Posted on 12/07/2004 7:28:32 PM PST by naturalman1975
IT was one of those extremely rare moments when I found myself agreeing with John Howard. Asked what he thought of Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore's reported plans to make Sydney's Christmas celebrations low-key and generic, the Prime Minister slammed them as "silly", "ridiculous" and "political correctness from central casting".
Out of sensitivity for a multicultural society, Moore was reported to have said she did not want the celebrations "to push any one religious belief".
In fact, Moore had said nothing of the sort. Quite the contrary: the council is increasing its Christmas celebration spending this year by 50per cent. The words were spoken by Jeff Fisher, chief executive of fast-food chain Oporto following news that the chain had banned a nativity display from its franchise in Hornsby in northern Sydney. Media had put the words in the wrong mouth, but Howard's assessment of them remained true.
Every Christmas it seems we go through this farce. Last year, Stonnington Council in Melbourne removed the word Christmas from its celebrations and prevented speakers at a carols night from quoting the Bible. Some kindergartens and daycare centres have stopped having Christmas parties, instead having end-of-year or fairy parties.
All this, it seems, is being done to include Australia's religious and cultural minorities. This is supposed to foster social harmony and tolerance.
But it doesn't. It does exactly the opposite. When Channel Seven's Sunrise recently ran an interactive segment on the issue, a common theme in the responses of viewers legitimately aggrieved by this emasculation of Christmas was anger towards minority groups -- especially Muslims -- who were cast as cultural warriors against the majority.
Muslims may not celebrate Christmas but it is ridiculous to suspect they are behind this absurd trend. Jesus is a revered, prophetic figure in Islam and, accordingly, we are the least likely to be offended by other religious groups celebrating his birth. An anti-Christmas campaign is more consistent with aggressive atheism than any Islamic imperative.
In fact, I know no member of any religious minority, Muslim or otherwise, who asked for or even wants this. In my experience, religious minorities are far more concerned that their right to religious expression is respected and protected. That, surely, is a right belonging no less to the majority than to minorities.
Driving Christmas underground only erodes this treasured Australian norm and that is far more troubling to me than any Christmas celebration. I find the idea of restraining religious expression substantially more offensive than I find any nativity display. The impoverishment of Christmas is done more on behalf of religious minorities than by them.
This is where political correctness loses the plot; what purports to inspire tolerance instead inspires hostility and intolerance. Diverse, vibrant and tolerant societies are created by allowing eclectic cultural and religious expressions, celebrations included, to flourish. You don't achieve that by surrendering a culture, replacing it with bland meaninglessness.
Denying the Christianity in Christmas or, worse, doing away with it altogether helps no one. This is not multiculturalism. It is anti-culturalism.
Waleed Aly, a Melbourne lawyer, is a member of the Islamic Council of Victoria executive.
I do not think there is any term for Jews.
"muzzy" is short for muslims aka Islamists aka the Book of Jihad followers aka the 72 Virgins seekers (ofcourse with a couple of young boys thrown in!!!)
------------------------------------------
And of course a muslim would never lie for political purposes.
"muzzy" is short for muslims aka Islamists ..."
Maybe that's your problem. You assume all muslims are islamists, a term used for the "fundamentalist", radical elements.
"muzzy" is not an acceptable abbreviation for muslim.
"When they start killing tens of thousands of Americans..."
When muslims "start killing tens of thousands of Americans", let me know.
okay, Muslim instead of Muzzy is acceptable? I don't have problem calling them with either of these two words. After all Muslims aka muzzies call Christians and Jews "pigs". hey compared to what Christians and Jews are called, actually muzzy is a lot fairer and cuter way of calling Muslims aka the 72 virgin seekers (ofcourse with a couple of young boys thrown in!!!!) aka the people that practice Taqiyah aka the people that believe stars are created to shootdown the jinn raising upto the heaven to listen to the moon god's conversations with his exclusive team in paradise.
You do seem a little confused. Yes, Jesus was a Jew. But "the" Jews did not kill Jesus. Some Romans killed Jesus at the behest of the local Jewish leaders, some 1000+ years ago, in Judea. It's hardly something any Jewish person living today had anything to do with, just like no white person living today had anything to do with owning a slave or partaking in breaking treaties with Indians. Some Jews have embraced Jesus, others are still waiting for the savior. That is their personal business. Christmas has become more secularized, of course, but I think true Christians know the import of the birth of the Christ. Come to think of it, it's become so secularized, you wonder what the pc left wing is so afraid of. But maybe you should get to know some jews in your community, I can assure you they don't have horns! Be at peace.
Great home page and keep on keeping on.
------------------------------
Over three thousand in one day not enough for you? It doesn't count until it's tens of thousands?
You would better spend your time trying to convince your brothers in allah to join civilization than to try and convince us that we've got you poor misunderstood peaceniks all wrong.
It's always the newbies who use the "DU" and "Troll" labels when they don't like being challenged. When someone has posted over 13,000 replies on FR, and almost 1,000 Threads, I think the Mods are a better judge of whether someone's a troll or not. Not you.
I didn't put the number on the acceptable amount of Americans that Jews would be allowed to kill before 'values,etc' would deem it okay to call them names. He/she did. My retort was to point out the stupidity of the remark.
Since you ought to know by now that I'm not muslim, and you have NO idea how Sept.11th affected me, you'd be "better spend(ing) your time" not defending bigoted remarks by newbies.
"Ever think maybe it's the PC Left that's causing the problems?"
Exactly, they're all so afraid that we might offend atheists or Muslims or Jews or Buddhists or whatever, but when you actually ask them, the vast majority of atheists or people of other faiths have no problem with the public celebration of Christmas. Speaking for myself, this atheist doesn't mind at all. I used to really like the Christmas season, but it's just not the same since my father passed away on Dec. 18, 1996.
"the vast majority of atheists or people of other faiths have no problem with the public celebration of Christmas"
Exactly.
Sorry for your loss. The holidays are really tough when you've lost a loved one, especially if the loss occured at holiday time.
Look, "new convert", your agenda is obvious, your screen name makes it all too apparent where you're coming from.
You're not going to convince anyone that you're anything but an apologist for mohammedanism, no matter how hard you keep trying.
The majority of your posts and threads (and I've read many of them) are spent in trying to win us infidels over.
No thanks, I prefer to stay an infidel, thank you very much.
Americans in general are not interested in your new religion.
But you're welcome to it, if that's the way you want to spend your life.
No matter how much you and others try to convince all us poor kufars to be "nuconverts", most Americans know better.
Thanks.
Speaking of muslims, I work with quite a few of them. Maybe they're all practising taqiyah, but I've gotten (and returned) a hearty "Merry Christmas" from many of them at that time of year. And when they celebrate Eid they usually bring treats into the office, and we reciprocate with a "Happy Eid". If any of these people hate Christians they are extremely good at hiding their feelings.
LOL!
"The majority of your posts and threads (and I've read many of them) are spent in trying to win us infidels over."
LOL! I LOVE IT!
Obviously my so-called "agenda" has gone right over your head. Fighting prejudice, racism, and bigotry is something every Conservative should do. Those types of sentiments and remarks have no place in the Conservative movement.
Maybe I'll change my tagline to "bigot police now on duty".
If they're Goths, where were they when we sacked Rome?
The nonsense parts. Goody for you.
and maybe even mass (though we're there more as tourists than anything else).
This is despicable. You insult people who go to Mass to WORSHIP God by treating it as a theater production, concert or sporting event. If aethists are capable of being ashamed, you should be.
Imagine,, a tourist! You are sickening, and so smug you don't even know it.
I am fairly certain that YOU do. And it probably isn't very nice...isn't it time for a Viking Kitty? I'm a newbie, so I will leave the ozone alert to my betters...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.