Post 18. A Visit to Australia by an Islamic Scholar.

Ferguson defends visa for visiting Muslim scholar
March 1, 2008 - 1:48PMSource: ABC
Parliamentary Secretary for Multicultural Affairs Laurie Ferguson says Muslim scholar Professor Tariq Ramadan has an important contribution to make to the community's understanding of Islam.
Professor Ramadan, who lives in Europe, has been barred from entering the United States.
He is due to speak at a Queensland Government-sponsored conference in Brisbane next week.
But Mr Ferguson has suggested concern about Professor Ramadan's address is a storm in a tea cup.
"I think that's the way I'd put it," he said.
"This gentleman has been to Australia under the previous government. He has been issued a visa again by a new government.
"Before this government was elected he was used in teleconferences by the Department of Immigration. This is under a conservative government - he was even consulted."
© 2008 Australian Broadcasting Corporation

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The blogger's opinion.
By all means, give him a Visa. Moreover invite more of these islamic scholars into Australia, provided we also line up a panel of independent scholars on Eastern Studies invited in from outside Australia, if necessary, as I do not think Australia has experts in Eastern Studies ( i.e., Scholars trained in Universities specialising in Eastern Studies, such as the one in Naples and Turin, Italy, and a few other places).
We need people who are not afraid of Fatwahs or of stirring up the primitive and unscholarly reactions of islamic fanatics. It is about time we rise up and challenge the unreformed state of the present Quran's acceptance as redacted 150 years after the death of Mohammed in 632 A.D., considering the vast changes in the world's scenarios, the advent of democratic principles and criteria , the evolution of global communications ( which should see the decrease of violence owing to increased opportunities for self-expression, provided this is permitted and educated ) and the difficulties global earth is facing to-day.
A simple reading of the first chapters of the Quran is sufficient to present the challenge ( see precedent post 17 ). There is only one CAVEAT ( warning )-: The challengers must be free from islamic affiliations or finance-dependancy, capable to withstand the generally strong personality of islamic debaters who are higly trained in the art of sophistry, and to not be intimidated by their false aura of sanctity and perfection achieved again through training, the adoption of hats, clothing, beards etc., which in most cases is pure istrionics worthy of the roman Emperor Nero. Even Al Capone trained in that way would look like a saint of the Catholic Church. If I had my way I would have all these fellows come out and speak in shorts and singlets, like Paul Hogan himself would, God bless him and his crocodile.
It has recently occurred to me for example, on the basis of his speech alone on TV, how common and unlearned Bashir of Indonesa would really show-up to be, as he actually is, if deprived of his little white hat, scholar dress and beard.
I am not against Mohammedanism, and all I ask is for Islam to come out with a Document, say a Mohammedan New Covenant similar to the Christian Gospels, which, while leaving the Quran untouched, out of respect for Mohammed and his reactions, which may have been valid in relation to the historical scenarios of his times, presents all that is compatible in the Quran including also new religious insights if possible, with present world scenarios and global attitudes to, needs and desires for peace, co-operation, etc. between all religions.

Why, I believe that even I could attempt the task even with my limited learning, as the issue is really very simple and straightforward. Of course scholars would expand eloquently on the contrary, everything remaining the same and lots of poor people getting slaughtered, for words, dogmas and scholarship.

After all this is their livelihood and the source of their over-enflated status in society.

I would actually go even further and suggest Islam seriously considers a union with the two other people of the Book, which Mohammed would certainly advise to-day.

See my Post on the Trinity.

A Short Digression-:
In order to support my understanding of Mohammed's decisions in the times he lived----- however not totally willing to personally justify his choice in view of his claims to revealed truth, yet remaining theologically in doubt in relation to a possibility God may have willed the rise of Mohammedanism as the way to show the need for the reduction of idolatry and image-worshipping, a move also present in the Byzantine Church----- I would like to introduce this short digression-:

The world scenario then confronting Mohammed, while he may have been considering whether to adopt christianity ( we know Mohammed had heard the preachings of various christian and hebrew missionaries active in Mesopotamia before the islamic movement to imperialistic conquests, camoufladged as a religious war or JIHAD that began even during the last years of his life) as a religion for his politheistic Arabs in Arabia, included (1) The megalomaniac greek-macedonian Byzantines sitting astride a degenerate, decayed, western/oriental cultural fence ( this is why I cannot understand the present pope Benedict XVI, who is reputed to be a great scholar, recently using byzantinian references to refute Mohammedans ), (2) The inconclusive and fence-straddling ( their acceptance of a personified Evil and a personified Goodness existing eternally in balance as a necessary and acceptable status quo ) persian Zoroastrians and (3) All the animalistic and beastly politheists running around loose, in a background of (4) A dozen christian sects murdering one another in the streets, added to these (5) The hidden Hebrews of the Diaspora manipulating all financial resources and scheming against the West to pay back the Romans ( this is still ongoing in connection with Vatican/Israel relations according to L'Espresso, dated 11th January 2007 " Terra Santa, Terra Promessa"), with (6) The barbarian/roman West trying to re-organise itself after the fall of the Roman Empire of the West ( 454 A.D.), the only relatively sane organisation in the world of that time. Ah..........I was forgetting (7) The various little bibulous, womanising chieftains of the Desposinii Sangreal Royal Line in Britain and Gaul, supposed to bring relief to a sick world ( according to Sir Laurence Gardner ) also murdering one another in their lust for power.

Having criticised the Desposinii, I still consider that they still represent, as the source of potential constitutional monarchs to present european nations ( having christian roots and majorities), an additional security-guarantee in relation to the freedom of religious worship, in so far as they can protect present christian majority-states from lingering theocratic manipulations from possibly demographically escalating religious groups within any given nation. Likewise, in the case of an islamic nation joining Europe I would be prepared to allow a monarch from an islamic mohammedan dynasty to be elected as ruler, for the same ideal of preservation of the original roots of that nation.

No one could ask for more fairness and respect of original roots which are important, nay essential to civilisational identity.

End of Short Digression.

Who can blame Mohammed for inventing a new written language: Arabic and a new Religion; Mohammedanism?

I do not blame him at all, do you hear me, oh Mohammedans?
This does not however apply any longer to-day, although, admittedly many of the old problems still linger on to-day, however Islam is not innocent either with his terrorists and opium growers ( see L'Espresso, 11th January 2007, "L'Impero dell'Oppio " ) and pushers.

May God/Allah/Jehovah crucify them and their families and clans for generations to come!Amen!

Having considered this, Islam is equally unfit to solve these still lingering problems in the same way as the West is not, without reformation and a clamping down on democratic abuses of freedoms., something present-Europe is trying to do ( see The Good News, March-April 2008, www.ucg.org/gnupdate , " Europe Moves Closer to Fulfilling Its Grand Design " and " 'Borderless' Europe now encompasses 400 Million people " ) if the Mafias ( russian, slav, albanian, italian, lebanese, turkish, etc.) have not yet taken Brusselles over, and the six millions of Mohammedans in France stop sabotaging France.

This is why I doubt islamic nations' intentions and motives, even when adopting democracy, in the absence of an islamic reformation of the Quran and of Sharia Law. Example: Pakistan, etc.). This is why Reformation of Islam is essential and constitutive ( a sine qua non ) for mutual trust, understanding and co-operation to exist between the West and Islam.
Unless Islam is prepared to accept this reformation, all discussions and diplomatic activities are just a waste of time and a malicious diabolical ruse in order for Islam to increase its opportunities at crippling the West and the free world, while preparing a " night of the long knives ".

Ask the Armenians, the Jews and the extinct members of various Middle-Eastern-minority-groups of the IXXth and XXth centuries, in the days of the Ottoman Rule, to tell you what the meaning of the phrase is ( the great writer Mitchener used the phrase in his work about the history of Palestine " The Source " I advise everyone to read it as it is an easily absorbed, trustworthy, reliable, beautiful and learned presentation, starting with pre-history).
To conclude, I would like to add that the christian sects ( mostly of anglo-saxon heritage and some of these probably even covertly financed and encouraged by anti-western opponents as every thing is possible to-day with improved communications and unchecked abuses of freedoms. In relation to the biblical prophecies there is no agreement on interpretation as shown by The United Church and the Jehovah Witnesses [ a modern representative of the Arian heresy], etc.) should stop sabotaging any measure the West may be trying to adopt to rectify democratic abuses and to improve civilisation's trends, by ceasing from speculating idiotically and irresponsibly on biblical prophecies they are unfit to interpret and comment on.

The West ( the U.S.A., Britain and Europe jointly, if possible ) must try alternative political solutions without being hampered by these latter-days idiots, growing fat ( some of them are actually obese with obese smiles on their faces. I am being nasty because they are the first to point out, rightly so but hipocritically, to the western problem of obesity induced by over indulgence and self-pampering) on the donations of their equally self-pampered devotees. By all means, let us reduce our obesities, especially those of a mentalo or political nature.

Cease from sabotaging and calling the West (Here France, or Europe as it suits you when sheltering America or Britain, which have become a sewer of iniquity and obscenities as everyone else have and let us begin watching after one anothers' needs for mutual reformation ) a Babylonian power and do something constructive, works of mercy for example as R.C. do. Don't give me the old talk on Grace versus Works please as it has been exploded. We need both!

Protestants have outlived the times of Martin Luther and of the Great Reformation and are not immune from sin and are themselves permanently in need of reformation. So stop your arrogance and self-conceit and begin accepting religious responsibilities as everyone should, together! Stop this crazy, exclusivist, chosen people illusion/delusion.
Concentrate on convincing Islam ( as differentiated from reformed Mohammedanism ) to reform its religious utterings, to renounce its covert, anachronistic imperialistic aspirations and to invite your followers to unite under a common christian banner of good-willing people bent on reforming themselves and all christians.

Join all christian resources in a common ecumenical fund and use this for the benefit of all Christians by planning and building institutions for compassionate, healing, educational works extended to all Christians.

Show Islam and the World the way and the power of the Works-of-the-Lord-for-the-Father in unity and diversity.

Stop being negative and fatalistic!
So speaks the Templar!
Amen!