Neighbour Misunderstandings
Jun 13th, 2008, in News, by Patung
Visiting Indonesian Muslim leaders discover that Australia seems to be a haven of tolerance and religious freedom.
Mohamad Rapik, said to be prominent in Indonesian Muslim youth organisations, and a lecturer in Islam Studies at Universitas Jambi, says he is struck by the climate of religious freedom in Australia.
Rapik is in Australia along with the head of the Pondok Pesantren Modern Assalaam in Solo, Bambang Arif Rahman, and the Director of the Pusat Muslim Moderat (CMM), Muhammad Hilali Basya, as part of an Australian Muslim-Indonesian Muslim exchange/study program.
He said many Indonesians had the impression, drawn from the period of John Howard’s rule, that Australia was no different from other western countries in enmity to Indonesia and the Islamic world.
Happy Australian Muslim tv presenter on “Salam Cafe”.
However from his observations and talks with Australian Muslims he found that, for example, Muslim women were free to wear the jilbab without any disapproval from the government, that Muslims had full religious freedom, and even had their own television program, “Salam Cafe”, on a government owned station, SBS.
Bambang Arif Rahman from Solo agreed and said he now had a much better, more proportional view of Australia:
I had no idea that there were so many Muslims here, so many Middle eastern restaurants, Indian and Indonesian restaurants, and so many mosques. And the jilbab is allowed here, unlike in France.
However the head of Islam Studies at Melbourne University, Professor Abdullah Saeed, of uncertain nationality, said there were some problems, such as in the Sydney suburb of Camden, where local people were vociferously opposed to the building of an Islamic school. republika
38 Comments on “Neighbour Misunderstandings”
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shorty says:
Let’s introduce some reality rather than speculation, (mis)interpretation of media reports, and 2nd/3rd/4th hand gossip and rumour.
…….amongst all so far contributing there must be friends or family studying/living or doing business with(in) australia. Let’s hear their voice/experience.
…….a government funded broadcaster (sbs radio and tv) broadcasts news, current affairs, whatever from all around the world. not an australian synthesis, but direct/original broadcasts. check out monday – saturday 12 noon – indonesian news – berita pagi – (no editing)
……no religious faiths are banned or proscribed.
……some nutters may have put a pig’s head at a proposed school. There’s been no human beheadings as occured with schoolgirls in ambon.
……taxi ranks at australian airports have mushollah for the drivers. Any similar gereja or prayer rooms for christians in ri?
Back to my original point. Let’s hear it from the ri expats. At least they won’t be talking out their arse.
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Andy says:
Hear Hear shorty, very good post. Indonesians like to paint a bad picture of all their neighbours, particularly Australia to make themselves feel better. I wonder why, if they are so ideologically against everything that we “infidels” do that their government keeps lining up with their hand out when Australia offers foreign aid to other countries. Particularly the huge amount after both Yogyakarta and the tsunami. Both times they squandered it in their usual corrupt manner.
Maybe our friend Aluang Anak Bayang would like to offer his opinion?
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Purba Negoro says:
Andy,
No-one ever held out any hands.
The money is in public viewable accounts.
It is in the hands of registered charities, and most is administered by the Red Crescent Society and UNDP.Indonesians are not like Australians paid by the State to get fat watching cable TV from welfare- no work means no food.
Australians would still be in therapy blubbering about the loss of their potato chips, while Indonesian carry on rebuilding.Governments fell over one another to donate money- exactly like the unfortunate Szechuan earthquake of China.
It’s a way of smoothing relations for future business.
No-one ever held out any handsNot like Australia and ridiculous pathetic infantile behaviour following Newcastle minor tremor and some windy days in Darwin.
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jamal says:
Islam actually come to the universe by bringing mercy for all human beeing, no matter what they believed in. For Muslim themself, the problem is Islam still ‘laid on he sky’, it more regarded as a doctrine rather than a values. Our worried as believers is a fact that “Islamic values is more implemented in ‘non muslim countries than in ‘muslim countries'”. So Islam must be ‘bring down’ to the earth as values while change aur mind about Islam as only a doctrine.
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Pakmantri says:
@timdog,
Pak Timothy yth,
I think you misplaced this comment in the wrong thread, should not it be in “Neighbourly Affairs” thread instead?
Salam. 🙂
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Pakmantri, that was my mistake, I’ve moved Tim’s comment to where it should be.
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Thanks, om Patung ….
Comment on “Neighbour Misunderstandings”.
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Aluang Anak Bayang is a total dop!!!??? Allah is just the arabic name for god!? the same god of the Christians and the Jews. He says “Jews are “pigs and apes”. Christians are lost souls as they worshipped Judas on the cross” then says “I am here to warn everyone about the wrath of Allah”???!!! allah is god.
Sounds like this same god has been re written in this mans mind as a Devil… as god can’t be so simple and petty! he is the kind of guy that believes killing people who think differently is ok. God is forgiving! not a murderer.
These ignorant uneducated ranting are scary.
Jesus was a prophet 2000 years ago… as was Mohamed a prophet 600 years after that! …. there have always been preachers and some become famous thats all.
and man are stupid when they get violent in there name.