Australian Mufti Denounced For Preaching Baloney

Maybe they really do all live upside down in Australia. Otherwise how explain the picture of an Islamic cleric cornered and on the receiving end of “outrage”, and the citizenry baying for the Islamic cleric’s apology—and even his removal! We thought “outrage” was conceded as an exclusively Islamic option for responding to insults both real and imaginary, while only their clerics were authorized to demand apologies and the resignation--or preferably the violent execution--of offenders of Islam. But the Australians are really upset over leading Sheik Taj Aldin al-Hilali’s Ramadan sermon blaming women who don’t wear headscarfs as “uncovered meat,” who only have themselves to blame for being raped. Il-Hilali's translated remarks include this piece of wisdom: "If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside ... and the cats come to eat it ... whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat's?" Yes, it's a stupid thing to ask. But to me it is the furious Australian response that is the real man-bites-dog story.

And to make it even richer, the oh-so-conservative Prime Minister, John Howard, staunch coalition ally, and rare Western leader who gets it on the perils of Jihadism, even managed to get some kudos for calling on Australia’s Muslims to “adopt Australia’s liberal attitudes to women’s rights.” It’s a bit overreaching to suggest that it’s a liberal idea that just because they go out with heads uncovered women should not be rape victims. But the whole thing is a sign that the left and right in Australia may be drawing closer over how much more tolerance should be shown for the intolerable imposition of Sharia in a free society.

During his Ramadan sermon Al-Hilali went on to explain how rape is the inevitable result of a woman’s refusal to keep her head covered--and stay locked up in the house: “The uncovered meat is the problem. If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred.”

Australian reaction was so strong the Mufti actually had to apologize for offending nonMuslim women, (the Prophet will not be happy), and was even heard on Australian television crying "No, no, no," when asked if he was going to resign, just like any doomed politician caught with his pants down. Even Australia's Islamic leadership had to take some guff from the country's Sex Discrimination Commissioner, (also a woman), who wasn't about to stand for the usual nonsense about "context" or how Westerners are too ignorant to understand Koranic teaching: “It is time the Islamic community did more than say they were horrified," she said. "I think it is time he left.” The last time we heard this kind of moral denunciation, it was from Muslims worldwide howling against Pope Benedict, except that the Pope never said anything this stupid. This is almost as great as if Al Sharpton were actually forced to explain his racism for a change. Maybe things are starting to improve after all.

Al-Hilali is the senior cleric at Sydney’s largest mosque, and has “vowed” not to give up his post. But the mosque’s governing association says he won’t be preaching for a few months, probably so he can plumb some more wisdom out of the Koran. Al-Hilali got in trouble once before in 2004, when he preached that 9/11 was “God's work against the oppressors.” He later denied supporting the 9/11 attacks, or terrorism. But this time provoked Australians have figured out this guy stinks like week-old hamburger.