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SMH-2002-07-14 reports the head of the Australian Islamic community has visited to
the parents of the convicted Lebanese serial rapists to convince them of the
guilt of their sons. Reportedly the families are still in denial, and are
insisting that the women literally invited it. Judge Megan Latham handed out laughably light sentences to three youths in
August after denying that race was a factor in the assaults. This denial was
continued in spite of the mounting evidence against it. The truth can now be
told. This was a series of racially-based hate crimes. SMH: Keyar Trad [spokesman for the Lebanese Muslim Association] said the
identity of the rapists should remain secret because their names made it
obvious they were Muslims, and the whole Islamic community was being blackened
because of their actions. Apparently if they were obvious Christian, Jewish, Vietnamese or Chinese names,
publishing them would be acceptable to Mr Trad. Apparently letting the public know that this was a series of hate crimes is
acceptable to Mr Trad, provided the fact that it was a hate crime committed by
Muslims against Caucasians was hidden. Perhaps such a half-truth would provide a justification for greater
'multicultural' funding by Mr Trad? SMH: "Because of the vile, heinous crimes they have committed, these men
have disowned their religion and their race" Mr Trad said. Apparently all Muslims are good Muslims by definition because bad ones are
no longer Muslims. Would Mr Trad say the same of Jews who committed heinous crimes against
Arabs - that they cannot be considered to be 'Jews' because they have committed
heinous crimes? It seems unlikely. Fortunately one leading cleric has has done more than scream 'victim'.
Lakemba-based Sheikh Khalil Chami has criticized Lebanese parents for isolating
their children from mainstream Australia, and has spoken of the need for
children to integrate successfully into the larger community. Apparently the
term 'integrate' is not such a dirty word for some ethnic leaders. His statements are welcome change in a chorus of 'multiculturalism', which has
done little but subsidize minority groups to resist integration. The Lebanese community is likely to benefit enormously from successful
integration. The Lebanese have one of the highest immigrant unemployment rates
in Australia, and already suffers great distrust by the mainstream Australian
community. These hate crimes offer little incentive to change entrenched
views. Perhaps it would convince more people - that Lebanese hate crime.
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