Sharia Law for Australia?

Australian Muslims are using a government inquiry into multiculturalism to help push implementation of sharia law down under. The controversy strikes at the heart of what it is to be Australian.

When members of the Labor Party launched a national multicultural inquiry last February, the chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration, MP Maria Vamvakinou described Australia as a “migrant society,” one that is culturally diverse. The committee’s inquiry is part of a government effort to implement anti-racism strategies.

As a result, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) this week submitted a request that sharia law be allowed under the umbrella of multiculturalism.

As progressives move to shape a more tolerant, ethnically diverse, anti-racist state, the sharia law request may be a harbinger of multiculturalism in Oz.

If Aussies no longer know what their society believes and all beliefs become acceptable under the guise of anti-racism strategies. then Australian society is no longer uniquely Australian. What makes Australia different from other countries? Does a distinct Aussie culture exist and if so, is it worth protecting?

Apparently the Australian Attorney General thinks so. Robert McClelland rejected the AFIC request. He said immigrants coming to Australia take an oath as citizens to obey its laws and uphold the country’s values.

“Australia's brand of multiculturalism promotes integration,” said McClelland. “If there is any inconsistency between cultural values and the rule of law, then Australian law wins out."

McClelland continued:

"Indeed, all applicants for citizenship swear collective allegiance to the people of Australia, and undertake to respect our customs and abide by our laws. The values underpinning those principles will not be changing."

Read more about the AG’s response here.

Did McClelland do the right thing by defending Aussie culture? Is Australia simply a mish-mash of various cultures and faiths from around the world, a migrant society with differing beliefs, or is it unique and worth preserving? Could Australians still be equal under the law if some are governed by British Common Law and others by sharia?

What do you think?