Graeme Campbell gives his view on Sheikh al-Hilaly and the associated implications relating to freedom of speech in Australia.
Sheikh Taj el Din al-Hilaly is an extremist; he is not the worst of them, as I suspect that his extremism has been modified by pecuniary advancement. I have an interest in this man because I could see the writing on the wall and tried to get him deported. He was saved by the intervention of Paul Keating, no doubt in genuflection to the Lebanese Moslems who are very numerous in his electorate.
I do not care what the Sheik, or for that matter any other religious zealot says about us in Egypt or any other Third World country. It does annoy me that he cannot get his facts right. While there is no doubt that the convict heritage provides some colour and romance to our past, the contribution to our history and growth owes far more to the hard work and endeavours of the free settlers.
In a sense we should be grateful to al-Hilaly because he is articulating a view that our occupation and good management of this land of ours does not give us any special rights. This idea has a lot of currency amongst vast numbers of ignorant and jealous foreigners. The truth is that when all the posturing is done and the rhetoric has abated sovereignty belongs to those who have and hold and are prepared to fight for their sovereign rights.
There are many people in our own community, many of them in powerful positions, judges, lawyers, politicians, church leaders, etc. who are imbued with the notion that we owe a superior duty to international forces usually personified in the enormously corrupt and incompetent United Nations. Make no mistake, these people are a fifth column, they are quislings. They continually work to reduce the sovereignty and power of the Nation State, preferring international control that they by a process of devolution will enhance their ability to make laws more in line with their conception of what is right.
These people strongly support multiculturalism and legislation like the draconian racial vilification laws. Laws that in Victoria make the truth a criminal offence. These laws do not protect society, they protect politicians as it makes it much more difficult to make political leaders accountable for the consequences of their actions.
Society would be much better off and better protected if all such legislation was scrapped and our old rights of free speech were returned to us. Ridicule, and logical argument are potent weapons when dealing with zealots of all descriptions.
If Islam is so flawed that it cannot stand up to logical appraisal then it will wither on the vine. Unlike Christianity, criticism of Islam has never been allowed in Islamic countries and consequently it has had no reformation. Any criticism is now being suppressed in western countries.
At the same time, Christianity is also suppressed, often violently in the Moslem world. This is madness and it is condoned and encouraged by our leaders.
Graeme Campbell was the Federal Member of Parliament for Kalgoorlie between 1980 to 1998.
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