by B. R. GOWANI
http://youtu.be/6_1SFf8t-ko
Stephanie Banister of the anti-immigration One Nation party had to withdraw her candidacy after she made some serious mistakes in answering the 7 News’s questions and the subsequent threats she received. She was a Parliament candidate for a Brisbane seat of Rankin in Queensland, Australia.
Banister opposes Islamic laws and wrongly believed that “Islam” (a religion) was a country:
She mistook “haram” (which means forbidden) for “Qur’an” (the Muslim scripture).
She doesn’t oppose kosher laws (things permitted to or banned from consumption in Judaism) and confused Jews (who believe in Yahweh) as believers of Jesus Christ:
“Jews aren’t under haram. They have their own religion which follows Jesus Christ.”
For making the above gaffes, Banister was ridiculed and compared with Sarah Palin (one of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate in the US) and turned into a 48 hours candidate.
But there is a Gujarati saying:
“gANdA kartA DoDh DAyA vadhAre nuksAn kare”
that is, one and a one half times wise do more harm than insane (people).
There are many such leaders, including George W. Bush (US) and late Zia-ul-Haq (Pakistan) who belonged/belongs to the one and a one half times wise group. However, it doesn’t mean that all the normal-wise leaders are much better. The well-educated and rational-sounding leaders, such as President Barack Obama or former US President Bill Clinton are the examples who have not done any significant thing to either bring peace or prosperity to the people of the world.
So in a world which has been screwed up by the wise and one and a one half times wise people, it would be good, for a number of reasons, for countries to have leaders like Banister. No denying the fact that she is a bigot and a racist but one also has to appreciate her ignorance on various issues and the benefits is she had progressed to become Australia’s prime minister. She wouldn’t have proved worst than former Prime Minister Julia Gillard.
1. Banister would not have been able to wage a war against Muslims because she would failed to find a country called “Islam” on the world map.
2. It is always a problem for a majority when a minority, tiny or substantial, is doing something different. Banister has a problem with “haram” or forbidden. But in Australia, like in other countries, it is not only the minority which is following “haram” or forbiddden things but also the majority. And when the majority, in Australia, its the whites, are doing the “haram” things, Banister wouldn’t have had problems because she herself is white.
3. Banister would have given the country named Israel to Palestinians because the Jews, being the followers of “Jesus Christ”, wouldn’t have stayed in Israel anymore. This would have solved not only the decades old problem between the Palestinians and Israelis but would also have cut the power of the Israel Lobby in the United States.
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com