrage when he blamed rape on rape victims.
Podcasts Archive
At the moment this set has the same rating as “The Never-Ending Story”!!
I am sure more will come out of this today.
Among many other problems I have with this - and there are many - is the fact that 2 pastors from “The Catch the Fire Ministry” were in big trouble after they held a lecture educating their people on islam. They were NOT inciting hatred and violence.
Why 2 rules?
The Shiek in question here is in exile so nothing will be done to him. However we have had enough on Hilali to make him accountable. Still nothing has been done.It is useless to call him a “clown”. What message does that send to others?
It is always the thin edge of the wedge,,constant pushing and chipping away and before you know it, it is too late.
Just when I thought Australia was beginning to knuckle down some.
velvethammer
Don’t give up just yet! Neither us nor the US can afford that luxury.
Gramfan
No worries. And I agree. I vow to never give up. It can be so frustrating at times. But I will keep plugging along.
This is somewhat off topic, but it is something I believe needs to be said. Maybe it belongs in another thread. In any event, I hope you will read it. Thanks.
My perspective on race and how it relates to the unhindered spread of Islam throughout the West
I was listening to Laura Ingraham’s radio program this morning. The topic of discussion was the Don Imus issue. What he had said. The consequences of what he had said, Race relations, etc..
To discuss the Imus fallout, Laura had a guest on named Joseph Phillips, the author of the book, “He talked like a White boy”. He talked about various aspects of race related issues, including the topic of “White guilt.”
As I listened to this discussion, an uneasy feeling began to take hold of me. That feeling then turned to anger. I had heard Blacks refer to White men as “boys” before. But this time it was different somehow. I suddenly realized that I did not like being referred to as a “boy” any more than any Black man would like being referred to as a “boy.” And so I asked myself; why is it acceptable for a Black to call a White man a “White boy” but not for a White to call a Black man a “Black boy?” And what is this “White guilt” thing really all about. Do I suffer from such a thing? If so, why?
Something about this, in fact, the entire discussion, caused me to examine my personal beliefs about the issue of race. If “White guilt” is really true, should I feel guilty about anything I have done? Have I ever done anything that would cause me to feel “guilt?”
I began to think about every possible encounter I have ever had with Black people. I have lived around them for many years. I have went to school with them. I have played sports with them. My former supervisor was Black. I worked under his direction for ten years as a law enforcement officer. We got along just fine. Probably my favorite “boss” that I have ever had. I thought about these things at length. All the interactions I have ever had with Blacks went through my mind as I searched for some reason that I should feel “guilty” about anything.
There was nothing there. Nothing that I have to feel guilty about. Had I ever done anything or said anything to a Black person for which I should feel guilty about? No. Nothing there either. Well, maybe this “White guilt” thing refers to some historical perspective. Had I ever owned a slave? Uh, no. Had my parents or their parents ever owned a slave or participated in slavery somehow? No. They are all from France and came to America just before the beginning of World War II. They came to this great country of ours with little more than the clothes on their backs and with what money they had been able to save. They settled first in New York, then gradually spread out to the South Western part of the country. I had never heard my parents speak about Black people one way or the other. Never. Not once. So there was no instilling of racial attitudes into me as a youth. Any racial attitudes I may or may not have were a result of my own interactions with people of different races.
But there must be something for which I should feel guilty about. There has to be something in my background or my parents background that causes me to feel guilty with respect to Black people. And yet, there is nothing. I cannot find anything in my background that would cause me to think that I must give special treatment to Black people. Treatment that White people or any other people are not entitled to.
There was one thing I thought about and that I did not fully understand at the time. When I worked as a police officer for a large metropolitan police force, I began to notice that Blacks committed many more crimes than Whites did. And while poverty can, I think, incline people toward crime it is not the only explanation. There were White neighborhoods just as poor as Black ones. Whites living in run-down housing. Many single mothers living on welfare. Additionally, I read about the Great Depression that swept across the nation back in the 1920s. Poverty was wide spread and often deadly. People literally starving to death. And yet, the crime rate was far less than it is today. There was no epidemic of rape, murder, and theft thought to be the product of poverty.
My fellow officers, both Black and White, also knew of the striking disparity between crime rates for Blacks versus those for Whites. But nobody wanted to talk about it openly. It seemed to be some taboo subject that everyone was expected to keep quite about for fear of offending. There was definitely a psychology at work here.
The standard-issue explanation offered by many people is that due to the legacy of slavery, all Blacks are a member of a “victim group” and as such are entitled to special treatment by everyone. Anything that Blacks do wrong such as crime, whether as individuals or collectively, must be considered as a “symptom” of the legacy of slavery. And their membership in a special “victim group” must always be taken into account. Affirmative Action and other special set-asides given by the government bears witness to this type of thinking. All White people are assumed to hold racist attitudes toward Blacks and must be made to do the “right thing.” No White employer would ever hire a Black person without being forced to by the government. And so the government steps in to ensure equal (read; special) treatment. And since all White people hold these racist attitudes toward Blacks, the media must also step in to tame these attitudes. Attitudes that the media seems to think is right on the brink of Whites slaughtering Blacks in some type of imagined race war. The media must do everything within their power to protect Blacks from the potential savagery of Whites. This provides an explanation for the world-wide and constant media attention of the Duke rape case while at the same time their complete silence about the horrific murders of a White couple in Knoxville, Tennessee by a gang of Black predators. One quickly understands that somehow their murders are not as newsworthy as the Duke rape case. It is as if their murders must not be talked about, as if their murders were something to be hidden from public view. While the Duke rape case must be broadcast far and wide and often. A kind of “never let them forget” attitude.
All the while Whites are expected to understand all of this and assent to the various disparities as a result of something they did to Blacks. They are to feel guilty for the legacy of Black slavery. Nevermind that they had absolutely no part in it. The mere fact that they have white skin — the eternal mark of the oppressor, is cause enough for them to owe Blacks special treatment. To do otherwise, to even think otherwise is, well, racist.
And so I asked myself, how long does one remain in a special “victim group?” For another decade? The next century? Forever? It seems that being born into a “victim group” can be quite beneficial both monetarily and socially. Which explains the attitudes of men like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton with regard to that question. They are no dummies. It pays to be born into a “victim group.” If they had their way, and it appears they will, victim status for Blacks will last forever. Whites must be made to pay forever. They must be made to feel this “White guilt” forever.
The Whites that have expressed resentment for this special treatment, special treatment that many of them or their children have paid for personally, are merely proof that racism is the disease that will never, can never, be cured. Thus, “victimhood” resulting from “racism” is self-perpetuated and continual.
This discussion now brings me to my own people. Many of whom think of themselves as perpetual victims too. Many of them feel some kind of kinship or identify with Blacks as a suffering people. Unfortunately, some of them, like Tim Wise, actually teach Blacks to think of themselves as victims on college campuses across the nation. He encourages them to see themselves as unfairly oppressed and mistreated as a result of White racism. He even wrote a book on the subject called “White Like Me”. There is very little difference between him and Jesse Jackson with respect to their doctrines and their ability to profit from such. I would argue, however, that Wise is capable of much more damage. Here we have a White man with enough “courage” to come forth and teach the “truth” about White racism. “Proof” and “confirmation” that Whites are keeping Blacks from succeeding. What an amazing “truth teller!” And, of course, he speaks for all White people! “Black folks, your suspicions are correct! They owe you!”
I contend that this is wrong on two counts:
1. It actually harms Black people to teach them that they are perpetual victims of the never ending legacy of slavery. It harms them. It does not help them. If a person has been convinced that he cannot achieve anything because he is being held down by forces beyond his control, then what good is it to put forth the effort to move ahead? Something supposedly impossible to do. Instead, resentment and hatred are formed against the supposed and covert oppressors. Suspicions of racism are always present and just under the surface of his thinking.
2. Resentment and hatred are also formed on the other side of the equation. Those people are being forced to pay for crimes they did not commit. Both psychologically and monetarily. And while various people may feel entitled to sympathy, that sympathy should never be coerced or forced. There is a term in the law in which no relative of a criminal, who had nothing to do with a crime committed by a member of their family, can be charged with his crime. In other words, if my grandfather murdered someone 70 years ago, I cannot be charged for his crime. The legal term escapes me, but the reader will get my point. Yet, this is a type of what is going on with respect to the victimhood racket.
I must confess here that many of my own people have a saying; “Never forget!” But I have always preferred, “Never again!” There is a distinction. Those who hold views like mine are often held in contempt and considered anathema to the Jewish people. It pains me to say that. I never have and never will allow myself to think of myself as anyone’s victim even though my ancestors may have been. I refuse to do that. I do not see myself as a victim. It would destroy me if I did. Still others seem to revel in it. In fact, I have heard Jews and Blacks argue over which group should be considered the most victimized! Sadly, it pays to be in a “victim group.”
And this is not just an American phenomenon either. I have traveled all over the globe, speak several languages, and understand the cultures of the countries I have been in. I was not a little amazed to find this same oppressor-victim mentality in every Western nation I have visited. The psychology is identical and works by the same mechanisms as those found in America.
I also discovered that all non-Westerners living there were aware of this psychology and did not hesitate to use it to their advantage when deemed advantageous to do so. Amazingly, the responses from the governments and the people were the same as the American responses — appeasement and placation. A sense of “we owe others” special and privileged regard. Exactly for what I could not determine. Some legacy of mistreatment I suppose. Being of the Jewish persuasion, I wondered if they felt they may owe me something as well. hmmm, a tempting thought… just kidding.
Strangely, the non-Western nations I visited, China for example, did not suffer at all from this “guilt” phenomenon. Indeed, people in those countries will inform you quickly and in no measured terms, “you are not welcome in our country.” Saudi Arabia also comes to mind. Anyone who hesitates, even slightly, with conforming to their customs and laws will be shown the door if not a prison cell in short order. And yet, like most people on the planet, the Chinese and Saudi Arabians have ancestors whom oppressed other people at one time or another in their histories. But no guilt for it was present. They seemed to understand the legal principle I referred to earlier.
Finally, I arrive at the current situation and problems of Muslim immigration into the West. They too have become aware of this “guilt” psychosis now found among all Western people. They have used that awareness with great skill. Laws have been changed to accommodate them. All speech is carefully monitored for any “racial” content that may offend. Even their religion has been given special and protected status.
No one needs a Phd to understand this situation. It is directly related to the psychological power that underlay terms like “racist.” We have begun to treat Muslims much the same way we have treated other minorities. It has become clear that many Muslims would like nothing more than this. Indeed, we see the claims of “racism” being used by them with ever increasing frequency. The government’s response is as predicted — appeasement and placation.
If things remain as they are now, Islam will eventually conquer Europe without a shot being fired. America may last longer but since it too suffers from this “guilt” psychosis, it is just as vulnerable and not only to Muslims. Only when this mindset of false “guilt” loses its power over the minds of those in control will any meaningful changes be brought about. There are still far too many who do not or will not see this causal relationship. Studying the latter part of Oriana Fallaci’s life may help. She braved the accusations of racism though it probably would have led to her imprisonment had she lived.
On a positive note, there are a few who are beginning to stand up and who are willing to risk the wrath of the government, college professors, “anti-hate” groups, and the media. But will it be enough? Time will tell. To be effective in this “battle” with Islam we all must understand the underlying causes for inaction. The seeming paralysis our governments suffer from. If we can understand it then we can help others understand it. And by fully understanding it, we can have a real hope of dealing with it.
Well, that was one of the most outstanding reader reactions I’ve read on the Anvil, Human, and I have to say to you that I agree with you. I also have had unique cross-race relations in my lifetime and have experienced enough to understand that there is a huge double-standard that needs to be vanquished if we as Americans are ever going to make the Melting Pot fair for all, and not just for righteous minorities who believe they are owed something.
Just the other day I had a neighbor try to hush me up because I was speaking too loudly about my opinions on the Imus situation, and I suppose the mere presence of a black person made her nervous. I refused to shut up. I told her I would handle any situation that developed if someone wished to intervene on a private conversation that they might happen to eavesdrop in on and not agree with. I’m no racist, just like I’m no liar. If someone attempts to paint me as such to my face because of my opinions, they’d better be prepared for a confrontation of a different kind.
More people of all shapes and colors need to not fear to be heard and speak out truthfully. Frank discussion is what is required, but it’s also important to have objective ones. And that’s the really difficult part. Most people can not climb out of their own skin long enough to see the perspective of others.
What the hell should I feel “white guilt” for, for instance, when nobody has ever handed me a thing in my life, given me a fair break. I’ve never owned a slave, but my ancestors have been, or might as well have been called such. Being “white” doesn’t make me automatically something anymore than being “black” automatically makes a person of African descent. And believe me, I’ve known enough Haitians in my day to understand the difference in that regard. They made me understand.
I hope more people take the time to read your viewpoint on this subject, Human.
@ Human
As FH says this is a most exceptional piece.
In fact I have to say I have not read a lot of opinion pieces lately that are of this calibre.
It is too good to simply keep to yourself. Is there some journal, website or newspaper that is worthy of having it?