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Sydney, Nov 24 (Agencies) - Australian Prime Minister John Howard conceded defeat at national elections on Saturday as the Labor opposition swept to power ending 11 years of conservative rule.

Howard was struggling to save his own seat as Australians voted for generational change, backing the younger Labor leader Kevin Rudd. "This is a great democracy and I want to wish Mr Rudd well," Howard told supporters.

Howard is a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq, while Rudd has promised to withdraw combat troops from Iraq.

Labels: Australia, Luar Negeri

Labels: Afghanistan, Australia, Luar Negeri

Australian Taliban returns home

Adelaide, May 20 - David Hicks, an Australian man who joined the Taliban, has been flown back to Australia after being transferred from the US prison in Guantanamo Bay.

Hicks was flown in a private jet to his hometown of Adelaide on Sunday morning to serve the remaining nine months of his seven-year prison sentence, Australian government officials said.

Hicks was taken directly from the airport to Yatala prison by a police convoy.

David McLeod, his lawyer, said Hicks was "elated" to be returning to Australia but that there were fears for his mental health after spending years in Guantanamo Bay.

"In the western world's most notorious prison, he's become institutionalised," Mcleod said.

McLeod said security at Guantanamo was at "fever pitch" on Hicks's departure and the former kangaroo skinner was restrained in his seat during the 24-hour flight via Tahiti. more..

Labels: Afghanistan, Australia, Luar Negeri, U.S.

A meeting of about 60 imams late yesterday decided against sacking the mufti of the nation’s biggest mosque, Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilaly, who was accused of justifying rape last year when he compared immodestly dressed women to uncovered meat.

Imams council spokesman Mohamad Abdalla said the meeting voted to consult the country’s 280,000 Muslims about Hilaly’s future, angering Prime Minister John Howard who said the decision was out of touch with the views of the community.

“They’re exercising their right. But I think they’re doing their community damage,” Howard told Sky television today.

“The failure of the community to do something more decisive about this is damaging the image of Islamic Australians as part of our community. I think the impact of this decision will be extremely negative.”

Howard, who has said Hilaly does not promote Australian values, had urged Muslim leaders to drop Hilaly, who once described Howard, U.S. President George W. Bush and
Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair as the real axis of evil.

Hilaly also angered many locals when he told Egyptian TV that Muslims had a greater right to be in the country than white Australians who came from convict heritage.

Abdalla said the imams had decided to set up a council with representatives from each state, to look at the qualities they wanted from a new mufti.

He said Muslims wanted a mufti who was qualified in Islamic law, who could communicate in English, and who was aware of the social, economic and political context in Australia.

Labels: Australia, Luar Negeri, Ummah

March 12 - Muslim leaders in Australia have announced plans to form a political party to fight what they say is growing Islamophobia.

The move came as the leader of a Christian party demanded an immediate halt to Islamic immigration to Australia, saying Muslims were beginning to dominate some communities.

Sheikh Taj Aldin al-Hilali (picture left), the Mufti of Australia, is leading the drive for the country's 300,000 Muslims to get more involved in politics.

Al-Hilali caused a storm of protest late last year when he described scantily-dressed women as "uncovered meat" and suggested they were inviting rape.

The Egyptian-born cleric faced calls to leave Australia but responded by saying that Muslims had more right to the country because they had paid for their tickets unlike many of the population's convict ancestors. more..

Labels: Australia, Islamophobia, Luar Negeri

BBC News, Sydney, February 22 - Clashes have broken out on the streets of Sydney between police and anti-war campaigners protesting against the visit of US Vice-President Dick Cheney.

The security situation in Iraq is set to top the agenda in his discussions with the Australian government.

Prime Minister John Howard is under strong pressure at home to announce a withdrawal of Australian forces.

The scuffles broke out when a crowd of protestors tried to march on the US consulate in the centre of Sydney.

They view Dick Cheney as one of the main architects of the Iraq war - a conflict which is becoming increasingly unpopular with the public as a whole.

Afghan deployment

A poll has suggested that more than two-thirds of the Australian people want Mr Howard to announce a date for the withdrawal of the country's forces, or to order an immediate pull out.

But the Australian prime minister has refused to follow the lead of his British counterpart, Tony Blair, by laying out an exit strategy.

Prior to his trip, the US vice-president had been hoping that Australia would bolster its presence in Iraq, which is currently 1,400-strong.

But Mr Howard, who faces re-election this year, has ruled that out. He has instead offered to despatch 70 military advisers to help train the Iraqi army.

It also seems likely that Australia will double its deployment in Afghanistan, raising the number of soldiers to about 1,000.

The fight against the Taleban and al-Qaeda commands widespread public and political support.

Labels: Australia, Berita, Luar Negeri

February 21 - Australia has said it will maintain its current deployment in Iraq and will not set a timetable for withdrawal despite reports that Britain will set a timetable for leaving the country.

Brendan Nelson, the defence minister, said Britain's move was not to "cut and run" but evidence of progress in southern Iraq.

He said the plan showed the British were "confident enough to reduce their troop numbers to around 5,000".

Australia's mission, he said, was to ensure that Iraqis being trained were able to "look after their own people and their own security".

On Wednesday reports in UK media said Tony Blair, the British prime minister, was expected to announce plans to start pulling out British troops by the end of the year.

Some reports said the first batch of 1,500 would return within the next few weeks.

Britain's move comes days after John Howard, Australia's prime minister, announced the deployment of more military instructors to train Iraqi forces, defying increasing domestic pressure to withdraw Australian troops.

In the wake of Wednesday's media reports, Australia's foreign minister was quick to reject suggestions that Howard was moving in the wrong direction.

Alexander Downer said Britain was only reducing troop numbers and not pulling out altogether.

"They will be leaving several thousand troops in Iraq and the important point to make here is the British are not withdrawing from Iraq.

"What we are all trying to do is increasingly transfer responsibility for the security to the Iraqi security forces," Downer said.

Australia has some 1,400 troops in and around Iraq, with the biggest force of several hundred based in the south of the country. Agencies

Labels: Australia, Iraq, Luar Negeri

New Two-piece Swim Suit For Muslim Women

MELBOURNE, Feb 4 (Bernama) - A new two-piece, head-to-toe polyester swimsuit, is set to revolutionise beach going for devout Muslim women in Australia, Australian National News Agency AAP said in a report today.

The "burqini", which has already been sold to more than 9,000 women in Sydney, is suitable for surf life saving patrols and has been endorsed by the Australian Islamic Council and the mufti of Australia.

Unveiling the new Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) burqini last night, 20-year-old Mecca Laa Laa said the outfit, which covers the head and body, would give Australian Muslim women the freedom to enjoy the beach while fulfilling their religious obligations.

"The whole point is to get women active in the water, to encourage women to participate in sporting activities, in swimming activities, and wearing the burqini allows them to do that," Laa Laa told AAP.

She was joined by New South Wales State Premier Morris Iemma at a sports club awards night in Campsie, southwest Sydney, as part of SLSA's "On the Same Wave" programme, which was introduced following the Cronulla riots.

Laa Laa said there had already been a rush for the two-piece swimsuits which were priced between A$150 and A$200.

"Life at the beach is becoming more popular, I've always been going to the beach...now that the burqini has been exposed, there's definitely a demand," she was quoted by AAP as saying.

Iemma said the swimsuit was the latest part of the programme to train surf lifesavers and help break down barriers in southern Sydney.

"It's one of many programmes to bring people together, and the recognition that we are all Australians and we share this land together; we've got many paths, but we've got one future, a shared future.

"It's really not a question of where you come from, what you look like, what's your dress; it (the love of the beach) is a value that we all share as Australians," the Premier told AAP.

SLSA spokesman Lee Howell told the news agency the Australian Islamic Council was very comfortable with the apparel.

"The mufti (Sheik Taj Aldin Alhilali) has personally endorsed the burqini as being appropriate and permissible for cultural and religious reasons," he said.

The swimwear blended traditional beach attire with the religious requirement of a burqa, he added.

Berita yang sama disiarkan oleh http://www.news.com.au/

Labels: Australia, Berita, Luar Negeri