JonDown
2006-01-25 18:20:13 UTC
CANBERRA: Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law in Australia
were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted
radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. A day after a group
of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia at a special
meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his ministers made it clear
that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello hinted that
some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not
accept that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by
parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has
Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on
national television. "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there
are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian law and
another the Islamic law, that this is false. If you can't agree with
parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia
law, and have the opportunity to go to another country which practices it,
perhaps, then, that's a better option," Costello said. Asked whether he
meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual
citizenship could possibly be asked move to the other country. Education
Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want
to accept local values should "clear off". "Basically, people who don't want
to be Australians, and they don't want to live by Australian values and
understand them, well then they can basically clear off," he said.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he
supported spies monitoring the nation's mosques.
BRITS, AMERICANS and CANADIANS ETC.....
ARE YOU LISTENING?
This is Leadership with guts!
Jon~
were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia, as the government targeted
radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks. A day after a group
of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia at a special
meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his ministers made it clear
that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello hinted that
some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not
accept that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by
parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has
Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on
national television. "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there
are two laws governing people in Australia, one the Australian law and
another the Islamic law, that this is false. If you can't agree with
parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia
law, and have the opportunity to go to another country which practices it,
perhaps, then, that's a better option," Costello said. Asked whether he
meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual
citizenship could possibly be asked move to the other country. Education
Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want
to accept local values should "clear off". "Basically, people who don't want
to be Australians, and they don't want to live by Australian values and
understand them, well then they can basically clear off," he said.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he
supported spies monitoring the nation's mosques.
BRITS, AMERICANS and CANADIANS ETC.....
ARE YOU LISTENING?
This is Leadership with guts!
Jon~