Fund Indonesian Islamic schools to ... avoid reality

Tory Shepherd, We should fund Islamic schools for our own good

... in Indonesia.... Australian money is needed to keep funding Islamic schools.

If we don’t support the teaching of moderate Islam, extreme Islam will quickly fill the vacuum.

Calls to rein in foreign aid are short-sighted, mean, and downright dangerous...

The Opposition’s proposal to suspend $440 million in spending on education in Indonesia ... is populist policy at its most abhorrent.

Indonesia is crucial. And Islam in Indonesia could go either way...

As wrong as it may seem to spend Australian money to support religious teachings, it’s the outcome here that is important.

The logic is either (a) Islam is inherently violent or (b) Islam is easily distorted by extremists and, either way, the risk of terrorism in Australia increases if we don't take a pro-active role in Indonesia's education.

But if Islam is so easily interpreted as violent, then which is easier: (a) try to pacify 200 million Muslims or (b) go the Fred Nile route of a moratorium on Muslim immigration and contain the problem here?

And worse, if you start spreading ideas of tolerance, democracy and freedom in Indonesia, and parts of it liberalise like the West then guess what results? A strong reaction from Islamic fundamentalists reasserting 7th century Islam. We should stay out of Muslim countries.

The ideology of "ignorant tolerance" never talks about the true nature of Islam, never considers the prudent solution of stopping Muslim immigration, and always takes the high-risk option of thinking it can pacify a religion it refuses to understand.

And whilst we endure their insane solutions, the threat of terrorism increases in proportion to our increasing Muslim population. These people are nuts. Barking mad.

File under: the high-cost, high-stakes gamble of ignorant tolerance.