It’s a bit two-faced of me to be decrying the Internet,
given that this Blogsite would not exist without it; and given that I use the
Net constantly, in particular as a research tool when writing my blogs. But the Net is a source of much misinformation,
and because it is largely unregulated it has become a repository of endless
spite and malice. Some of this stuff
should not go unchallenged.
Email could not exist without the Internet as its
distributive network. I recently
received an email that pointed out the announced policy of the Dick Smith food
company on the badging of its products with a Halal logo: the company’s policy
is not to use such a logo on its
labels. The email quoted the official
company statement, and then added substantial further commentary. This additional material is rabidly racist,
and has nothing to do with Dick Smith or his organisation, yet the email uses
the Dick Smith name to provide some authority for the unpleasant views expressed.
Dick Smith has put a one-line disclaimer on his company’s
website but, too late, the damage is done: the hare is away and running.
A few words of background for non-Australian readers. Dick Smith is an Australian original, and a
very public figure. He made a fortune as
a retailer of home electronics. Smith
started his business in 1968, and sold it in 1986 to a major retail group – who
have retained the Dick Smith name for their chain of retail outlets, doubtless
because of the huge goodwill that attaches to the man himself and his name. In 1999 Smith started Dick Smith’s Aussie
Grown Foods as part of a crusade against foreign ownership of Australian food
producers. The company produces a range
of foods processed only in Australia, and only from locally-sourced raw
materials. All profits go to charity.
Simultaneously with being a successful businessman, Dick
Smith has been an adventurer. He is an aviator (and was, for a time, Chair
of the Civil Aviation Authority), and has piloted a helicopter around the
globe: his exploits are too many to mention here - check his extensive
achievements, and his full biography, on the Internet………trusting that what you
read is factual! Dick Smith founded Australian
Geographic magazine. He has numerous
honours and awards, and is a significant Australian philanthropist.
The actual (three paragraphs) announcement on the Dick
Smith’s Aussie Grown Foods website was and is:
We have received a number of letters
from people asking if we will be putting the Muslim Halal logo on our food.
To acquire Halal certification, payment
is required to the endorsing body and involves a number of site inspections of
both our growers and processors in order to ensure that our practices comply
with the conditions of Halal certification. It is important to note that this
does not reflect the quality of the food being processed or sold – it only
means that the products are approved as being prepared in accordance with the traditions
of the Muslim faith.
We are aware of an increasing number of
large companies both in Australia and overseas, such as Kraft and Cadbury, who
have obtained accreditation to use the Halal logo. We don’t believe they have
done this because of any religious commitment but rather for purely commercial
reasons. Perhaps these large organisations can afford to do this. While we have
a choice however, we would prefer to avoid unnecessarily increasing the cost of
our products in order to pay for Halal accreditation when this money would be
better spent continuing to support important charitable causes where assistance
is greatly needed.
In the scurrilous email being circulated
an extra paragraph has been added [bolding removed]:
We point out that we have never been asked to put a Christian symbol (or
any other religious symbol) on
our food requiring that we send money to a Christian organisation for the right
to do so.
The email continues with the
following words, using the same typeface and emphasis, pretending that these
too are Dick Smith’s words [bolding removed]:
Others would add that money paid to ANY Muslim 'organisation' (and you
had better believe it: these people ARE 'organised') can easily find its way
into the hands of Islamic extremist-fanatics and murderers, irrespective of assurances to the contrary. What other assurances do we accept from
Muslims?
Oh, that's right, 'Islam is a religion of PEACE'! How less Australian can companies get, than
to place money into the hands of those who seek to exploit us?”
Having attempted to portray
its ranting as words coming from the mouth of Dick Smith, the author of the
email then lets the bile flow openly [bolding, emphasis and colour removed]:
This is an example of how the leaders of Muslims
in Aus/NZ are bullying large commercial organisations (especially in the food
industry) into paying what is no more than blatant extortion money. The
amazing part is that these weak-kneed organisations (Cadbury/
Schweppes/Nestle/Kraft etc.) actually pay the
large sums demanded by these self-appointed religious bureaucrats. Of course,
the manufacturers promptly pass this levy on to unwitting consumers as cost
increases. Next time you buy a block of Cadbury's chocolate, look for the
Halal Certification seal on the wrapper. So, regardless of your own religious faith,
you end up subsidising Islam.
The Council also controls the Muslim voter bloc
which, as yet, does not have sufficient critical mass to make a difference -
but give them time.
Several state jurisdictions are under pressure to adopt or permit
Sharia Law in Marriage, Family and Property matters and some,
under the delusion that they are being
progressively liberal, are permitting this. This has already happened in some
local authorities in the U.K.
Google the U.K. Education Department's current investigation into the
conduct of Muslim-run schools in the Birmingham area of England.
How many more warnings
do people need?
The
email is prefaced with the words:
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