The Islamic community plans to build a Muslim-only housing development and recreation centre as part of a $10 million complex in Rivervale. from The West Australian
look out Protium and TTE, you’ve got new neighbours. LOL
Now I don’t know if it’s just me, but building an anything only enclave doesn’t sound like a very inclusive idea. However, the spokesman for the Islamic Council of WA thinks differently:
Mr Ghauri rejected claims the housing would further isolate sectors of the Muslim community from mainstream society, claiming the venue would be used to teach Islamic youth how to become good Australian citizens.
or teach Islamic youth how to be good terrorists and suicide bombers. oops did I just say that out loud?
Though I’m not the only one who thinks this might not be such a great idea.
Ethnic Communities Council president Ramdas Sankaran supported the development of a Muslim recreation hall but said a separate housing complex for any religious or ethnic group was a “deplorable” idea because it undermined social cohesion and promoted segregation.
So what do you think? Integration or Segregation?
3 January 2009 at 6:33 pm
Bad idea building a ghetto, what’s next, Islamic police? Sounds like a mini islamic state. You teach people to become good citizens by giving them the opportunity to participate in a pluralist multicultural society.
3 January 2009 at 10:42 pm
I think this is more complicated than it first appears. We in the U.S. used to be convinced that integration would solve our well-known race problem (i.e., whites can be insufferable bigots). Not only does it not appear to have worked particularly well, but there is some evidence that calls into question the central premise that greater contact with persons from diverse backgrounds will erase racial prejudice.
3 January 2009 at 10:43 pm
Totally off topic, but I keep meaning to suggest that you see about increasing the font size used in your comments. My eyes aren’t the best, but the small size makes it tough to read.
4 January 2009 at 3:13 pm
@ vjack, don’t think there is anything I can do about the font size, no access to underlying CSS as I’m using the free wordpress host. When I get of my lazy arse and transfer to my own host, I’ll install intense debate and make sure the whole thing has a goodly size font.
4 January 2009 at 11:54 pm
Fair enough. It isn’t like it is going to stop me from visiting or anything.
5 January 2009 at 3:12 am
Building this would be like injecting cancer cells. This is more dangerous than Al Queda–they’re at least honest. This jerk already tried to set up shaia courts to get around the law, now it sounds like he wants to set up a jihadi training center.
He wants to “teach Islamic youth how to become good Australian citizens”, does this mean keep them out of public schools? Is it legal there for a landlord to deny housing to a non-muslim, or a gay person, single woman, dog owner? Will they let Jews and Atheists use their facilities? Do they get tax breaks?
“so their customs won’t offend neighbors” Right, and we won’t have to listen to women screaming as their husbands beat them, or during FGM or honor killings. They can have their own cemetary too maybe?
You need to keep pushing on this guy. Get him to say more stupid shit like “Apartheid worked well in South Africa”. The more he talks the more he’ll expose his agenda.
6 January 2009 at 10:59 pm
Segregation.
7 January 2009 at 11:50 am
Segregation . . . and it is disturbing that the Islamic Council spokesman uses apartheid as a model!
7 January 2009 at 2:10 pm
[...] misanthropy and the case of the Muslim-only housing development 7 01 2009 OzAtheist posted recently on a Muslim-only housing development and recreation centre planned for the Perth [...]
27 January 2009 at 12:19 pm
Poll: Should Muslims living in a non-Muslim country integrate into host society?
http://muslimsagainstsharia.blogspot.com/2009/01/poll-should-muslims-living-in-non.html