From the Brisbane Times down under:
When Mariam Veiszadeh expressed her relief that a relentless campaign of online anti-Islamic hate was behind her a week ago, little did she know the worst was yet to come.
Yet it set in motion a string of events that would bring her to the brink of tears in realising just how accepting of Muslims the vast majority of Australians are.
The prominent Muslim human rights activist was subjected to a torrent of online abuse from early January, when the unashamedly anti-Islam Australian Defence League seized some of her tweets and used them to inflame bigotry among its 5000 Facebook followers.
Last week, one of the worst alleged offenders, a 22-year-old Ipswich woman, was charged with harassment but in telling her story to Fairfax Media, Ms Veiszadeh could not have envisaged it would ignite the most vitriolic hate campaign against her yet.
The article was seized on by the United States anti-Islam site The Daily Stormer, which urged its vast readership to virtually harass her.
“Be as vulgar, hateful, hurtful, extreme and offensive as possible,” the blog advised its readers.
“As Americans, we still have freedom of speech and we still have the sacred right to call this creature exactly what she is: an ugly, worthless, disgusting, parasitical, rat-faced hadji piece of subhuman sewage who needs to be immediately deported right back to Afghanistan.”
The floodgates of online abuse opened again, making that delivered by the Australian Defence League post pale into insignificance.
Among the abuse hurled her way was five death threats.
But the Canberra-based lawyer is determined not to cave to the haters.
Who started the conflict? Mariam Veiszadeh with a campaign against an Australian singlet carrying a popular Australian message.
The Guardian: “The Brisbane Times reported the online abuse was allegedly sparked when Veiszadeh wrote about her dismay that a Woolworths store in far north Queensland was selling an singlet with an offensive message. It featured the Australian flag and the words “if you don’t love it, leave”.”
If the government won’t protect the nation from its enemies, individual citizens will take up the fight to preserve their people and their way of life.
I can’t think of any examples of the past 200 years where a nation has become more Muslim and more free. Islam and the West are at odds. They have a conflict of interest. There is no way to square the circle. The presence of Muslims in the West will always cause conflict.
One may not agree with the methods of the Australian Defence League, just as one may not agree with the Charlie Hebdo massacre, but one has to admire groups standing up for their interests.
Adam Mercer of the Australian Defence League posted these instructions online:
1. Catch public transport and sit behind a Muzzie.
2. Remain seated quietly for 15 minutes.
3. Lean forward and quietly whisper in their ear: “We are coming for you. We know where you live.”
4. As they start screaming and crying, quietly stand up and walk away from the mad woman and find another seat.
5. No witnesses to anything that was said or done. No possibility of blame or prosecution as it is your word against her’s.
