COMMENT: Truth, lies & the Jerusalem Prize ...

On the May 7 episode of ABC TV's Q&A show, there was an interesting exchange between author Randa Abdel Fattah and columnist Greg Sheridan.

GREG SHERIDAN: I don't believe criticism of Israel is generally labelled as anti-Semitism. I reject absolutely the proposition of the question. However, I do think anti-Semitism has swept back both into the western world and the Arab world. Many scholars have examined anti-Semitism in the Arab world. Notorious tsarist forgery, the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, which is meant to show Jewish conspiracy to control the world, figures prominently on Egyptian television, in Saudi Arabia and so forth. You Google the Hamas Charter, you'll see that the Jews control the Rotary Clubs and the Lions Clubs in order to enact their vicious conspiracies and so forth. It's perfectly legitimate to criticise Israel, as it is any other nation, when it does something wrong. But the insane, absolutely over the top emotional hostility towards Israel from people who couldn't care less about 300,000 Darfuries, aren't fussed about the status of women in Saudi Arabia, couldn't give a bugger about the 300,000 people in North Korean gulag, but Israel somehow is their enemy - there is something going on there which is psychological and very nasty.

TONY JONES: Randa?

RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH: I totally disagree with that. I know you've said before that being anti-Israel is fundamentally irrational and evidence of psychological and ideological dysfunction...

GREG SHERIDAN: I've never said that. No, I've never said that.

RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH: When you accepted the Jerusalem Prize for being a supporter of Israel...

GREG SHERIDAN: Yeah. Yeah. I never said that Randa. That's just untrue.

RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH: Well, I...

GREG SHERIDAN: That's a lie, Randa. That's a lie.

RANDA ABDEL-FATTAH: I've got it in print. I'll show you after the show.

GREG SHERIDAN: Yeah, well it may be in print, but I never said it, I can tell you that.

Mr Sheridan said that he never said these words. His column on 3 May 2007 must have been a figment of our collective imaginations. Here are some excerpts:

... recently I did get a remarkable piece of mail. It told me that if I would
accept, I would be awarded the Jerusalem Prize.

Sponsored jointly by the Israeli Government and the local Jewish community, it is awarded to people who have supported Israel conspicuously.

Since I believe that Israel is a democracy in good standing I was delighted to accept the award, which has been won by sundry heads of government, foreign ministers, social democrat and conservative European politicians and many others over the years ...

Anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment are all different, yet they are all intimately related. They draw from diverse sources, yet they are all, in their virulent forms, fundamentally irrational and evidence of psychological and ideological dysfunction rather than genuine analysis.

And so, as I look outside my window and admire the latest fleet of Qaantas pigs taking off, I cannot help but wonder why Randa could tell such clear and obvious lies on national television.

Words © 2009 Irfan Yusuf


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BLOG: Racists against racism ...

Well it's great to see Andrew Bolt lashing out against the UN Conference on Racism, accusing it of racism merely for allowing Iran's fruitcake premier to speak. This from a columnist who claims Victorian police are deliberately hiding the extent of crime by African migrants, who moderates comments calling for the destruction of entire nations and who thinks that only black-skinned people can be indigenous Australians.

And what kind of morons congregate around this mediocre tabloid blogger? How about this happy clappy ...

Eric replied to Barrie
Tue 21 Apr 09 (11:26am)
The europeans have soled themselves out to Islamic oil Barrie. This started under DeGaul, post WW2, it is merely gaining momentum now.
Well, the bible does prophesy that the world will turn against Israel, and we appear to be seeing that in our lifetimes. God help those nations who stand against his people, it boggles my mind that Christians can stand against Israel when they claim allegiance, at least in name, if not in spirit, with their messiah.

Indeed many evangelical interpretations of Biblical prophecy also state that Jesus will return to earth to finish off the job Adolf Hitler couldn't quite finish. Then of course you have apologists for South Africa's apartheid regime.

Dr Paul Fidlon replied to Barrie
Tue 21 Apr 09 (03:35pm)
... What does it say of a South African government permitting yet another anti-Semitic conference to be held in South Africa itself AND inviting arch-terrorist Ahmadinejad to address the conference?
Can’t imagine the old white South African government doing anything like this.

I thought "Durban II" was actually being held in Geneva. But still, the old white South African government always knew how to put racists in their place. And what better way to fight racism than with good old-fashioned genocide?

The Muslim world has invented nothing in the last 800 years but are now gathering nuclear weapons to point at the decadent west. Its about time we got a little generous with our nuclear technology and levelled a few of our foes before its too late.
Rossco of Newcastle (Reply)
Tue 21 Apr 09 (08:35am)

And if genocide doesn't work, perhaps nuclear war might be an appropriate step.

Q: What is flat, lifeless and glows in the dark in the Middle East?
A: Iran, after Israel finally loses patience.
WhaleOilBeefHooked (Reply)
Tue 21 Apr 09 (10:58am)

But out of all this bigotry, one lonely voice of reason stood out.

We have survived Pharaoh, the Romans, the Christian pogroms, the Ottomans, the Soviets and the Nazis. Their empires are dust, and we’re still here. We have nothing to fear from a stupid little conference and a jumped-up chickenhawk like Ahmadinejad.

So touching Andrew, your support for Jews when they’re thousands of miles away in their ancestral homeland, more numerous, prosperous and secure than at any time in the last few millennia.

Yet I can predict how you and your readers would have reacted, if you’d been around when my grandparents arrived in Sydney in 1939, by boat, uninvited, stateless, no passport, no English, telling their stories of persecution in German (and this was in the days before the world knew about the existence of death camps).

You’d be calling for the boat to be turned around and my grandparents “sent back where they came from”, wouldn’t you? That’s the reception your readers really have in mind for people like my grandparents.

Given your attitude towards the persecuted elsewhere in the world, and your unwillingness to help those who come to these shores in need, I can assure you that Israel and the Jews do not need your particular brand of “support”.

Mercurius Goldstein of Sydney (Reply)
Tue 21 Apr 09 (07:13pm)

I am with Mercurius!

Words © 2009 Irfan Yusuf


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BLOG: Murdoch columnist from Australia's biggest selling newspaper publishes comment about future Obama assassination ...

It just amazes me what kind of stuff Andrew Bolt allows onto his blog. The sheer venom for the US President that Bolt likes to whip up. It's one thing to criticise Obama's response to the global financial crisis. It's one thing to criticise him for showing more respect to a Saudi monarch than a British one.

But where the hell did this come from? And why did Bolt allow it on?

It still amazes me that the people voted in someone with links to Islam, especially with 9/11 still fresh in their minds.I have always thought there is a bullet out there with Obamas name on it and still wouldn’t rule it out.He’s definately walking a tightrope bowing and scraping to his Islamic friends.
RonB (Reply)
Sat 11 Apr 09 (12:14pm)

Are Bolt's hounds suggesting Obama's flirtation with longstanding US allies and NATO members should lead to his assassination? Does Bolt regard the assassination of the US President to be normal discourse? Has the Herald Sun's star columnist completely lost the plot??

Apparently Rupert Murdoch is an American citizen ...

Words © 2009 Irfan Yusuf


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BLOG: Why Obama is a Muslim abortionist ...

I always thought easter was a time for piece and love, when Christians share the joy of salvation. But when it comes to America's Christian President, all the peace and love disappears from some allegedly Christian quarters.

On Planet Bolt, you can hear all kinds of theories about the President of the United States. Bolt is upset with Obama for appointing Vatican ambassadors who allegedly support a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy.

Fair enough. Bolt perhaps subscribes to a wacky insistence in an absolute prohibition in abortion that would see a 9 year old girl raped by her stepfather forced to give birth to the child. But what does all this say about Obama? Let's take a peak at the conversation on Bolt's blog:

The bizarre thing about this, is that Turkey is not an islamic state - it is in fact a secular democracy (and a successful one at that) - which actually has a HUGE problem with islam and islamic militancy - (armed gards at shopping cenres are not uncommon)
tony of coburg (Reply)
Fri 10 Apr 09 (07:12am)

So having armed guards at shopping centres is a sure sign of the existence of a huge problem with Islam. I've seen a fair few armed guards at shopping centres in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Brazil. Imagine the world's future caliphs who drink beer and/or do the haka and/or enjoy ice hockey and/or samba.

Chris M replied to tony
Fri 10 Apr 09 (07:57am)
He claims to be a Christian but acts rather like a Moslem; well I guess that’s reasonable given that is how he was brought up. A good proportion of Americans believe BO is a Moslem and I tend to agree with them.

Bolt's true believers believe Obama is a Muslim. I wonder what Andrew thinks. Care to share that with us, Mr Bolt?

Now criticising the US President was once a sign of anti-Americanism in some circles. Bolt certainly subscribed to this view once. Not anymore.

nilk replied to txjohn
Fri 10 Apr 09 (08:00am)
The man is a disgrace to his office.

Mick Gold Coast QLD replied to txjohn
Fri 10 Apr 09 (01:21pm)
I would add “transparent” and very, very un-clever ...
This clown will self destruct sooner rather than later.

Indeed, Bolt's cyber-Nazis are now looking for masonic conspiracies in all this. Yep, whoever wins, the masons always win!

barney fife replied to Pete
Fri 10 Apr 09 (02:16pm)
pete
america is a masonic nation, the one dollar bill alone should reveal that to you if your not into studying history.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6534861207969567641

Aah, the love Bolt's buddies feel for the United States of America ...

The gall of the man, to offer people who believe in killing off the unborn. It’s either that or incredible stupidity on his part.
Would be nice if the Pope would refuse to meet with the most pro-death president in America’s history. Such a man deserves neither respect nor time, imho.
MK (Reply)
Fri 10 Apr 09 (08:16am)

mike of cnbra replied to MK
Fri 10 Apr 09 (11:47am)
I don’t think its possible to despise a man as much as obama ...

The moron is still campaigning, sucking up to one and all. Maybe running for king of the world or something.
He is also an incredibly nieve twit with no understanding or respect for reality and thousands of years of tradition.
It’s all about him.
Zog (Reply)
Fri 10 Apr 09 (08:34am)

This clown is a total disaster.
Peter of Chadstone Vic (Reply)
Fri 10 Apr 09 (08:45am)

Obama seems to be stacking the White House with dark-skinned evil people. We all know how scared the far-Right (especially the Dutch Right) are about darkies.

he’s quite happy to employ Muslims though. I read a very disturbing article the other day how Obama has appointed a large number of muslims to work in the White House - sorry can’t find the source.
lethal of WA (Reply)
Fri 10 Apr 09 (10:43am)

Pfft. Poor Andrew. Even at Easter time, he is surrounded with fruitloops.

UPDATE I: Here's Jon Stewart's take on this nonsense ...

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Words © 2009 Irfan Yusuf


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