Category: Opinion
The waning of the Israeli narrative
An open letter objecting to the biased media reporting on Palestine, released by 675 Australian journalists, media workers, writers and commentators, was started by former Crikey journalist Jennine Khalik.
SBS journalists later removed their names, apparently under boss pressure.
“But the organisation’s crackdown on journalists has raised questions about double standards: SBS staff have previously gone on trips organised by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and supported by the JCA Haberman Kulawicz Wolanski Fund.” [21 May 2021 Amber Schultz Crikey]
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A government out of touch with its national culture
Mainstream Christianity is imbued with compassion.
“Christ spoke in terms of his own identification with the deprived and underprivileged: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.… Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren you did it to me …” [29 January 1965 Christianity Today]
Similarly Judaism invokes compassion as a key value.
The root word of compassion “rahmanut” is from the Hebrew word “reḥem,” womb, which implies a deep and abiding love. All who are around us need our caring and compassion. [reconstructingjudaism.org]
In Islamic teaching the most used Names of Allah are Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim.
“The roots of both these names of Allah are made up of the same root letters from which is derived the word “rahmah” which conveys the meaning of mercy and compassion; a sense of loving tenderness and grace, which stimulates in one the urge to show kindness to others. [8 April 2016 Munawar Haque AMDA]
Elitist arrogance and behaviour needs to change
There has also been an upsurge of criticism of the behaviour of young men and boys from elite schools all over the country, schools which produce our conservative politicians.
A huge petition, started by Chanel Contos, a former student of Sydney’s Kambala girls’ school, reached 16,500 signatures by 22 February . More than 2,500 testimonials were received from students, some only 13, who had experienced sexual assault by other students.
Students from Scots College, Cranbrook, Sydney Grammar, Waverley College, Kambala, Kincoppal-Rose Bay, Monte Sant Angelo and Pymble Ladies’ College are repeatedly mentioned in the testimonies. [22 February 2021 Guardian]
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