They ‘deserve’ respect? For what?

“They rape, pillage and plunder a nation that’s taken them in’– said Alan Jones, which is the truth. 

But now the political establishment and the complicit judiciary made him apologise.

“This apology has made a lot of people feel that we as a community have reclaimed some of the respect that we deserve.”–Keysar Trad, Islamic “out of context” sock puppet for sheik Hilali.

The controversial broadcaster apologised on air this morning for saying in April 2005 Lebanese men were “vermin” and “mongrels” who “simply rape, pillage and plunder a nation that’s taken them in”.

The truth is not “controversial”.

The Administrative Decisions Tribunal (ADT) had ordered Jones to apologise on his 2GB radio show any day this week.

As directed, Jones said his comments breached the Anti-Discrimination Act and the tribunal had found they “incited serious contempt of Lebanese males including Lebanese Muslims”.

“I apologise for making those comments and I recognise they were unlawful and I also apologise on behalf of Radio 2GB,” he said.

But after the apology was aired, Keysar Trad, who took the case against Jones and 2GB, told AAP “no 40-second segment can balance years of criticism of the Muslim community”.

“This apology has made a lot of people feel that we as a community have reclaimed some of the respect that we deserve.”

The Sydney-based Lebanese-born Muslim leader said he knew of no other ethnic group that had received such sustained vilification as the Muslim Lebanese community.

“These attacks made listeners feel that Lebanese Muslims were some sort of a different species, like an alien race – a group they can refer to as ‘the other’ rather than being part and parcel of Australian society.”

He said the radio attacks had desensitised listeners to vilification.

“We saw the ugly culmination of these comments in the riots of December 2005, and if my complaint had been dealt with promptly, Australia may have well been saved from the Cronulla riots, because this was eight months before and if (2GB) had been brought to account they would have been on notice and more careful about what they said.”

In December 2005 about 5000 people were involved in a drunken riot at Cronulla beach, during which people of Middle Eastern appearance were chased and bashed.

Mr Trad hoped the tribunal would rule that 2GB pay his legal costs, which he said were six figures.

“It should not be the job of a private citizen to try to protect the law of the land at his own expense, and that’s what I was asked to do,” he said.

Jones’s apology comes two months after he lost a lengthy legal bid to overturn the 2009 decision.

The original complaint related to comments Jones made on April 28 about a Nine Network current affairs story reportedly showing young men of Lebanese origin taunting police.

“If ever there was a clear example that Lebanese males in their vast numbers not only hate our country and our heritage, this was it,” Jones said.

Referring to the men as “vermin” and “mongrels”, he added: “They simply rape, pillage and plunder a nation that’s taken them in.’‘

Related:

• Jones says sorry to Muslims Herald Sun, 1 hour ago
• Alan Jones bites the bullet NEWS.com.au, 5 days ago
• Alan Jones told to apologise again The Australian, 5 days ago
• Jones ordered to apologise NEWS.com.au, 5 days ago
• Jones fails again in Muslim court bid