Ahmadiyya Muslim congregation take to Perth streets to condemn Manchester attack

Not mentioned below is that the Ahmadis are a sect of Islam regarded as heretical by other Muslims. They have an extra prophet --  Mirza Ghulam Ahmad -- later than Mohammed.  They are often persecuted by other Muslims

MEMBERS of a Perth Muslim congregation took to the CBD on the weekend to condemn last week’s terror attacks in Manchester.

Imam Kamran Tahir and members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim congregation stood in the middle of the Murray Street mall on Saturday wearing T-shirts that read “I’m a Muslim. Ask me anything”.

Mr Tahir said the actions of suicide bomber Salman Abedi — who killed 22 and injured at least 119 during an Ariana Grande concert— was totally contradictory to the teachings of Islam.

“It was heartbreaking for us to see in the name of our faith that this atrocity was happening and that beloved human beings were unfortunately being killed in the name of Islam,” he said.

“It was essential to show that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the people who mourned the unfortunate deaths of those who lost their lives in Manchester.”

Mr Tahir said the response from members of the public was overwhelmingly positive.

“A lot of the people walking past were giving us hugs, high-fiving us, shaking our hands and really appreciating what we are doing.

“Of course, you had the odd one or two who didn’t like what we had to say but the majority were really appreciative.”
Survivor of the London underground bombings gives her take on the Manchester Attack.

Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim congregation will return to the CBD next weekend in order to offer people the chance to ask questions about Islam and Muslims.

When asked if he could teach the Perth public a single message, Mr Tahir said it would be that Islam teaches love for all and hatred for none.

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Sir Lunchalot is in jail at last



Disgraced former NSW minister Ian Macdonald will have to stay behind bars until he is sentenced after his bail was revoked at his sentence hearing.

Macdonald and ex-union boss John Maitland were taken into custody on Friday after Justice Christine Adamson revoked their bail, which she had continued after they were convicted in March.

Justice Adamson said she will "endeavour" to sentence the men on Friday.

Macdonald, 68, was found guilty of misconduct in public office for signing over a valuable coal exploration licence to Doyles Creek Mining, a company chaired by Maitland, when he was NSW mineral resources minister in 2008.

Maitland, 71, who made $6 million selling shares in a company that acquired Doyles Creek Mining after the licence was granted, was found guilty of being an accessory to the misconduct.

On Friday, Maitland's daughter embraced him in the NSW Supreme Court dock, before she stormed out of the room saying: "It's so wrong, you're all disgusting".

The jury was told unexplored coal resources were "as rare as hen's teeth" in NSW and the state was facing budget constraints when the multimillion-dollar licence was given away without a competitive tender.

At their sentence hearing, Crown prosecutor Michael McHugh SC said the misconduct warranted full-time custody.

He cited comments made by another judge who, when jailing former minister Eddie Obeid, talked about ministerial public duties and public confidence.

Macdonald's barrister Matthew Johnston SC tendered references including two from broadcaster Alan Jones and former MP John Della Bosca but Justice Adamson refused to make them public, and referred to the broadcaster saying that Macdonald was found guilty by a court of "public opinion".

Mr McHugh also said the Director of Public Prosecutions intends to apply for a $6 million proceeds of crime order against Maitland.

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Navy's troubled warships 'expected' to be back in service by October, senators told

Defence procurement in Australia is repeatedly a shambles.  The only consolation is that it seems just as bad in the UK and USA

The Chief of Navy says he expects Australia's two largest and most expensive warships will be back in service by October this year.

Australia's two Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs), HMAS Canberra and HMAS Adelaide, have been docked in Sydney since March after problems were discovered with their propulsion systems.

Facing a Senate Estimates hearing, Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Tim Barrett confirmed HMAS Adelaide will remain in dry dock at Garden Island where engineers are closely examining her propulsion pods.

"If there's anything that we discover from her that we then need to apply with [HMAS] Canberra [that] will be done in that docking in the third quarter of this year," he said.

    "The expectation [is] that both ships will be able to be back in service by the end of the fourth quarter of this year."

During extensive questioning from Labor senator Kim Carr, the Navy Chief acknowledged Australia's newest warships will have spent more time out of service this year than on operations.

"They will have been alongside for more time than they will have been at sea, Senator, that's correct," Vice Admiral Barrett said.

Earlier this month, the Navy confirmed HMAS Adelaide would miss highly-anticipated war games with the United States at the end of June, and said it was too early to say whether HMAS Canberra would be able to participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre — even in a reduced capacity.

Defence's head of maritime systems Rear Admiral Adam Grunsell said it was also too early to say how much it would cost to repair its two largest warships, and some of the eventual bill may be covered by warranty.

"It will aggregated at the end of the activity or towards the end of activity," he said. "I can't give you the exact cost at this stage."

Rear Admiral Grunsell has previously said a design flaw could not be ruled out as a reason for the propulsion problems — although senior Navy figures say the latest testing points to failures with seals used inside the high-tech azimuth pods on the LHDs.

HMAS Canberra was commissioned into service in 2014, while her sister ship HMAS Adelaide was commissioned 18 months ago, with both LHDs costing a total of about $3 billion.

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Principals under pressure to enrol children with disabilities without support

This is a result of the manic Leftist committment to "all men are equal".  Kids with disabilities must be placed in mainstream schools instead of the old system of special schools.  The result is mayhem with the disabled not given the special attention they need and mainstream classes being disrupted by the special needs students

A lack of support and resources to teach children with disabilities or special needs has resulted in unsafe classrooms for teachers and students, a survey has revealed.

The survey of principals of more than 200 primary schools in south-western Sydney also found breaches of disability discrimination laws "occur on a regular basis".

Eighty-nine per cent of principals rated the funding for students with a disability or special needs was either poor or very poor, according a submission from South Western Sydney Primary Principals to a NSW parliamentary inquiry into students with a disability or special needs in NSW schools.

Their submission contained examples of how inadequate resources had left schools unable to cater for some children with disabilities and special needs, including one student whose high anxiety led to outbursts of physical aggression.

"He has bitten, kicked, strike out at teachers and students on at least 15 occasions in two weeks," the submission said. "He will abscond from the classroom. This student does not attract any funding."

Another student attracted funding for a teachers' aid for only three hours a day despite requiring "full toileting assistance".

"She requires a [teachers' aid] to support her with changing and if she requires showering of a full change she requires two [teachers' aids] at times," the submission said.

The submission said funding was often only provided for a child's "primary disability", and not for other special needs: "Schools may undertake a laborious process to apply for additional funds. The result is usually tardy and inadequate."

Inflexible staffing arrangements and excessive class sizes resulted in "inadequate" learning opportunities for children with disabilities and special needs.

"Principals are sometimes placed in a position whereby they feel compelled to enrol a child with a disability/special needs knowing that they are not able to provide the necessary supports and resources that a child requires to fully access the curriculum," the submission said.

"The pressure to do so from NSW Department [of] Education personnel is significant."

It also said parents were "compelled" by education bureaucrats to complete requests for resources that were "totally inadequate" for their children.

"Parents are sometimes forced to accept enrolment placements that they know are not sufficient for their child due to a lack of special placements available," the submission said. "They are usually given no better alternative."

A majority of principals reported school counselling services were inadequate, with one counsellor per 1500 students: "Some of the students with greatest needs (e.g. emotionally disturbed/mental diagnosis) have access to a school counsellor less than one day per week."

The safety concerns expressed by the principals of schools in south-western Sydney were echoed in the submission from the NSW Primary Principals' Association.

"Principals are struggling to keep staff and other vulnerable students safe," the submission said. "Staff are being injured at alarming rates. Many staff in [Schools for Specific Purposes] come to work expecting to be hurt."

Chris Presland, the president of the NSW Secondary Principals' Council, told the inquiry there had been an increase in physical threats, assaults, verbal threats and abuse towards staff and students.

Mr Presland also said there was a growing number of students with disabilities being integrated into mainstream schools: "Teachers put the education of their students first, but they are finding it more and more difficult to cope with the many students with disabilities or special needs in their classes."

The inquiry, chaired by the Liberal Party's Lou Amato, received more than 400 submissions from teachers, parents, government agencies and disability organisations. It will conduct its next public hearing in Tamworth on June 8.

A spokesman for the NSW Department of Education did not answer specific questions but issued a statement that said more than $1 billion was provided directly to schools or through specialist programs and services to assist students with a disability.

"In 2017, more than $237 million of needs-based funding has been allocated to schools in south-western Sydney for principals to use flexibly to support the learning needs of all students in their schools," he said.

He added: "The department also works with schools to ensure the environment for students and staff is conducive for effective, safe learning and takes action to address situations brought to its attention where this may not be the case."

David Roy, a lecturer at the University of Newcastle's School of Education, expressed concerns about placing children with disabilities in special schools.

"Often the argument is that the students are happier," he said. "If we replaced the words disability with 'black' or 'Muslim' or 'gay' then the discriminatory aspect of this is apparent. That is not withstanding the educational reasons that it is harming not only the students isolated but also the wider social cohesion of the whole school and community."

Mr Roy also said research indicated mainstream students were not adversely affected if students with disabilities were in their class: "In fact, those very same 'diverse' students often bring new ways of thinking to the whole class. We need to stop seeing disability as a deficit, but as also having assets attached."

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Posted by John J. Ray (M.A.; Ph.D.).    For a daily critique of Leftist activities,  see DISSECTING LEFTISM.  To keep up with attacks on free speech see Tongue Tied. Also, don't forget your daily roundup  of pro-environment but anti-Greenie  news and commentary at GREENIE WATCH .  Email me  here