Archive for October, 2006

Hilali and Jones- Agents of corruption and decadence!

Published by
Sarah
at October 31, 2006 in Uncategorized. 3 Comments
For all of Hilaly’s outrageous comments there’s something curiously compelling about him.
It’s like watching a madman- the fainting spells and dramatic gestures, the continously hilarious public statements about nefarious agents of “corruption and decadence”.
It’s impossible not to delight in this goldmine for satirists everywhere.

As the saying goes if you don’t laugh, then you’ll cry.

Louise Evans in “The Australian” provides a hilarious take on the Hilali saga, advocating a stint in rehab for the embattled Sheikh :

“Rehab would also be a great move for the embattled Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali. He could admit to an addiction: to being hooked on being the big imam in little Lakemba. He could apologise, say his head was muddled and he’d lost the satellite link with the almighty when he upset so many Christians and Muslims with his meatloaf rant. He could book into rehab and emerge after a respectful absence to do the rounds of the radio and chat shows to re-establish his career.

To re-engage with mainstream Australia, he could release an album of Meat Loaf songs: Couldn’t Have Said it Better, Good Girls Go to Heaven, Heaven Can Wait, The Promised Land, The Monster is Loose, The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be, Original Sin, Is Nothing Sacred, If God Could Talk and Fallen Angels.

The sure hit single for Hilali would be a remake of Meat Loaf’s 1979 anthem, You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth.

Why not take it a step further? -A mental rehab for all the disturbing intellectual menaces in our society. Let’s start with radio presenter Alan Jones.

Alan could admit to being addicted to being the big man on talkback radio- supressing his sexuality and becoming the darling of the Right in a desperate attempt to be approved of by the conservatives. (Conservatives being the symbolic substitute for the father figure stemming from a deep rooted Freudian complex.)

Add some repentant overtones and an Oprah style confessional and wala!

As a reformed righter Jones- fully embracing his new identity- could do shows promoting causes closer to his heart i.e. “Finding love after fifty”, “You’ve only got one you- Celebrate it!” and “the Gentleman’s guide to “sports” watching.”

It’d be a hit!

But would this utopia be worth it?

Unfortunately without the Hilali’s and Jones’ of the world- the satirists would be out of business. We have a parasitic relationship that makes them necessary.

Otherwise they’d be no headlines, no mirth. Nothing to rail against.

We’d be extinct!

Agenda for today

Published by
Sarah
at October 30, 2006 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Agenda for today

  1. Buy milk
  2. Wash Halloween costume
  3. Clean house
  4. Lure men into sin with fatal charms
  5. Talk to Satan
  6. Go home

Ends

Only rapists can prevent rape

Published by
Anna
at October 29, 2006 in rape and violence against women. 0 Comments

In light of the past week of news I’m going to post the following by author unknown:

Via

Only Rapists Can Prevent Rape
A lot has been said about how to prevent rape. Women should learn self-defense. Women should lock themselves in their houses after dark. Women shouldn’t have long hair and women shouldn’t wear short skirts. Women shouldn’t leave drinks unattended. Hell, they shouldn’t dare to get drunk at all. Instead of that bullshit, how about:

If a woman is drunk, don’t rape her.
If a woman is walking alone at night, don’t rape her.
If a woman is drugged and unconscious, don’t rape her.
If a woman is wearing a short skirt, don’t rape her.
If a woman is jogging in a park at 5 am, don’t rape her.
If a woman looks like your ex-girlfriend you’re still hung up on, don’t rape her.
If a woman is asleep in her bed, don’t rape her.
If a woman is asleep in your bed, don’t rape her.
If a woman is doing her laundry, don’t rape her.
If a woman is in a coma, don’t rape her.
If a woman changes her mind in the middle of or about a particular activity, don’t rape her.
If a woman has repeatedly refused a certain activity, don’t rape her.
If a woman is not yet a woman, but a child, don’t rape her.
If your girlfriend or wife is not in the mood, don’t rape her.
If your step-daughter is watching TV, don’t rape her.
If you break into a house and find a woman there, don’t rape her.
If your friend thinks it’s okay to rape someone, tell him it’s not, and that he’s not your friend.
If your “friend” tells you he raped someone, report him to the police.
If your frat-brother or another guy at the party tells you there’s an unconscious woman upstairs and it’s your turn, don’t rape her, call the police and tell the guy he’s a rapist.
Tell your sons, god-sons, nephews, grandsons, sons of friends it’s not okay to rape someone.
Don’t tell your women friends how to be safe and avoid rape.
Don’t imply that she could have avoided it if she’d only done/not done x.
Don’t imply that it’s in any way her fault.
Don’t let silence imply agreement when someone tells you he “got some” with the drunk girl.
Don’t perpetuate a culture that tells you that you have no control over or responsibility for your actions. You can, too, help yourself.

If you agree, re-post it. It’s that important.

Note: This goes for any gendered rape, male on female or female on male or female on female or FTM on MTF or non gendered to dual gendered and so on and so forth….

-author unknown

This is just getting ridiculous

Published by
Anna
at October 27, 2006 in indoctrination, pop-culture, raunch, sexualisation of children and wtf?!. 1 Comment

First we have prostituted up Bratz Babyz dolls, and padded bralettes for four year-olds,
the US sells g-strings and lingerie for toddlers and now retailer, Tesco, has just been forced to remove a “sexy” pole-dancing kit from the toys and games section of their website. Marketing pole-dancing to kids? WTF?! My head is going to explode.

A “sexy” pole-dancing kit has been pulled from the toys and games section of a website run by Britain’s biggest retailer after protests from outraged parents.

The Peekaboo pole-dancing kit, which has a “sexy garter” to help “unleash the sex kitten inside” was sold in Tesco Direct’s toys and games section, The Daily Mail reported.

“Soon you’ll be flaunting it to the world and earning a fortune in Peekaboo Dance Dollars,” its blurb reads.

“Unleash the sex kitten inside … simply extend the Peekaboo pole inside the tube, slip on the sexy tunes and away you go!”

The £50 ($125) kit includes a 2.6-metre chrome pole, a “sexy dance garter” and a DVD demonstrating suggestive dance moves, the report said.

I need to go lie down.

woman-hating is not just a muslim thing

Published by
Anna
at October 27, 2006 in Islam, rape, sexism, street harassment, violence and violence against women. 11 Comments

One thing that often happens when a prominent muslim cleric preaches woman-hating and rape-apologising is an obligatory round of muslim bashing, and a reignited “values debate”. So on the back of Sheik al-Hilaly’s comments that hit the news stands yesterday, we have Paul Sheehan doing his thing [his thing being pointing out that muslim values just aren’t reconcilable with Australian culture in his opinion columns]. And what gets lost in these public exchanges is that many men in Australian culture who aren’t muslim have expressed the same or similar sentiments about rape victims. Our defense lawyers certainly do, as Paul Sheehan knows too well.

The following is an extract from Sheehan’s book, Girls Like You, that details the line of questioning that gang-rape victim Tegan Wagner was subjected during cross examination:

[Trigger warning]

Continue reading ‘woman-hating is not just a muslim thing’

Trifecta!

Published by
Sarah
at October 26, 2006 in Islam, rape, religion and sex. 0 Comments

It’s a hatrick people!

We have had trivialisation of rape from world leaders, a criminal lark by schoolboys and now a glorious trifecta!

Anna has already scooped me on “Australian Mufti” Sheikh Taj al-din al-Hilali comments that women who do not wear the Islamic hijab invite rape.

“If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat,” the cleric said.

“The uncovered meat is the problem.

“If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred.”

Besides the objectification of women ’s function as merely “pieces of meat” for men’s gratification and the equally insulting likening of men to predatory animals, the whole debacle is revealing on the hysterical fantasies of the shiekh.

Muslim women and clothing has become an obsession- a fetish of epic proportions for muslims and non-muslims alike inspiring countless debates, stories and controversies.

Not only is the scrutiny women undergo in terms of their so-called morals, dress and deportment torturous it’s also demeaning.

When sexuality becomes the defining aspect of someone’s character, nullifying a person’s achievements, abilities and intellect- it is revealing a deeper anxiety.

When sermons are filled with exhortations on dress, satanic impulses, lusts, busts and temptations is it not merely confirming the western stereotype of Islam (or Muslims rather) as obsessed with sex, harems and houris, rather than emphasising a spiritual path to good works?

This kind of education has a hugely damaging impact on young people. It is a crucible for shame, guilt and neurosis and is not healthy for relationships.

Muslim leaders are free to preach abstinence- but they must do it without exhortations to demonic forces, and be balanced and open in their education.

The positive that has been extracted from this debacle (if that is possible) is that it has strengthened the acceptable parameters of comment on the issue.

Now even conservative leaders and muslim spokespeople have come to a unanimous agreement that the clothing and deportment of a person is never a incitement to rape.

This may seem self-evident- but such a definitive political statement is radical considering the proliferation of “she asked for it” mentalities proliferating even today.

Modern day law cases are filled with interrogations of the clothing, behaviour and even past sexual-life of sex assault victims.

Let’s hope the chorus of voices condemning the Shiekh’s remarks today will echo in those circumstances too.

Another Sheik blames women for sexual assault

Published by
Anna
at October 26, 2006 in Islam, Politics, rape, sexism and violence against women. 2 Comments

“If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it … whose fault is it, the cats or the uncovered meat,” he said.

“The uncovered meat is the problem.

“If she was in her room, in her home, in her hajib, no problem would have occurred.”

These were comments made by one of Australia’s most prominent sheik’s, Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali. So did you get that? Women who don’t wear hijab’s and go outside = uncovered meat. Men = cats.

Thanks for the education Sheik Hilali.

This stuff really fiddles with my grrr factor. And it’s quite disappointing as I was under the impression that Sheik Alhilali was quite moderate. And you’d think after his extensive forays into the public eye he would know better.

So a message to the Sheik: Men aren’t cats and women aren’t meat. Men have autonomy and control and aren’t all rapists. And a hell of a lot less would be rapists if they weren’t taught from birth that they have entitlement over women’s bodies, especially if said women dress skimpily/get drunk/ etc etc. It saddens me that the last few posts on this blog have all been about sexual assault. Aren’t we screaming loud enough yet? Sexual Assault is never the woman’s fault Sheik. Not even if she was drunk, walking around in the middle of the night in a boob tube. It is always the perpetrators fault. The onus starts with them. Why aren’t you teaching that Sheik?

“Anyone who thinks this is a bit of a joke perhaps must have a good look at themselves…”

Published by
Sarah
at October 25, 2006 in rape, violence and violence against women. 1 Comment

So says Detective Inspector Simon Clemence from the Sex Crimes Squad on a graphic DVD showing a teenage girl allegedly being assaulted by group of boys.

According to the report the video “includes footage of the men urinating on the girl, setting her hair alight three times and throwing her top and jacket into the river.”

I wonder how very much different this is to sadistic images in commercial porn which millions of men download everyday? (which links again to the idea that culture’s impact on reality, relationships, perceptions of women and crime.)

Anyone who gets off on violence, sadism and humiliation is sick- they deserve the Putinesque award for callousness.

Such activity is not “normal”, “funny” or “sexy” (wherever the hell that construction comes from.)

As Detective Clemence said, “I can tell you I have seen the video and there is no humour in it. The girl is the victim of a serious crime, she’s very traumatised, the parents are very traumatised, and anyone who thinks this is a bit of a joke perhaps must have a good look at themselves.”

Absolutely Hilarious!

Published by
Sarah
at October 24, 2006 in Politics, law, media, rape, violence and violence against women. 1 Comment

A microphone has picked up off-the-cuff remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he comments on what a “mighty man” accused rapist Israeli President Moshe Katsav is.

 ”10 women! I would never have expected that from him. He surprised us all. We all envy him,” says a jocular Putin in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Apparently it was all in good fun. Just a bit of a laugh between mates eh?

After all Putin is only a leader of a state in which an “anonymous” contract-style execution of a female journalist, was recently carried out.

And Olmert not only has a President that is an accused rapist but he also recently presided over a futile war that killed two thousand civilians (mainly women and children.)

Knee-trembling laughs for all here!

We talk about violence against women- but then remove our gentrified leaders from scrutiny- who politely mutter on how it’s only those ghetto black and barbarous underclass muslim thugs who commit such uncivilised behaviour.

It never really stops.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf also thinks rape is just a bit of a publicity stunt- a way to get a green card. It’s better to jail such PR seekers with a neat little jail term. Even if she’s blind.

And who could forget Supreme Court Justice Bollen’s side-splitting 1993 comment that husbands are within their full right to use “rougher than usual handling” in convincing their wife to have sex? 

When men are in power- whether in law, religion or politics-women’s suffering will always be a joke.

Rape- what a lark!

 

 

Another [alleged] rapist walks free

Published by
Anna
at October 19, 2006 in law, rape and violence against women. 3 Comments

This is sad.

Adam Jade Pinner, the alleged leader of the rape, had faced a charge of aggravated sexual assault in company before the charge was dropped in Downing Centre Local Court today.

The ODPP today said the victim told police she did not intend to give evidence.

I’m not the most law-literate person but I really think that rape being treated as an assault in criminal matters is problematic. If a victim refuses to testify (as is her right and I’m not about to judge her for that decision) it destroys the whole case. Isn’t there a way to go on with the trial without the testimony of the victim? Can’t dna evidence and the testimony first given to police be used to go ahead with it? If someone was murdered they would have to piece together the evidence without the victim. Too many rapists walk free because trial proves too traumatic. It’s just sad is all.