Religious Schools Best Places To Foster Tolerance, No Matter What Ilk
Sydney Morning Herald
Saturday December 22, 2007
How ironic that on the day the Islamic school Malek Fahd comes in among the top10 academic schools in the state, ignorant Christian fundamentalists, egged on by the Reverend Fred Nile, mount a racist rally against a new Muslim school in Camden.
Religious schools with high academic achievements, turning out students with a critical approach to religious questions, are the best defence against fundamentalist militancy of the Christian or Muslim variety. If a Catholic or Anglican school were proposed, there would be no objections on the spurious grounds of traffic congestion. I call upon Cardinal George Pell and Archbishop Peter Jensen to speak out in support of the school. John Challis Elizabeth Bay I am sure that over the past 50 years in Ireland, many of the terrorists from both sides were educated in good Catholic or Protestant schools. I do not recall anyone calling for the closure of these schools on the grounds that they were hotbeds of extremist brainwashing.So much for peace on Earth and goodwill to all men (not just those who agree with you).Brian Collins Cronulla I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Fred Nile on on the proposal for a new school at Camden. Islamic schools in NSW have a strong focus on developing students into responsible and contributing members of society. Malek Fahd is a great example of what can be achieved from humble beginnings. All Islamic schools in NSW educate and encourage their students to uphold the principles in the Federal Government's values framework and in the Muslim Schools' Charter, itself a study in acceptance, tolerance and what it means to be Australian. Camden Council is right to base its decision on planning grounds. Let us not take the path of discrimination and intolerance just because the background of those involved is not the same as one's own. Geoff Newcombe Executive director, Association of Independent Schools of NSW, Sydney It seems that when Fred Nile is given a real job to do, like chair a committee to improve a public hospital, he has no idea how to respond. All he can do is obfuscate and call for more inquiries. Yet when it comes to rabblerousing in front of a racist crowd in Camden, he is in his element. It seems the only thing Nile is any good at is stirring up hate. Christopher O'Reilly Marrickville The scenes on television of the rally against the Islamic School were enough to make me reel into my seat, and wonder if I had been transported to a foreign state. I am consumed by anger, resentment, despair, embarrassment and shame. The mindless, ignorant arguments displayed in such remonstrations are a repulsive and sad reflection upon our society. Paul Templeton Wagga Wagga
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald
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