Comments from Down Under in response to my recent words on the American presidential election. Steph is an accomplished author and playwright, and well read. - Glenn N. H0lliman
Hi there Glenn
Interesting to read your comments, and I agree with you that Trump is absolutely unfit to hold high office. HOWEVER, if and when Hillary wins I do hope she sits up and gives great consideration to the core concerns of the Trump voters.
These are, and please correct me if I’m wrong.
1. Immigrants ‘stealing’ jobs from USA residents at a time when jobs are hard to get
2. Increasing foreign ownership of important US companies and properties
3. Islamic immigrants
4. Gun control
These are, and please correct me if I’m wrong.
1. Immigrants ‘stealing’ jobs from USA residents at a time when jobs are hard to get
2. Increasing foreign ownership of important US companies and properties
3. Islamic immigrants
4. Gun control
These, minus the gun control, mirror the exact concerns of the Pauline Hanson followers here in Australia, and now these people, who have been simplistically called ‘racist’ in order to silence them, feel they might have a voice at last.
Lorikeets in Steph's garden in South Australia!
I believe that the Brexit voters also came out in force because Cameron and Co simply had been ignoring their very vital concerns. I think the first two factors are pretty understandable by the public in general, and it is the third one where the topic hots up and becomes distorted.
You implied that Islamophobia flourishes because Muslims have called their god by another name, but I don’t believe that. Nobody in Oz worries one bit about our Hindu or Buddhist residents, so why are we worried about the Muslims? It’s not just that terrorists may be seeded amongst them. It’s more that their core values (concerning women, music, homosexuality etc) are incompatible to ours. I’ll go further and say they frighten me.
Lorikeets in Steph's garden in South Australia!
I believe that the Brexit voters also came out in force because Cameron and Co simply had been ignoring their very vital concerns. I think the first two factors are pretty understandable by the public in general, and it is the third one where the topic hots up and becomes distorted.
You implied that Islamophobia flourishes because Muslims have called their god by another name, but I don’t believe that. Nobody in Oz worries one bit about our Hindu or Buddhist residents, so why are we worried about the Muslims? It’s not just that terrorists may be seeded amongst them. It’s more that their core values (concerning women, music, homosexuality etc) are incompatible to ours. I’ll go further and say they frighten me.
I had a letter published in our main paper the other day, and this is what I wrote. So far no-one has written back to attack me.
"It was with great admiration and delight that I saw a TV report on The Open Mosque in Cape Town, where homosexuals are welcome, women are treated as equals and unsegregated, and the Burka is not condoned because it is not mentioned in the Koran and is therefore a man-made invention to allow complete control over women. Of course, I was not surprised to learn that the South African Open Mosque has (literally and metaphorically) come under fire from the orthodox Muslim brigade. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all Moslem schools and mosques could adopt the same tolerant and egalitarian approach? If this should eventually occur Australia-wide, I feel pretty confident that there would be no more mobs of Australians clamouring for ‘No More mosques’ or ‘No more Moslem Immigration’. And why? Because at last our core values would be compatible.
Before I close I would just like to add that before the resurgence of Pauline Hanson in this country I may not have had the courage to go public on my thoughts, for fear of being branded a racist. So while she, like Trump, would make a terrible President or PM, her views should not be mocked or dismissed by our current leaders. They will do so at their peril, as David Cameron discovered." - Letter and comments from Steph in Australia
Comments anyone?
Comments anyone?
Hello Steph from David Lott
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with your letter referring to Islam and the fear it is engendering in women. Here in the UK we have a huge problem with the grooming of very young girls by mainly Pakistani Moslems. In Rotherham there have been 1400 cases and it is so widespread that thousands are involved in towns such as Oxford, Telford, Manchester and Bristol. The police and council officials dare not prosecute for fear of being called racist so they turn the brave girls, who report their terrible experiences, away.
Today I read of a girl of 13 who had had her life threatened many times and often raped by 8 men taking turns who had given a list of 80 names of these monstrous creatures to the police who after a year have done nothing.
The difficulty is that here in the UK as in the US and other countries governments cover this state of affairs up. Politicians too are frightened stiff of the term racist. Clinton nor Theresa May will deal with this type of behaviour, May after all was Home Secretary whilst this was going on and Hilary is of the Establishment that is opposed by Trump and Pauline Hanson. In the UK the anti Establishment figure is Nigel Farage, in France Marine Le Pen and in Holland Geert Wilders. All these people are attacked relentlessly in the Main media outlets so all appear flawed to voters such as your good self. Exactly the same happened to Winston Churchill in the 1930s. At some point we have to take a chance when we vote if we want real change or it will never come. The names listed above are all courageous which merits consideration.
It is a pleasure to read your articles