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Opinion in Age about Brendan Nelson
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Civil Rights Network
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Aug 25, 2005 22:32 PDT
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Accept Australian values or get out
By Michelle Grattan
August 25, 2005
EDUCATION Minister Brendan Nelson has bluntly told Islamists who do not
want to accept and teach Australian values that they should "clear off".
And John Howard has warned that mosques, prayer halls and Muslim schools
will be watched "to the extent necessary" to ensure they do not give
comfort to terrorism.
A day after the Prime Minister's summit with Muslim leaders, the
Government stepped up its push to get "Australian values" — epitomised,
it says, by the Anzac story of Simpson and his donkey — taught
comprehensively to Muslim children.
On Tuesday Treasurer Peter Costello said people thinking of coming to
Australia who did not like Australian values and preferred a society
that practised sharia law should go elsewhere.
Dr Nelson said he would soon meet the Australian Federation of Islamic
Councils to discuss programs to ensure those in Islamic schools and all
other children fully understood Australian history and values.
"We don't care where people come from; we don't mind what religion
they've got or what their particular view of the world is. But if you
want to be in Australia, if you want to raise your children in
Australia, we fully expect those children to be taught and to accept
Australian values and beliefs," he said.
"We want them to understand our history and our culture, the extent to
which we believe in mateship and giving another person a hand up and a
fair go. And basically, if people don't want to be Australians and they
don't want to live by Australian values and understand them, well
basically they can clear off."
Dr Nelson said if the country lost sight of what Simpson and his donkey
represented, "then we will lose the direction of the country". John
Simpson Kirkpatrick, carrying wounded soldiers on his donkey, is the
iconic image of Gallipoli. "He represents everything at the heart of
what it means to be Australian."
Mr Howard, asked on Perth radio if the Government was prepared to get
inside mosques and Islamic schools, said it had a right to know if the
"virtues of terrorism" were being preached in the Islamic community.
"It is very hard for a government or any of its agencies to penetrate
every aspect of life, and we don't want to interfere with people's
enjoyment of life," he said.
"But equally, if people are not willing to give their first loyalty to
this country, they obviously must understand that that will arouse
enormous concern within the rest of the Australian community."
Dr Nelson also demanded an explanation from University of Western Sydney
vice-chancellor Janice Reid over a speech to a student meeting this week
by former Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib.
Mr Habib, who returned to Australia this year when the United States did
not press charges, addressed a students' association forum on war,
terrorism and civil liberties.
Dr Nelson said Mr Habib had "peddled his anti-American view of the
world".
Professor Reid said the university had followed protocols and informed
the authorities, who had monitored the meeting. "Although we may not
condone what a visitor to the university says, we support free speech as
long as it does not foster hate, bigotry or violence."
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