Thank You Herald Sun

The headline that the Herald Sun (a newspaper that cops a lot of flack, and sometimes you may take pity on it, before you see something which unequivocally affirms that it is a nauseatingly patriotic, ridiculous and pathetic piece of caustic toilet paper) ran on Thursday, January 22nd:

IT’S OK TO HIT YOUR WIFE – “Muslim cleric’s web rant on women”

What followed was a story on Samir Abu Hamza, who gave a sermon in which he was quoted in the Sun as saying “In this country if the husband wants to sleep with his wife and she does not want to and she hasn’t got a sickness or whatever, there is nothing wrong with her and she just doesn’t feel like it, and he ends up sleeping with her by force...it is known to be as rape...Amazing, how can a person rape his wife?” What follows is other misogynistic tripe about wife beating being ok, so long as bruises aren’t inflicted, and so on.

And seeing this story on the front really pissed me off. For one thing, the sermon reported took place in 2003, and only more recently was posted on the web, which was when it was brought to the Sun’s attention. So to start off, the news is already 5 years old, coming from a time when Sheikh Hilali was still seen by many as representative of the Muslim community (yes, him, “uncovered meat” guy). So already, events from five years ago are hitting the front pages as a leading story. Just for some perspective, The Age chose to run Jelena Dokic’s tennis victory and an increase in national job losses as its leading stories (both of which occurred within the last week).
And after having established that a) this was from 5 years ago and b) his views are not that of the wider Muslim community, the question that logically follows is “why would any newspaper or news source be giving such serious consideration to the opinions of a dickhead like that?” (or words to that effect). A question which cannot be logically answered, of course, until we remember the conservative audience the Herald Sun panders to. This sensationalist tabloid cares nothing for the damage it wreaks to the Muslim community’s already damaged reputation by printing stories, which, really, aren’t stories at all, or with headlines which include the whole Muslim community in the sentiments expressed by one radical. One can only assume that someone working there would consider their time very much wasted if they had failed to spark another racial riot on Australia Day...
And sure enough, inside on the Opinion page, the vote of the day, posed one of the most one-sided, John Howardesque, vomit inducing polls I have ever seen:

“Are Samir Abu Hamza’s comments out of touch with Australian values?”

Once I wiped the instantaneous spatter of that day’s breakfast from the page, I was able to throw the paper into the biohazard waste box kept by the side of my bed for such emergencies. Of course, I don’t need to go into my deep seated loathing of the phrase “Australian values”, or the fact that wife beating is in fact common enough in Australia even WITHOUT Muslims, believe it or not.

And of course, the next day yielded more headlines, with The Herald Sun running the following:

“You’re all drunks – Muslim cleric blasts Aussies on gambling, boozing”

...I’ll leave you to do the language analysis there, and they ran the same story, except this time he was saying Australia has drinking and gambling problems (not even vaguely controversial). Clearly, it is obvious to everyone that this guy is an idiot. Clearly, he shouldn’t be taken seriously. Yet bafflingly, the Herald Sun has taken him seriously, giving rise to a wave of anti-Islam diatribe throughout their opinion section, including gems from their website such as :

Mate, i've just read a story over at the BBC thats got me in tears. About a 13 year old girl who was raped in Somalia by a few of your lot. But then acused of adultery. She was buried up to her neck and stoned to death in front of 1000 people. WTF are you people on? Yeah we have a few faults but nothing like that. You don't treat people like that, you just don't. Don't tell me your way of life is better or purer or more without sin than mine.
Posted by: Trevor G. 7:39pm today Comment 344 of 346

Or this...

if i was P.M you wouldnt even be able to step foot in the country so be happy that you are here and shut the f up.
Posted by: ryan 5:57pm today

Or maybe even...

Personally you stupid little man, i have never been to a prostitute. No male has ever touched me violently, because quite honestly i would bring my knee up so hard and contact with your obviously inadequate private parts that you would speak in a high pitch for a very long time. I am an ozzie born and bred. I have a drink when i feel like it and i sit in the fabulous Australian sun, live in a house in Melbourne that i purchased with money from the job i work. Not quite as submissive as your women hey. So come on big guy try putting a burkah on me and see what happens. P#@$ off back to where you came. You dont appreciate what this country and its wonderful people have to offer. (Wonderful people indeed...)
Posted by: 6th generation ozzie of FTG 1:34pm today Comment 309 of 346

And the ever charming and articulate..

Hey, we may be drunk, gamble and have fun with the pro's but hey, at least we dont stink like falafels! remember people, curry is not a deodorant!
Posted by: johnny be good of drunkville 1:33pm today Comment 307 of 346

Of course, this is clearly showing a pattern in the way in which this news article has been interpreted by some of the dear old readers of the Herald Sun, bless their racist and grammatically incorrect souls. And so, I think we can very safely say that the reporting of this sort of so called “issue” does far more harm than good – an idiot and his comments who should have been left alone, have been brought out in an, at best biased and generalized article, and stirred the pot of racial tension.

Thank you Herald Sun. May you asphyxiate on patriotism and national pride come Australia Day.