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The attacks on freedom of speech, belief and even our thoughts, creep into Australia like a fog through which one can barely see the headlights of oncoming traffic. If we are not vigilant the "traffic" may well run over us.

At the UN World Conference Against Racism, Geneva, in April, a priority was an anti-blasphemy resolution seeking to criminalise criticism of Islam under the guise of combating "Islamophobia". Defamation of individuals is unacceptable, but critiques of religions is part of freedom of religion. In Islamic Council of Victoria v Catch the Fire Ministries, the judge would not allow the defence to quote from the Koran ruling these quotes were "vilification" of Islam! In the US "hate crimes" legislation is designed to curb any critique of homosexuality, whether from a moral or health perspective. In Britain the Labour government's Equality Bill "is not about protecting the rights of minorities, but a gigantic, bureaucratic organisation of ideological coercion, promoting grievance, imposing costs and attacking businesses, charities, schools," writes Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph columnist. “The Bill requires adherence to an entire unified ideology. Each 'equality' relates to every other, If you are in favour of maternity leave, you must also support legal recognition of trans-sexuals. You want better wheelchair access? Then you must be in favour of gay marriage. The Bill also contains a provision relating to the creation of a public duty to promote equality on the ground of "gender." Last year Britain’s Criminal Justice & Immigration Act would have created the criminal offence of "incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation." The Anglican bishop of Southwell and Nottingham told parliament "Our concern is with the potential application of the law to restrict legitimate discussion and expression of opinion about sexual ethics and sexual behaviour." Andrea Williams, director of Christian Concern For Our Nation, said the Equality Act is the work of the homosexualist political lobby who do not want their practices questioned. "We are seeing case after case of Christians discriminated against because of their biblical views on sexual conduct. It is time to take action before our laws silence any objection to homosexual practice." At the federal level in Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission has conducted an inquiry into "Freedom of Religion and Belief" and is conducting national consultations on a proposed Human Rights Charter. As the AHRC has consistently failed to support Christian values, its probable recommendations will diminish, not enhance our freedom.

In Victoria the “Options Paper” issued by the Scrutiny of Acts & Regulations Committee urges that only core religious activities, like the ordination of ministers and conduct of worship services, should be exempt from antidiscrimination laws. Other “non-core” business such as conducting a school or running a hospital, has no claim for exemption. So Christian schools and hospitals could be forced to employ witches, homosexuals and abortionists. It is ironic to see the "progressive" Left make common cause with radical Islam. One side of this unholy alliance is pro-homosexual, pro-feminist and secularist, the other side are misogynist theocrats who recommend the execution of homosexuals. What appears to unite them is a common dislike of the Christian concept of freedom.

An example of this bizarre alliance was when the Victorian Equal Opportunity Commission sent two Muslims to infiltrate and report on the Catch the Fires Ministries seminar on Islam which was intended to inform a Christian audience. The EOC is committed to promoting the homosexual agenda and IVF for lesbians, yet they make common cause with Muslims whose Sharia law recommends stoning for adultery and execution of those who leave Islam. EOC/ Islamist common ground is rejection of the Christian concept that 'the truth will set you free'.

Strange examples of political correctness abound. Smoking tobacco is anathema - but smoking cannabis which is just as unhealthy and can result in schizophrenia is apparently acceptable to our intelligentsia and the Hollywood elite. Then we have the lunch-box vigilantism - examination of the lunch boxes of school children to ensure there are no obesity-causing packets of potato crisps, but at the same school homosexuality as a valid lifestyle is promoted. Statistically, smoking cigarettes reduces life expectancy by about seven years, while male homosexual practices reduce life expectancy by twenty years. (We don't have data on the reduced life expectancy due to potato crisps in lunch boxes.) Our equal opportunity commissioners, state and federal, clearly do not have enough work to do as there is not enough "discrimination" in Australia to keep them occupied. So they are running around promoting human rights charters and trying to remove exemptions from churches and religious organisations. Perhaps they could divert their energies to investigating Islamist groups for sexism and "homophobia", and the Islamic groups could lodge complaints against the commissioners for discriminating against polygamists. Maybe meantime the rest of us could live in peace and freedom.