SYDNEY // Australia's right-wing Christian Democratic Party is running a controversial anti-Muslim campaign in a high-profile federal by-election in Sydney.
The minor party's manifesto for Saturday's poll urges voters to "stand your ground in defence of Christian values" and has demanded a 10-year ban on Muslim immigration into Australia.
In a move aimed at maximising publicity for its hardline stance towards Islam, the Christian Democratic Party (CDP) has nominated nine candidates to contest the seat in the electorate of Bradfield, a conservative stronghold that spans some of Sydney's most wealthy neighbourhoods.
The Rev Fred Nile, the party's national president, has accused sections of the Muslim population of deliberately failing to assimilate and of harbouring ambitions to establish an Islamic state within Australia. He has also advocated the close surveillance of Muslims in the armed forces.
"Our Muslim population is very small," Mr Nile explained. "We can handle it at this stage, but what I've learned from other nations is as it grows, then somehow the tension develops.
"The Muslims themselves change. They become more demanding and begin to flex their muscles. They're doing that in the United Kingdom, demanding Sharia courts. On our own soil we should have a moratorium to keep that Muslim population at 1.7 per cent" of the nation's total, he said.
Mr Nile is his party's sole representative in the Legislative Council, or the upper house, of the New South Wales parliament, where the state government often has to rely on minor parties to ensure that its legislation is passed, a situation that has at times given the CDP a decisive say in crucial matters.
First elected to the New South Wales parliament in 1981, Mr Nile has positioned himself as a defender of Australia's Christian values, although the CDP's electoral success has, at best, been modest over the years.
"We are not a white Australia party and we're not a racist party," he said. "I meet with Muslim leaders. Even though I've got these reservations, they know I have no hatred or bitterness to them as people. I want to try to help them to assimilate and have all the opportunities everybody else has in Australia," Mr Nile said.
"You can't transfer what the Quran is laying down into a modern Australian society. That's where the tension is."
Mr Nile's opinions, in particular his call for an immediate cessation of Muslim migration, have drawn an exasperated response from Islamic activists.
"That is a very dangerous statement and endangers the mosaic of multiculturalism and harmony [in Australia]. Muslims will become more fearful, isolated and alienated," said Asem Judeh, a Melbourne-based Palestinian who was born in Kuwait.
He said he believes that the denigration of Muslims in Australia can be traced directly to the actions of the federal government, where, he has argued, Canberra's support for Israel and the US-led military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan has created a distorted view of Islam.
"Australian politicians' extremely biased policies in the Middle East encourage the wider community to discriminate against Muslims and Islam. Fred Nile's comments are clear examples of that," Mr Judeh asserted.
The Muslim community in Australia hails from a broad range of different ethnic and theological traditions, the foundations of this great cultural diversity having been laid in the mass migration programmes introduced at the end of the Second World War.
Disparate groups of settlers from Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia have given Australia a unique blend of Islam, but one that Mr Judeh believes does not always speak with one strong voice capable of countering the beliefs propagated by Mr Nile.
"Our community is not united and organised enough to tackle these issues," Mr Asem said. "We are working on these issues on an individual level, which is not good enough, but if we have strong community leadership then, yes, we can isolate these right-wing politicians."
The CDP has identified Islam as well as Australia's plans for an emissions trading scheme as the most pressing issues of the day as it continues its campaign in Bradfield.
Antony Green, an election analyst with the Australian Broadcasting Corp, said the party's chances of success were almost non-existent.
"In every country immigration and the fear of people who are different is always a very big motivating force in people's view of politics. It is very difficult for political parties to tap into that because it is such a primal force. People will do irrational things on the basis of race," Mr Green said. "I think the Christian Democrats are playing with fire tapping into this issue. I'm not sure it will work for them in an electorate like Bradfield, which is very affluent, where there isn't a large Muslim population. These issues may not be as relevant as in seats where there is a larger Muslim population and people get concerned about the growth of migrants."
In total, 22 candidates will contest the Bradfield by-election, including representatives of the Greens, Australia's leading right-wing party, the Liberals, and a host of independents, who have chosen to ignore the controversial stance on Islam taken by the CDP. The governing Labor Party has decided not to contest Saturday's poll in Sydney's conservative heartland, where it has traditionally failed to muster significant support.
@Email:pmercer@thenational.ae
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
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The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
THE SIXTH SENSE
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