Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Thursday 3 February 2011

The View from Down Under

Here’s the Sydney soapbox crowd, doing a little thundering about the situation in Egypt:


And, in case you haven’t already seen it and have half an hour or so to spare, here’s a more formal gathering of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Sydney, last year:



Another for - um - luck:

(Hat tip: reader Shirlee)

In 1853, during the Gold Rush in the Australian colony (now state) of Victoria, a couple of drapers, Messrs Dimelow and Gaylard, established in Richmond, an inner suburb of the city of Melbourne, a store that became a Melbourne icon. Selling shmatter and shlock at knock-down prices, Dimmey’s – as it was soon dubbed – can be seen in this old photograph, its nickname on the ball on the clocktower.

After viewing those videos, this motto of – er – Dimmey’s – strikes me as a good one to keep in mind:

4 comments:

  1. Re, Dimmey's: what about the mozlem architecture in the background?? My mother calls it "The Empire Strikes Back"!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, it's a Moorish facade - Melbourne has many examples of fine and fancy old architecture, despite the fact that in the 1960s a firm called Whelan the Wrecker pulled down lots of them in order that modern horrors could be erected.
    Asa Briggs's book "Victorian Cities" has a chapter on Melbourne and its architecture.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Daphne, I didn't know that Whelan the Wrecker was in Melbourne. I thought he was a Sydneysider

    I don't know why Hizb ut-Tahrir is not banned in this country.

    I also cannot fathom why they speak like they are living in ancient times.

    http://www.hizb-australia.org/hizbut-tahrir/about-hizb-ut-tahrir

    Hizb ut-Tahrir was established in response to the saying of Allah (swt),

    "Let there be among you a group that invites to the good, orders what is right and forbids what is evil, and they are those who are successful" [TMQ 3:104]

    Its purpose was to revive the Islamic Ummah from the severe decline that it had reached, and to liberate it from the thoughts, systems and laws of Kufr, as well as the domination and influence of the Kufr states. It also aims to restore the Islamic Khilafah State so that the ruling by what Allah (swt) revealed returns.

    2. The Aim of Hizb ut-Tahrir

    Its aim is to resume the Islamic way of life and to convey the Islamic da'wah to the world. This objective means bringing the Muslims back to living an Islamic way of life in Dar al-Islam and in an Islamic society such that all of life's affairs in society are administered according to the Shari'ah rules, and the viewpoint in it is the halal and the haram under the shade of the Islamic State, which is the Khilafah State. That state is the one in which Muslims appoint a Khaleefah and give him the bay'ah to listen and obey on condition that he rules according to the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and on condition that he conveys Islam as a message to the world through da'wah and jihad.

    The Party, as well, aims at the correct revival of the Ummah through enlightened thought. It also strives to bring her back to her previous might and glory such that she wrests the reins of initiative away from other states and nations, and returns to her rightful place as the first state in the world, as she was in the past, when she governs the world according to the laws of Islam.

    It also aims to bring back the Islamic guidance for mankind and to lead the Ummah into a struggle with Kufr, its systems and its thoughts so that Islam encapsulates the world.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I had no idea Whelan did any wrecking your side of the Murray, Shirlee!
    Thanks for the (dispiriting) info re Hizb!

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.