tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193Sat, 14 Feb 2026 08:53:17 +0000politicscommentCrikeymediaterrorismMuslimsAustraliaOpinionVideoUSracismThe OzprejudiceconservativesLiberal PartyCanberra TimesReligionIsraelbigotrywarDaily TelegraphBlogsPakistanIslamhumourPalestinebooksJewselectionsIndiatabloidal-Jazeeracomedyhuman rightsABCAndrew BoltChristiansHerald SunJohn HowardTim BlairBarack ObamaIraqNZ Heraldneo-ConUKNew MatildaimmigrationAfghanistanNew ZealandtortureIndonesiacricketdemocracyrefugeesEventSportTalibanThe AgeUpdateshariaDaniel PipesGuantanamoCatholicEgyptal-QaidaeducationIranMuslimTurkeyHateWatchMusicSMHSydneyHindusJanet AlbrechtsenTony AbbottCISEuropeHilalyviolence against womenReflectionRichard KerbajALPASIOHindutvaSikhsPeter CostelloindigenousjihadCamdenFairfaxGazabin-LadinculturelettersChristmasKevin RuddSaudi Arabiacitizenshipfree speechimamsneo-Nazisnewspaperssacred lawtheologyArabsBosniaFoxNewsGriffith UniversityJohn McCainMalcolm TurnbullSri Lankacivil libertiescommon lawdomestic violencegenocidelawyerspoliceANZAC DayChinaCronullaGermanyGreg SheridanHirsi MagaanMelanie PhillipsMelbournemarriagemulticulturalismuniversitiesAltMuslimBethlehemChristchurch PressChristianCourier MailHAMASLebanonMark SteynNew York TimesOnce Were RadicalsOnline OpinionPJ O'RourkeReadingRowan WilliamsSomaliaUnited NationsWahhabismcartoonsfootballliteratureBeth DinCanadaEureka StreetFranceFred NileHTIPAJulia GillardMaz JobraniRadio NationalSBSSouth AfricaTariq Ramadanhistoryhomophobialiberalsexismtendencious writing9/11Ahmed AhmedAlbaniaArchbishopBBCBrisbaneBuddhistsDonald RumsfeldGreeceGreensMalaysiaMedia WatchRussell PetersSaddam HusseinSikhfilmmagazinessecularismtelevangelistunionsAIPACANUATSIAfricaAlboAsiaBarry O'FarrellCNNCambodiaCorinne GrantCovidDenmarkDubyaFoo FightersGallipoliGeorge SorosHitchensIPLJapanJo KoyKosovoLoonWatchMWUMichelle MalkinMorrisonMughalMungo MaccallumObituaryPauline HansonPopeQLDShazia MirzaSikhismSpectatorSyriaTaiwanVaticanWWIIWaleed AlyWikiLeaksWikipediaartblog post movedclimate changeemploymentenvironmenthealthhijabjazzlibertymoviesprofilequotesatiresufismIrfan Yusuf is a lawyer, award-winning author, commentator and humorist. His comic memoir "Once Were Radicals: My Years As A Teenage Islamo-fascist" was published in May 2009. He currently lives in Sydney where he is completing his doctorate.http://planetirf.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Irf)Blogger923125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-4888469681149138444Thu, 26 May 2022 11:38:00 +00002022-05-26T23:46:38.567+10:00comedyelectionspoliticsThe federal election campaign is ripe for satire with The Chaser dedicating a new live show to the foibles of politics. Irfan Yusuf went along to the Enmore Theatre in Sydney’s inner-west hoping for a laugh, or two, or three.In the late 1990’s I found myself working in a law firm in Balmain, a trendy suburb in the inner west of Sydney. One afternoon I walked into the building where my http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2022/05/comedy-chasers-spin.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-8534179996616383892Mon, 16 May 2022 14:10:00 +00002022-05-17T00:10:55.156+10:00AlboCovidLiberal PartyMorrisonpolitics[01] Well I guess it's that time again. Time for Australians to decide which party or coalition will lead the Commonwealth for a few years. And time for the rest of us to become instant experts on the mass debate concerning government policy, economics, politics, health, education and everything else that we expect our bloated governments to run.[02] The next election, to be held on Saturday 21 http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2022/05/politics-scattered-thoughts-on-what-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-73176887810639394Sun, 21 Jun 2020 17:20:00 +00002020-06-22T03:20:58.591+10:00OpinionSaudi ArabiaTurkeyA Saudi dissident journalist who contributes to the Washington Post has apparently been murdered in the Saudi embassy in Ankara, Turkey.Jamal Ahmed Khashoggi’s body was apparently cut into pieces. Turkish authorities claim to have video of the gruesome murder. US president Donald Trump has promised “severe punishment” if it turns out the Saudi government was responsible.How dohttp://planetirf.blogspot.com/2020/06/opinion-to-trump-khashoggis-murder-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-5733568178288308452Thu, 21 Nov 2019 19:04:00 +00002019-11-22T06:04:09.480+11:00 http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/11/music-tanya-wells-channels-south-asian.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-4040475137160378151Sat, 17 Aug 2019 03:50:00 +00002019-08-17T13:50:02.169+10:00Crikeymedia On June 4 2018, at an event hosted by the US Studies Centre at Sydney University, Robinson shared his insights on the Spotlight expose of systemic child abuse in the Boston Catholic Church, on media and the law. In the 2015 Oscar winning film Spotlight he was portrayed by Michael Keaton as the tough reporter heading an investigative team of the Boston Globe. In real life, Walter V Robinson http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/08/media-someone-who-gets-into-peoples.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-3460772163876678088Wed, 26 Jun 2019 03:40:00 +00002019-06-26T13:41:27.878+10:00democracyEgyptNZ Herald Though Mohammed Morsi was a flawed President, he was democratically elected. Photo / AP Muslims around the globe are joining protests on streets and on social media against military takeover. Protests have spontaneously erupted in cities across the Muslim world, from Istanbul to Lahore to Jakarta. Apart from some clashes with police, mostly the protests have been peaceful and matched by http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/06/egypt-egypts-re-revolution-going-viral.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-3478478862514902459Mon, 24 Jun 2019 21:33:00 +00002019-06-25T07:33:31.646+10:00ChristiansHindutvahuman rightsIndia We often read stories of India's economic miracle, its IT revolution and its Bollywood culture. We're keen to do business with India, and Indian migrants are regarded as highly skilled and hard-working.  Australia is even considering selling uranium to India, presuming its status as the world's biggest democracy makes its nuclear programme less dangerous than that of Iran or Pakistan. http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/06/india-silence-over-suffering-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-3299749819423113091Tue, 18 Jun 2019 23:01:00 +00002019-06-19T09:01:12.123+10:00Eureka Street Just before Christmas a young Afghan, presumably Muslim, drove a vehicle through a group of pedestrians in Flinders Street in Melbourne. Some people were seriously injured. But this wasn't the first such incident in Melbourne. Twelve months earlier another man did the same thing, killing innocent people including a ten-year-old girl from the Jewish community. The recent incident was differenthttp://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/06/review-on-romping-racists-and-far-left.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-2972631714570205668Fri, 08 Mar 2019 02:36:00 +00002019-06-15T04:25:41.922+10:00conservativesCrikeyLiberal PartyTony Abbott The former PM is back on the talking points, painting himself and Dutton as "reluctant challengers" and orating about "the betterment of mankind". Bad news for all those hoping Tony Abbott will leave Parliament soon: on Monday, Abbott told a packed crowd of adoring fans at the uber-conservative Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney that he isn’t going anywhere. Abbott is alreadyhttp://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/03/crikey-tony-abbott-isnt-going-anywhere.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-6072260007074397773Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:10:00 +00002019-06-15T04:26:11.445+10:00booksconservativesCrikeyLiberal Partypolitics A new book proposes a plan to fix the Liberal parties leadership woes. Sunday afternoon at a pub in North Sydney and Sky News presenter Ross Cameron is launching the first book of conservative apparatchik John Ruddick. It’s called Make The Liberal Party Great Again. I’ve known John since 1994 when I found myself in the conservative faction of the New South Wales Young Liberals http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/03/crikey-sunday-afternoon-trying-to-make.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-5193268981449712993Fri, 01 Mar 2019 09:14:00 +00002019-06-15T04:26:36.875+10:00booksconservativesCrikeyIPA Matthew Lesh's heavily researched theory on socio-economic divides would give Andrew Bolt a heart attack. It’s always a surprise to see brown people at an Institute of Public Affairs event, but there they were. Last Friday night a youngish crowd including several Sri Lankan women and a very anti-Communist Chinese guy gathered at a trendy Melbourne CBD bar to launch the first book of http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/03/crikey-new-book-by-ipa-fellow-that-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-689043611640277315Fri, 01 Mar 2019 08:40:00 +00002019-06-15T04:27:05.920+10:00Crikeyenvironment Residents at the trashed end of the Darling River are angry, jobless and unable to drink their own town water. UP TO 1 MILLION FISH HAVE DIED IN THE DARLING RIVER SYSTEM (IMAGE: AAP/ KATE MCBRIDE)  Back in October, I started working as a community lawyer in Broken Hill. This involved frequent outreach visits to Menindee and Wilcannia. On my first trip to Menindee, an Indigenous http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2019/03/crikey-when-river-runs-dry-we-will.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-6355665149141402340Wed, 26 Sep 2018 09:10:00 +00002019-06-15T04:27:39.041+10:00ANZAC DayCrikeyDaily TelegraphFairfaxMuslimThe Oz This concocted mass debate, like those before it and those to come, shows that we, as a nation, have no bloody idea about our values. Late on the night of Anzac Day 2015, Malcolm Turnbull (then communications minister) contacted the head of SBS to complain about five tweets sent by a sports reporter that allegedly showed grave disrespect to those commemorating the sacrifices and http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/09/crikey-is-small-minded-bigotry-how-we.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-7918293013248051075Wed, 26 Sep 2018 08:37:00 +00002019-06-15T04:28:04.455+10:00CrikeyDaily Telegrapheducation The debate about theoretically unsound and ideologically charged deradicalisation programs, like the one at Punchbowl High School, doesn't help students. A few days before she was to commence her Australia/New Zealand tour, Ayaan Hirsi Ali called for all Islamic schools to be shut down. Sharri Markson, now at The Daily Telegraph, conducted the “exclusive interview” with Hirsi http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/09/crikey-real-danger-at-punchbowl-high.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-6409710058394872520Wed, 26 Sep 2018 08:01:00 +00002019-06-15T04:28:38.441+10:00Crikeyfree speechracismThe Oz Chris Kenny thinks that political correctness has failed "the mainstream"-- but what on earth does this actually mean? Last night was cheapskate Tuesday. I could have seen a politically correct Hollywood movie for half-price — particularly one starring some pathetic left-wing, anti-Trump, pro-Muslim heart-throb. Instead, I headed to Sydney Town Hall for a mass debate on the topic http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/09/crikey-has-political-correctness-failed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-3653629602840714293Thu, 24 May 2018 20:27:00 +00002019-06-15T04:29:24.271+10:00Crikeyimmigrationmulticulturalism And guess whose fault that is? And so, on Harmony Day, our erstwhile PM launched a document entitled Multicultural Australia: United, Strong, Successful. And what a colourful, sexy document it is: full of the smiling faces of people from different backgrounds and of all ages, all sharing their own or ancestral stories of struggle — full of wonderful talk about values, visions and all http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/05/crikey-sorry-malcolm-but-multicultural.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-7803159633098298013Sat, 05 May 2018 03:42:00 +00002019-06-15T04:29:53.999+10:00CrikeyThe Oz For some reason, Caroline Overington, in her attacks on Yassmin Abdel-Magied in The Australian, cannot seem to understand this whole idea of soft diplomacy.   In 2008, I went to an event at Gleebooks, an independent bookshop in Sydney’s inner west. The British Council and High Commission was putting on a do for a visiting author of conservative bent. The book was, in parts, http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/05/crikey-australian-declares-war-on.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-2944854524629106707Sat, 05 May 2018 02:49:00 +00002019-06-15T04:30:24.831+10:00CrikeyIran The guy was the wiliest of wily politicians who co-authored the constitution that created the revolutionary government. Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani casts his ballot for the parliamentary elections in front of a portrait of late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini  It was 1979. I was in year 4 at Ryde East Primary School. Something terrible happened. It was calledhttp://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/05/crikey-iranian-revolutionary-leaves.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-6692036382692286025Fri, 04 May 2018 10:13:00 +00002019-06-15T04:31:43.226+10:00conservativesCrikey Who on Earth would turn up to Kirralie Smith's "Defending Freedom of Speech Halal Choices" fundraiser? Spoiler: it's Bernardi. And Christensen. And attention-starved Ross Cameron. The other day my mate and I went to Nissin World Delicatessen, a popular supermarket for expats in central Tokyo. In the meat section, I saw imported meats from Australia, the United States and New Zealand. The http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/05/crikey-guess-whos-coming-to-150-head.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-8304930319131335498Sat, 13 Jan 2018 12:45:00 +00002019-06-15T04:35:40.695+10:00CrikeySyriawar For a start, the rebels are not one big happy family all fighting for a common notion of justice. My goodness. There has been so much internet chatter among Aussie and Western Muslims about the fall of Aleppo to Syrian regime forces aided by Iranian proxies and Russia. But it’s OK. I doubt the chatter will lead to another 0.002% of Australia’s Muslims heading off to join Islamic State. http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/01/crikey-three-things-you-dont-understand.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-7232105048696988559Sat, 13 Jan 2018 11:36:00 +00002019-06-15T04:39:12.043+10:00CrikeyPauline Hansonracism Pauline Hanson thinks there needs to be a national identity card in order to stop Muslims from claiming Centrelink benefits for multiple wives. Once again those bloody Muzzlems are up to no good. Marrying more than one wife and then claiming multiple spousal benefits. I mean, can you believe it? And so the headlines and talkback hosts blared over the weekend. The Channel Seven http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/01/crikey-how-do-you-stop-polygamy-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-8239901137071251633Sat, 13 Jan 2018 05:45:00 +00002019-06-15T04:38:21.385+10:00CrikeyGermanyrefugees If Merkel really wants to stamp out the wearing of face veils, she will find no greater ally than the mainstream German Muslim communities. Three Muslim women And so it goes. The Brexit effect becomes the Brexit/Trump effect, which then becomes the Brexit/Trump/Italy effect. It could almost have become the Brexit/Trump/Austrian Nazi/Italy effect. It may become the Brexit/Trump/Italy/One http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2018/01/crikey-et-tu-angela-merkel-picks.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-1650576824761327180Fri, 15 Dec 2017 09:37:00 +00002019-06-15T04:30:58.102+10:00conservativesCrikeyimmigration Barnaby Joyce reckons George Christensen needs to be given a portfolio. Would Immigration be a good fit? Have you head the rumour? Apparently National Party leader Barnaby Joyce is training up George Christensen for a ministerial gig. At least, I think it’s a rumour. At least I hope it’s a rumour, both for Malcolm Turnbull’s sake and possibly for the sake of the public servants whose jobs http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2017/12/crikey-why-george-christensen-might.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-7046146385028778028Fri, 15 Dec 2017 08:40:00 +00002019-06-15T04:34:34.574+10:00booksCrikeyTony Abbott Take it from a Muslim, Tony, you need to come to terms with gay marriage. There’s been plenty of speculation about Tony Abbott’s next book. Already he is in talks with his publisher, and he has even jokingly suggested the title of “Battlescars”. Pundits are asking questions like: Why is he writing this now?  Is he making another tilt for the leadership?  Is he seeking academic http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2017/12/crikey-some-friendly-advice-to-tony.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3650193.post-1783242447325269935Wed, 13 Dec 2017 12:22:00 +00002019-06-15T04:37:04.929+10:00ABCCrikeyDaily Telegraphracism Sadly, ignorance of non-Anglo cultures is the name of the game in both mainstream media and politics in Australia. I’ve been writing commentary and pious punditry since 2005. Before then, I was a helpless consumer of news. When caught in Sydney traffic driving to work in the morning in the early 2000s, I’d tune into 2UE for the last half hour of Steve Price’s morning show. The last 10 http://planetirf.blogspot.com/2017/12/crikey-white-australia-policy-is-over.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Irf)0