ABC "insensitive" says Bali victim
- Published by David Knox
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First it was the subjects of the documentary who were unhappy.
Now a victim of the 2002 Bali bombing victim has slammed the ABC for airing Jihad Sheilas.
“People are still suffering,” Peter Hughes told AAP.
“It would be the most insensitive thing the ABC could do.”
In the documentary two Australian women who have converted to a fundamentalist strain of Islam showed little sympathy for the Bali victims.
“Do I feel for the people that died (in Bali)? Not as much as I feel for those 200 Afghani people that gave me and my children shelter,” says Rabiah Hutchinson.
“Why? Because they weren’t holidaying in someone’s country, sometimes engaging in child pornography or paedophilia or drug taking.”
Hughes said Ms Hutchinson as “uninformed” and “utterly insensitive”.
“It’s like going back to that moment (when) the suicide bomber was standing next to me.
It is widely believed Ms Hutchinson has been under surveillance by the domestic security intelligence body, ASIO, for the last 20 years.
No terrorism charges have ever been laid against either woman.
Source: AAP / The Age
6 Responses
I prety much agree with you. When she was asked if she felt for the victims of the Bali bombing hse could have stopped after she said “not as much as the ….. who gave me and my children shelter”. I could have understood that – it wasn’t a NO, I don’t have ay sympathy. It was her elaboration and unfounded speculation that the victims of Bali were some sort of criminal element of society which I found offensive. That was a mighty long bow in anybody’s book. It was at that point that her credibilty faulted for me. Even the standard “unfortunately during a war some innocent people are sacrificed” would have sat better with me – anyway, interesting discussion. Thanks
I agree with you Ka-ching, politics these days is like walking a tight-rope, it always an us vs them mentality.
The innocents who have died in this war on terror have been felt on both sides, one hand tries to tell the other its doin wrong but we all belong to the same body.
Respect has to be earned but that involves understanding first, not impression, messing with ones political system is one thing, and messing with a person spiritual and core beliefs is another.
Its a matter of who steps forward first and admits any kind of fault.
And in this day and age infaulability is so ripe there isnt a light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve always thought that there is no hate and love, only understanding and mis-understanding.
It may not have made sense to us the choice of words she chose but it certainly made sense to her and as for helping their cause so we understand it, I cant see any words they might have said except showing submission that we would have accepted.
Anger and frustration yes – but two wrongs don’t make a right. Most of the people who were killed in Bali were locals going about their business. Many of the holiday makers who were killed were enjoying a hard-earned holiday or cherished family time. Generalising about any group of people is dangerous – but if they know how it feels to be judged unfairly, such comments about people who are no longer able to defend themselves are not warranted. Respect has to be earned – comments like that only inflame an already delicate situation. As I said earlier, I don’t think she helped her cause.
The Bali Bombing was a tragic thing for many Australians, with that being said, its a know statistic that in Australia more people die from being struck by lightning than they do dying of a terrorist attack, same goes for the US. (Basically you have better odds dying from lightning than being blown up)
On the other hand, living in Afghanistan and Iraq the statistics say that the odds for dying in a car accident and dying in a bomb attack are just about the same.
If you label a whole faction of religion as “terrorists” dont expect them to sit quietly and take it, the majority of them dont use guns or bombs, they use words, and as much as we dont like being called the things they label us, its the same for them.
I dont agree with her words but I understand her anger and frustration.
But she has a point…
I like the bit where she mentioned they (western tourists) could be involved in child pornography and pedophilia. Like all slander, not true in most cases, but true in some.
She speaks much truth
I saw the part of the show where that comment was made about the innocent victims of the Bali bombing. My only thought was “Well you just set back your cause a million years with that comment”.