COMMENT: Why the Pope cares more about sexual abuse victims than some News Limited editors ...

Certain columnists and editorial writers from The Australian and other News Limited newspapers has been complaining about ABC Lateline's reporting of the mishandling of sexual abuse complaints made by victims and their families to the Catholic church. Apparently in their eyes, reporting on such matters on the eve of World Youth Day represents an attack on all Catholics and an attempt to tarnish a week of religious festivities for Catholic pilgrims who have gathered in Australia from across the world.

You can catch a summary of that criticism at the ABC Media Watch website here. You can also read a rather sad attempt at a critique of Media Watch here.

Some people at The Oz think that criticising Catholic clergy on the eve of World Youth Day represents an assault on WYD pilgrims and Catholics in general. They seem to think that Catholics are so sensitive that they are unable to handle such reporting. They also assume that Catholics, by and large, are quite happy with the way the Church handles sexual abuse by clergy.

I can understand devout Catholics like Angela Shanahan asking why such matters should be covered at this stage. However, for The Oz editorial writers to ask such questions is sheer hypocrisy.

The Oz editorial writers and columnists had no hesitation in pilloring Hilaly when he made comments disparaging of rape victims. The Oz never cared about the fact that the breaking of its story virtually coincided with Muslims celebrating the holiest day of their religious calender - the Feast of Purity (Eid al-Fitr) to commemmorate the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Worse still, The Oz sheeted the blame for Hilaly's comments to Muslims themselves. Neither ABC Lateline nor Media Watch suggested that ordinary Catholics should be held responsible for the insensitive remarks of Bishop Fisher about the rape victims and their parents.

Indeed, when I suggested that reporting overkill in The Oz was making it harder for ordinary Muslims to pressure imams and religious leaders to remove Hilaly, The Oz editorial accused me of seeking to cover up "Islamic excesses" and even claimed I condoned the kind of radical speech that led to bombings in London and Madrid and the assassination of Theo Van Gogh.

The Oz editorialists aren't against bashing of believers. Nor are The Oz editorialists concerned about defending rape victims. Rather The Oz editorialists will only defend the sentiments of believers it selects. However, The Oz editorialists are happy to do to Hilaly exactly what they accuse the ABC of doing to the Catjolic church.

I urge The Oz editorialists to grab a copy of the al-Mawrid and look up the meaning of the Arabic word nifaaq.

Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf

COMMENT: A word of advice to readers of News Limited papers ...

Please, please, please. Whatever you do, try not to talk about the insensitivity of Catholic clergy toward sex abuse victims on a News Limited paper's website. You'll be accused by some of their prominent editors and columnists of being anti-Catholic and part of a nasty Fairfax/ABC conspiracy.

If you really want justice for sex abuse victims, pray to God that Pell and Fisher convert to Islam and one of them becomes Mufti. Then watch as The Oz, Tele etc lash out on their insensitivity and lack of Australian values. Or even better - pray that God transforms them into Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders and watch the media and political circus begin.

Just remember the golden rule - some newspapers only criticise clerical insensitivity when displayed by clerics of the "wrong" religion or race. Funnily enough, this golden rule applies to virtually all MP's as well.

Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf

MEDIA: Piers Akerman declares the Pope a fearmongering disbeliever?

Columnist for the tabloid Daily Telegraph Piers Akerman has discovered the dangers of religious stereotyping. In a blog post dated 14 July 2008, Akerman is scathing of Fairfax and the ABC for reporting the allegations of sexual assault by Catholic clergy.

If one was a subscriber solely to the Fairfax newspapers or watched and listened only to the ABC, one could come away with the view that every child who received a Catholic education had been subjected to abuse at the hands of the Catholic clergy ...

While some children undoubtedly suffered miserably - and horribly - it is notable that the ABC chose to prosecute the case of a man who was nearly 30 when he was attacked by a notorious priest some 26 years ago. A man, moreover, who has taken the matter through the civil processes and received court-ordered compensation.

Gee, that's a lovely thought, Piers. People who have had to fight expensive legal battles in the courts for years before receiving some compensation have no right to feel somewhat bitter. Nor should they complain when, on the same day, the Church advises them that it doesn't believe the offending clergyman had sexually abused anyone whilst admitting the opposite to another victim. These people should just snap out of their victimhood. Speaking of which ...

The importance of victimhood is as important to the taxpayer-funded broadcaster and Fairfax as maintaining the Church as the unforgiveable perpetrator ...

The campaign run by these media organisations against the Church in the lead-up to the Papal visit has been reminiscent of the virulent hate sessions organised by the former communist party in the old USSR and its satellite states.

So if you report on the experiences of sexual abuse victims, you become a communist. And victims of that abuse are just wallowing in victimhood.

In recent decades, many Australians have succumbed to the secular cult of victimhood, be they members of the so-called Stolen Generation, or those who have been panicked by fearmongers into embracing the apocalyptic visions of the Jeremiahs of global warming.

Yep, indigenous Australians stolen from their parents are just a bunch of whinging niggers pretending to be victims. And anyone who believes in global warming is just a fearmonger. I guess that includes the Pope. Go back to Rome, you nasty communist leftwing Fairfax/ABC fearmonger!

In clutching at the creed of negativity, they display their spiritual emptiness, their lack faith in anything.

So indigenous Australians stolen from the parents and people who believe in global warming (such as the Pope) are just bitter and twisted and really don't believe in anything.

They cannot be blamed for this however, as the Left-dominated state education systems have vigorously attempted to erase all aspects of spirituality from the school system.

Unfortunately, the politically active teachers’ union acolytes have no substitute to offer those seeking to fill their inner emptiness ...

Yep those nasty Catholic unionists are the cause of all this. Line 'em against the wall and shoot the b*st*rds!

Calls upon the Pope to apologise to past victims of evil clergymen are well and good, and we are assured that they will be delivered (and with promises of future transparency of process) but that surely is not the principal message that Benedict XVI has come this distance to deliver?

No we aren't Piers. The Vatican spokesman has said that there's no guarantee the Pope will apologise.

Akerman's argument seems to be that Fairfax and the ABC have gone overboard with reporting the issue. The result is sectarian prejudice. Akerman should practise what he preaches and stop demonising non-Catholic faiths. But will he follow his own advice? I doubt it. Akerman is a chronic sectarian bigot.

Words © 2008 Irfan Yusuf


Bookmark this on Delicious