From the Australian
Internationally renowned author and anti-Islam campaigner Ayaan Hirsi Ali has pulled out of her Q&A appearance and cancelled her upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand, citing security concerns as one of the reasons for the decision.
Ms Hirsi Ali was due to appear on the ABC’s panel program, along with 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Muhammad Yunus; former Denmark PM Helle Thorning; and The Australians editor at Large Paul Kelly. The ABC has yet to announce a replacement for Ms Hirsi Ali.
She had also planned to speak in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland from Thursday to Sunday this week, but pulled out suddenly.
“Ayaan Hirsi Ali regrets that for a number of reasons including security concerns, she must cancel her upcoming appearances in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Auckland,” those with interviews organised in Australia were told. “She wishes the event organisers Think Inc, success in their future endeavours and hopes to be able to return to Australia in the not too distant future.”
Ms Hirsi Ali lives with around-the-clock security protection due to her criticisms of radical Islamists.
Ms Hirsi Ali’s trip to Australia had sparked protests from a group of Muslim women who accused her of hate mongering and bigotry. Nearly 400 people signed an online petition against Ms Hirsi Ali’s speaking tour.
“Against a backdrop of increasing global Islamophobia, Hirsi-Ali’s divisive rhetoric simply serves to increase hostility and hatred towards Muslims,” the petition, posted on Change.org, said.
The Somali-born Dutch-American activist, author, and former politician, is an outspoken opponent of female genital mutilation.
Last month Think Inc said it had been harassed about her appearance.
Its insurers were contacted and warned there could be trouble, and venues where she was scheduled to speak had been contacted and warned that there would be protests where she was due to appear.
Much of this was done by an individual called Syed Murtaza Hussain of the Council for the Prevention of Islamophobia Inc. He informed Festival Hall in Melbourne there would be 5000 protesters outside the venue if the engagement went ahead.
The comments are excellent, btw.
- Like
- Digg
- Del
- Tumblr
- VKontakte
- Buffer
- Love This
- Odnoklassniki
- Meneame
- Blogger
- Amazon
- Yahoo Mail
- Gmail
- AOL
- Newsvine
- HackerNews
- Evernote
- MySpace
- Mail.ru
- Viadeo
- Line
- Comments
- Yummly
- SMS
- Viber
- Telegram
- Subscribe
- Skype
- Facebook Messenger
- Kakao
- LiveJournal
- Yammer
- Edgar
- Fintel
- Mix
- Instapaper
- Copy Link
One Response
The Comments were indeed excellent, and numerous. I read them all. Various government personages have received, and are going to be receiving, a lot of sharply-worded letters on the subject of the necessity of upholding – and protecting – freedom of speech.
A number of Commenters were proposing that, in order to make the point about freedom of speech, the Aussie PM should up the ante… by inviting Ms Ali to Australia to address a joint sitting of both Houses of (Federal) Parliament, on the subject of islam, jihad, sharia, dawa, etc. Never mind about her speaking in some convention hall somewhere to assorted private citizens; let's cut right to the chase, and bring all our pollies up to scratch at once!
As one commenter, 'David', put it – "The most powerful response that the Turnbull government, supposedly champions of free speech and enlightenment values, could make to this outrage [the forcing of Ms Ali to cancel her tour ] would be to invite Ms Ali to address a joint sitting of the Parliament." (And 156 people jumped in and joyfully upclicked this comment; so I hope at least 156 letters are flying into PM Turnbull's in-tray, to make the suggestion).
(All our generals and young aspiring army officers from Duntroon College could be invited to attend, as well; alternatively, she could be invited to address them, at their College, which is to Australia as Sandhurst to the UK or West Point to the USA, on the subject of Jihad, its ultimate goal, and from whence it arises, and the various means by which it is performed). I think the idea of inviting her to address Parliament, no less, is a truly excellent idea; lots of Islamosavvy Aussies should contact the PM and other political persons in order to propose just that. If 'security concerns' are squawked about, then the proper riposte is: if you don't think even Parliament House is safe because of the Enemy Within (the jihadis pullulating out of the Islamic Fifth Column/ Colony in Australia) then .. isn't it time to admit we have a major, major, MAJOR problem that needs to be addressed, pronto?