Last week, tigtog wrote about the media driven rush to damn former NSW Young Australian of the Year, Iktamil Hage-Ali. I noticed the Weekend Australian colour supplement had a photo feature which included Ms Hage-Ali among “inspirational Australians”. The copy had obviously been prepared some time ago, as reference in the text accompanying the photo was made to the dreaded glass of champagne instrument, but none to subsequent events. Including her treatment at the hands of News journalists from the Daily Telegraph. Republished over the fold (with permission) is a great piece by Sophie Black from Crikey which ties together the threads in this outrageous tale of irresponsible media power and supine pollies.
Sophie Black writes:
Much has been made of The Daily Telegraph’s calculated courting — and subsequent criticism — of beseiged NSW Young Australian of the Year Iktimal Hage-Ali.
But did the paper also know about her 22 November arrest and release without charge when they dubbed her the state’s most promising young Muslim leader? Blogger Irfan Yusuf raised the question in Crikey last week:
…why did McIlveen (and his colleagues including Piers Akerman) devote so many words to defending Hage-Ali hardly 7 days ago? Did they know about the November 22 drug bust at the time they knew about Hage-Ali’s arrest?
Crikey now understands that The Daily Tele did know, and they used this information to enact that most tabloid of tactics: build up a public persona for the sole purpose of then eating them alive.
According to Crikey sources, Tele attack dog Luke McIlveen rang Hage-Ali to ask her about the arrest on the same day that the paper ran his article portraying her as a victim of hardline Muslim bloggers who criticised her for drinking alcohol at the NSW Young Australian of the Year award ceremony. All of which makes the Daily Tele’s making and breaking of Hage-Ali seem pretty calculated.
The Tele, unable to resist the droolworthy combination of Islam and drugs, seems to have planned a sequence of events: praise Hage-Ali and talk up her role as a young Muslim role model, break the story of her arrest, then run a poll that asks “Should Iktimal Hage-Ali be excluded from future government advisory roles?” then run the predictable result (73% of respondents were in favour of her exclusion.)
Moustapha from the Islam Australia blog had this to say about News Ltd’s strategy:
The “journalists” at News Limited knew about her arrest before they published last week’s articles praising Iktimal, she was also hired by News Limited to write an online blog for their website.
So here you have an organisation who knows about an arrest, but still chooses to build this person up as a role model and give her a job — a week later though they decide to bring the girl down with vicious articles to tarnish her reputation.
It is obvious there is an agenda here, it is as plain as daylight — let’s build up a young Muslim woman and then let’s expose her as being no better than the rest of them.
Young Muslim leader Nader Hamdan slammed Hage-Ali’s treatment by The Telegraph in rival paper The SMH:
“The Telegraph knew about her being questioned about this drug matter and put her on a pedestal as the fresh face of Muslim youth last week, having her on covers of their paper,” Hamdan, a former Australian boxing champion, said.
“She was their darling and then they shot her down, not only doing her plenty of damage but also to the Australian Muslim community. They set this sensational story up.
“They played her, she’s young, honest and she was gullible, they are parasites for doing this to her. Everyone knows Telegraph is a anti-Muslim paper.”
But the Daily Tele seems too busy taking pot shots at their rivals to defend themselves:
The Sydney Morning Herald – which missed the story – used its website to wrongly suggest that Ms Hage-Ali’s recent employment as a blogger had been deliberately hidden by The Daily Telegraph.
Their online article helped drive thousands of extra readers to The Daily Telegraph’s rapidly growing website.
Thousands of extra readers. Seems ripping a young Muslim leader’s reputation to shreds has proved stunningly successful.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/12/15/1165685862326.html
Why doesn’t she just deny she uses cocaine? Because that would be a lie, and being a good Muslim, she can’t lie. But she still uses cocaine.
Some Muslim websites took her to task for drinking champagne. I wonder what their position is on using cocaine?
Having said that, the Daily Tele is guilty of Muslim-bashing for political purposes, because they knew she was guilty before they set her up as a Muslim role model. It’s quite clever, actually.
Is there any evidence of all of this?
If there’s anyone I’d go to to find out who was using cocaine in Sydney, and when, it’d be Piers Ackerman.
</defamation>
By which I mean it all jumps from “sources say” to the speculative “seems” very quickly.
I think a number of principles are being flouted in this case, including ‘guilty until proven innocent’. (I don’t expect the Tele to have any journalistic ethics, but this is one of those times when you wish Media Watch didn’t rest over the summer break).
I felt sad when I read this. I think that they are forgetting that this is a 22 year old – a girl. I hope she has the strength to survive. I don’t think I would have at that age.
From the News article -
That’s really where this story begins and ends. Guilt by association is a pointless and potentially defamatory tactic used by sensationalist media and political opportunists alike.
Alex: Yes, that is where the story begins & ends, but that wouldn’t sell newspapers would it?
Lynn White: Are you confusing the Telegraph with a court of law? Public opinion is mosmtly completely & totally divorced from facts or evidence.
Media Watch has little credibility these days. It has degenerated under some none too bright (& rather hard on the eye) sheila last year, nothing more than a political sneer programme now.
My understanding is that the lady is not actually a Muslim; she’s an Alawi. Alawites, unlike Muslims, are not forbidden to drink alcohol so the Daily Telegraph’s original line, that her drinking champagne means she is an example of ‘moderate’ Islamic practices, is both ignorant and understandably offensive to Muslims.
I’ve actually seen that black Porsche with the number plate FE1ONY driving around my suburb!
That is an offensive comment.
Silkworm: It is an accurate comment.
Some pinko school of soft knocks deeming a statement “offensive” in no way deters from the legitimacy of the original statement.
She is indisputably none too bright, a few minutes of watching the programme reveals that.
She is hard on the eye, something she could cure by neglecting to curl up her top lip (& perhaps a change of hair stylist)
Then she could die happy, not clutching her OAM or any of her Walkleys to her breast, but secure in the knowledge that she’d been rated more rootable by some jerk on a blog
The lady’s name is Monica Attard, btw.
Regardless of her name, she ain’t got what it takes. Media watch has been nobbled on her watch. Not something to jerk her thumb at.
Hage-Ali is Alawi. The Alawis have little in common with Muslims or Islam and their practices are very similar to Christian practices in some respects. See http://www.danielpipes.org/article/191.
So the first problem with Hage-Ali is that she’s not even a follower of Islam to begin with. The Alawis started calling themselves Muslim only in the 1970s when Asad came to power in Syria and he wanted to appease the Sunni majority by playing up his Islamic credentials.
The second issue is that everybody except for the Muslims thinks she’s a Muslim leader. That is understandably problematic but it makes even worse when you consider that she is doing all these things that are perfectly permissable for Alawis but forbidden to Muslims such as drinking champagne when you are collecting an award for being a Muslim leader.
The third issue is that the only reason she has the fame she does is because she doesn’t practice Islam. It’s the fact that she doesn’t wear hijab that makes her special. It’s the fact that she likes a drink, etc. Again, that is understandably very offensive to Muslims because the people that are pushing Hage-Ali, such as the government and News Limited, are basically saying that the best sort of Muslim girl is one that drinks, doesn’t wear hijab and wears a short skirt.
As for the cocaine issue, then maybe, as this satirical article suggests, she just “fell in with a bad crowd” when she got the gig with News Limited?
the people that are pushing Hage-Ali, such as the government and News Limited, are basically saying that the best sort of Muslim girl is one that drinks, doesn’t wear hijab and wears a short skirt.
I am sorry to say, I think you are very right about this, Sayf. She’s palatable to them (but not so palatable that they’ll look after her when the chips are down). It makes my blood boil.
Thanks for the excellent link too!
steve at the pub, do you still subscribe to your oft stated view that Pauline Hanson has had a gutful of politics and will reject the opportunity to make a lazy $200 000 and not contest a Senate spot again?
If not, then why not? Your insights are always appreciated.
“Oft stated” wpd? Exactly how “oft” is this stated? But first please explain the relevance to this thread.
Ummm, so Miss Young Ozzi of the year is an Alawi & not a muslim. Fine.
So why are the muzzos so savage on her for sipping a glass of plonk? If she ain’t one of them, they shouldn’t give a toss, any more than they do when winning race drivers, rugby teams, & assorted others take a sip in public view.
“Muslims” are offended by someone (journalist) mistaking an Alawi for a muslim? As we have seen (danish cartoons, koran burning etc) they offend awful easy.
I have no recollection of ever before hearing of Alawis. She could be calithumpian for all I care. Heaven only knows how many various sects, cults, denominations, belief systems, whatever there are. The average punter has little interest or inclination in keeping track of every variety of superstition known to mankind.
At least people have heard of muslims. I don’t recall any prominent muslims being mistakenly termed “Alawi” (I wonder now, how our muslim brethren would take THAT)
Sayf Says:
Sayf, your link is to the useless Neocon lunatic Daniel Pipes.
He ain’t much of an authority on anything. Except maybe for on the strategy of starting wars you can’t win against people you don’t understand.
monica attard was an excellent foreign correspondent.
she’s also a fine and perceptive writer.
and FWIW, I’d happily sent to her office for breaching a media protocol.
she doesn’t appeal to “the average punter”? as Zoe suggested, her shelf of achievement is a very fine one indeed.
i think she’ll brush you off like a dust-blown fly SATP. she most likely deals with lame comments like yours from professionals.
What specifically is inaccurate with what Pipes wrote about the normative beliefs of the Alawis and their history in Syria?
Anyway, since you evidently consider Wikipedia enough of an authority to link to with regards to Pipes, it should suffice that even the Wikipedia article on Alawis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alawites) mentions that they are traditionally considered outside of Islam and they have some major doctrinal differences with Muslims.
Steve: You are missing the point. Firstly, Muslims are not offended that she is Alawi or that she drinks. Personally, I couldn’t care less. But the issue is that external forces have taken this woman, with her Alawi beliefs, drinking, disrespect for Muslim scholars and leaders, etc. and they have termed her a Muslim Leader. They have then promoted her,and given her a platform to ‘represent’ Muslims and Islam even though you will not find any community of Muslims who see her as their leader or even representative of Islamic values or ideas.
So she rides the wave, poses for photos for the News Limited press, and woops it up with Ackerman and the lads. She gets nominated and wins the NSW Young Muslim of the Year because of the “work” she does for the Muslim community. So she gets the award basically by trading on a community that she doesn’t belong to. And then, to rub the noses of this same community in it, she drinks champagne whilst collecting this award. The community naturally reacts badly and she then uses the News Limited press to attack her critics. On one day they published FOUR articles praising her and defending her right to drink against all those horribly backward types. And then, after all that, it turns out that she has links with drug dealers and refuses repeatedly to deny that she is a cocaine user.
If everybody knew she was an Alawi and was appointed by News Limited to the role of Muslim leader we would be happy but sadly a lot of people think this woman is/was an example of “moderate Islam”. Therefore, all those Muslim women who wear hijab are suddenly to be seen as somewhat extreme as compared to Iktimal the Ideal. Don’t you think Muslims have a right to be annoyed?
Sayf, women who wear the hijab are hardly “suddenly” seen to be somewhat extreme.
So the champagne sipping young ozzi of the year was allowing herself to be held up as a representative sample of a muslim, without actually being one? tsk tsk tsk. She has been a very naughty girl all round.
The only thing in her favour is that she has got muslims enraged.
However would you know, silkworm?
via collins: Perhaps I am a tougher boss than the ones this attard sheila works for, for I insist upon objectivity, not sneering political commentary.
Journalism is NOT opinion. She hasn’t yet mastered that. Ergo, she ain’t worthy.
Sayf Says:
I’m not an expert, I just don’t belive you and your obviously biased and clueless source.
“And then, after all that, it turns out that she has links with drug dealers and refuses repeatedly to deny that she is a cocaine user.”
Sayf what you say here is totally unfair given that Hage-Ali has not been charged with anything. It makes total sense, since legal matters against others are pending, that she remains silent. And in no way naturally indicates the conclusions you have made.
I found your other comments about a palatable representative foisted on the Muslim community by government/media pretty convincing, nevertheless.
Sayf Says:
I’ll accept that version, which Laura first linked to.
SATPthe line
is not he SATP that we all know and love. What were you drinking when you created that diguise?
Yes, I’d very much prefer it if people refrained on this thread from making any allegations about her and/or drawing any inferences from what she has or hasn’t said.
First a sexist comment, now a racist comment. Steve, do you set out to be offensive or are you just a general jerkwad?
Sorry Silkworm, this is an Ozzi based blog, I had assumed readers would be somewhat au fait with some ozzi idioms.
Anytime you want to see a jerkwad, look in a mirror.
“Muzzos” does refer to any race, but to adherents of the muslim faith. Shortening a proper noun, then adding “O” is often done, with the newly constructed word having no meaning other than being an informal shortform of the original.
Some words lend themself to it, some don’t. Jerkwad.
Muzzos seems on par with ’sheila’ as a colloquial label to me -mildly disparaging, and inappropriate in polite company, but pretty much normal aussie tradie talk. Is it acceptable then? I dont know, but i seriously doubt anyone would throw out ‘allah-botherers’ with the frequency that the term ‘god-botherers’ appears around here.
just sayin…
I’ve heard “Muzzies” myself. I agree it’s not necessarily derogatory.
I’m wondering why no one else on the PM’s advisory council thingo ever brought up the fact (?) that she’s not a Muslim when she was appointed…
On the basis that “jerkwad”* is clearly acceptable, I would like to join with Silkworm in agreeing that satp is one. And also say, “na, na, na, na, na……and you should look in the mirror too, booze junkie”.
*
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=jerkwad
“I’m wondering why no one else on the PM’s advisory council thingo ever brought up the fact (?) that she’s not a Muslim when she was appointed…”
If it’s good enough for the President of Syria to be an Alawite and a Muslim leader, I guess it’s good enough for Ms Hage-Ali. Whatever one’s perception of intra-religious sectional rivalries, it’s clear that she regards herself as a Muslim.
It was brought up along with a lot of other criticisms of the PM’s advisory group. I know for a fact that letters were written to Robb from a number of Muslim organisations complaining about some of the appointments that were made as well as the conflicts of interest (members of the committee used their advisory position to secure funding for their own projects). Unfortunately, nobody listened but I suppose the fact that Robb has cancelled the group because he was disturbed that it had morphed into a “lobby group” for its members is a vindication of these concerns.
No one can accuse Ratty of indulging in phoney tokenism.
Ratty’s tokenism is the genuine article.
I’ll take that as I’ve successfully got to you Joe2, heh heh heh
THanks for the link – that the first time i”ve ever
come acrossheard that term boys. Oh Pul-lease.You dont hear us gals calling each other tampons now do you?
(We leave that to prince charles).
If she, and others from her group, identify as Muslim, why shouldn’t they be represented on the government group?
satp is a brilliant representation of the typical right wing pub bore.
The presentation of ignorance combined with belligerance is beautifully realised, and he never fails ot follow up with a stylishly executed 180 degreee turn when caught out in a more than usually inane pose. Excellent work satp. Keep it up.
Amused, I have spent lotsa time in pubs, & have never yet encountered a right wing bore, or a even a left wing bore.
Politics rarely gets a look-in. It doesn’t interest a great chunk of the population.
What on earth gives you the idea I am “right wing”? The school of soft knocks schoolteacher/bank clerk/greenie/dole bludger are neither the backbone nor the origins of the left wing, nor are they those who have carried the burden for the extreme left wing political experiments in Russia & other nations.
Projection is a tricky thing isn’t it?
Kim: Excellent point, just up & identifying oneself as a member of a particular group is purported to have been sufficient for the government & legal system to accept one as a member of that group, and to dish out benefits/goodies or allow the evasion of responsibilities accordingly.
The DT denies the conspiracy theory in today’s Crikey. Seems credible. They thought she was a Muslim Noel Pearson.
She could be moving towards a very fine libel case on the cocaine matter. If the papers are as careless as the DT, she could make a mint.
This story about NSW State MP Steve Chaytor being charged with domestic violence but being allowed to keep working shows how much the double standard is operating in the NSW Parlaiment right now.
relevance?
Relevance being that the Premier is prepared to review the employment of Iktimal Hage-Ali but not that of his parliamentary colleague. Yet Hage-Ali was not charged, and Chaytor has been.
“seems to have planned a sequence of events”
Since we’re canvassing whacko conspiracy theories here, what about the one where the NSW Premier corrupts the selection process, and selects a PC candidate for Aussie of the Year to curry favour with a key part of his constituency? Only to find that he has also crippled that part of the selection process which would have revealed the poor girl’s unfortunate habits before putting her under the spotlight.
It would seem, to my great relief, that the Premier has decided that Chaytor should be stripped of his Labor Party endorsement while the charges are being heard. He’s also said domestic violence is unacceptable in any form.
While Chaytor is brave for clinging on to the hope that the party will recognise the principle of innocence until proven guilty, the Star Chamber will apply. Although, I hasten to add, Chaytor was being less than fair by airing his dirty linen and trying to front foot the charge.
I for one am applauding the fact that at least the government is being even-handed and consistent in the manner in which it applies its unfairness.
I don’t think the Daily Telegraph cares. The are only interested in selling papers.
re. Mark’s sanctioning of ‘Muzzo’. Not being a native, I get a bit confused by Aussie abbreviations, and what is acceptable. Back home, ‘paki’ is deeply offensive, because it’s mostly used in the context of ‘paki-bashing’, but it’s not seen as racist here.
If ‘Muzzo’ is ok, why not ‘Abo’? In fact, muzzo doesn’t even cut out any syllables. So is the Derro in the Pub happy with that?
Bilko
Yes ‘Abo’ is mildly. But don’t look for logic in any of this. We all know that the most outrageous terms can be used as terms of endearment.
Why should I be either happy or unhappy with your problem over the word paki & abo, paki is generally used as a cricket team. Muzzo is shorter as it cuts out a tongue movement. Are you happy with that Bilko Far Quit?
oh, mate, you can just call me Pommo.
.. or Proddy, just to be consistent.