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In 2008, the ''[[Canberra Times]]''<ref name=canb130908/>, ''[[New Zealand Herald]]'' and Yusuf<ref>''New Zealand Herald'', 1 October 2008, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10535190 Correction to Karadzic opinion article]</ref> apologised for two pieces written by Yusuf<ref>Irfan Yusuf, "Justice the remedy required to help Bosnia heal,", Canberra Times, August 18, 2008</ref> <ref>Irfan Yusuf, ''New Zealand Herald'', 18 August 2008, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10527506 Karadzic trial gives chance to rein in Muslim hardliners ]</ref> that they had published. The ''Canberra Times'' published this statement: "The Canberra Times and Irfan Yusuf accept that Mr Pipes never predicted nor has he ever endorsed a Holocaust of European Muslims, and they unreservedly apologise to him for the errors."<ref name=canb130908>''[[Canberra Times]]'', 13/09/2008, [http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/apology-to-daniel-pipes/1275090.aspx Apology to Daniel Pipes]</ref> Pipes responded on his blogs: "Irfan Yusuf has a history of writing inaccurately about me, something I have already noted and corrected. His having embarrassed the Canberra Times should send a signal to responsible media everywhere to decline his tendentious writings."<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/press/1989]</ref>
In 2008, the ''[[Canberra Times]]''<ref name=canb130908/>, ''[[New Zealand Herald]]'' and Yusuf<ref>''New Zealand Herald'', 1 October 2008, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10535190 Correction to Karadzic opinion article]</ref> apologised for two pieces written by Yusuf<ref>Irfan Yusuf, "Justice the remedy required to help Bosnia heal,", Canberra Times, August 18, 2008</ref> <ref>Irfan Yusuf, ''New Zealand Herald'', 18 August 2008, [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10527506 Karadzic trial gives chance to rein in Muslim hardliners ]</ref> that they had published. The ''Canberra Times'' published this statement: "The Canberra Times and Irfan Yusuf accept that Mr Pipes never predicted nor has he ever endorsed a Holocaust of European Muslims, and they unreservedly apologise to him for the errors."<ref name=canb130908>''[[Canberra Times]]'', 13/09/2008, [http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/apology-to-daniel-pipes/1275090.aspx Apology to Daniel Pipes]</ref> Pipes responded on his blogs: "Irfan Yusuf has a history of writing inaccurately about me, something I have already noted and corrected. His having embarrassed the Canberra Times should send a signal to responsible media everywhere to decline his tendentious writings."<ref>[http://www.meforum.org/press/1989]</ref>


In 2009, Yusuf was part of a Christian photo opportunity washing the feet of the homeless<ref>http://au.christiantoday.com/article/buddhists-muslims-christians-wash-the-feet-of-the-homeless-this-easter/5966.htm</ref>. In March 2009 Yusuf commented on protests - on grounds of [[anti-semitism]], [[Holocaust denial]], support for [[terrorism]] and opposition to [[Israel]]<ref>[http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=7212]</ref> - against a visit to Australia of former Iranian President Khatami. Yusuf rejected the allegations and instead encouraged dialogue with Khatami.<ref>[http://newmatilda.com/2009/03/19/hes-just-not-scary]</ref>
In 2009, Yusuf was part of a Christian photo opportunity washing the feet of the homeless<ref>http://au.christiantoday.com/article/buddhists-muslims-christians-wash-the-feet-of-the-homeless-this-easter/5966.htm</ref>. Irfan obviously did this because he is an Islamic terrorist pretending to be Christian-friendly. In March 2009 Yusuf commented on protests - on grounds of [[anti-semitism]], [[Holocaust denial]], support for [[terrorism]] and opposition to [[Israel]]<ref>[http://www.ajn.com.au/news/news.asp?pgID=7212]</ref> - against a visit to Australia of former Iranian President Khatami. Yusuf rejected the allegations and instead encouraged dialogue with Khatami.<ref>[http://newmatilda.com/2009/03/19/hes-just-not-scary]</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 09:01, 1 June 2009

File:Once Were Radicals (1).jpg
Irfan Yusuf's book: Once were radicals - My years as a teenage Islamo-fascist

Irfan Yusuf (born 1969 in Karachi, Pakistan) is an Australian lawyer, social commentator and author of a memoir "Once Were Radicals - My years as a teenage Islamo-fascist".[1]

Education and work

Yusuf was raised by parents of Indian Muslim background[2] in Sydney, Karachi and Princeton, New Jersey, USA. While in Pakistan, he attended an Islamic religious school, called a maddrassa where he came to believe in sharia law and an Islamic form of government. [3] As a teenager, he was what he describes now as an "Islamo-fascist"[1] who "became convinced he should die for a Muslim cause"[1] and "and at age 16 decided he might join the jihad in Afghanistan."[4] He also attended St Andrew’s Cathedral School in Sydney [5], and Macquarie University, where he graduated in law and economics[6] He also has a Diploma of Legal Practice from the University of Technology, Sydney[7]. After being admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 1994[8], Yusuf has worked as a self-employed solicitor specialising in workplace relations law[9][10][11]. His clients include Muslim organisations, including Muslim schools[12].

Political activities

Yusuf was involved in Muslim youth groups prior to joining the Liberal Party in 1993 where he became prominent[13] in its conservative or right-wing faction[14]. In 2005 Yusuf explained "from 1994 to 2002, I was a factional warrior for the non-Group (right-wing) faction of the NSW Liberals." [15] He was elected to the State Council of the NSW division of the Party from 1996-2000. [16] As a member of that faction, he opposed the preselection of Brendan Nelson because he was not considered sufficiently conservative. He later became critical that Nelson was too conservative.[2] He was also endorsed as Liberal candidate for the safe Labor seat of Reid in the 2001 Australian Federal Election. [17]

Leaving the Liberal Party

He let his Liberal Party membership lapse in 2002[18] and in particular became critical of what he said was a takeover of the conservative faction by NSW Member of the Legislative Council David Clarke. In July 2006, in an episode of ABC's Four Corners,[19] he accused Clarke of being willing to exploit anti-semitism and homophobia to recruit people Muslims from Sydney to his party and faction, and that he had made derogatory remarks to him about Jews and homosexuals.[20] Clarke vehemently denied Yusuf's claims.[20]

After a scandal involving a racist leaflet emerged during the 2007 election, Yusuf remarked on ABC's Lateline that a member expelled from the Liberal Party was perhaps affected by being "surrounded by bigots."[21] He also claimed that one of John Howard's campaign workers had said to him he resembled "that Aborigine who my great grandfather shot dead for trespassing onto his property."[2]

Commentator and author

Yusuf's work has been published in 6 major newspapers[22] and he has appeared on a number of television and radio programmes.[23] [24] Yusuf administers his own 7 blogs where he has commented on some aspects of Australian and American foreign policy as well as local and international Muslim religious and political figures, including a high profile Australian cleric Sheik Hilaly who is best known for statements including an assertion that scantily-clad women invited sexual assault because they were like "uncovered meat"[25][26]. While Yusuf disagreed with Hilaly's comments on women inviting rape[27] he has strongly praised Hilaly[28] and accused The Australian newspaper of conducting an "editorial lynching" of Hilaly.[29] The Australian criticised Yusuf in an editorial leading Yusuf to write angry emails to the newspaper demanding the identity of the author and protesting against what he claimed was a racist attack in that it described him as a "self-styled Muslim advocate Irfan Yusuf, a young lawyer of Pakistani extraction."[30]

In an online article in September 2005, Yusuf criticised his former factional colleague Bronwyn Bishop, a prominent Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives.[31] Bishop had led a campaign to ban the muslim headscarf in state schools on grounds that it was inconsistent with school uniforms and it was therefore an "iconic emblem of defiance"[32]. Yusuf said the campaign was more about discouraging rebelliousness and minimising cultural diversity, and facetiously suggested that dresses were far more of a national security issue: "How do we know that these women aren't hiding bombs under their dress?".[33] He has previously criticised what he says are Bishop's efforts to "marginalise a key faith-sector of mainstream Australia were most helpful to Osama bin Ladin(sic)".[33] Bishop denied Yusuf's claim, saying it was "stupid" and offensive."[34] In a speech to the Australian Parliament, Bishop further responded to Yusuf's criticism, declaring that Yusuf was "known for his offensive behaviour towards women".[31]

Since then, Yusuf has publicly campaigned against violence against women, particularly in the Muslim community.[35]

In 2007, Yusuf received the Iremonger award by publishers Allen and Unwin, for his submission "Once were Radicals" [36] that will be published during 2009 as an autobiographical work Once Were Radicals - My years as a teenage Islamo-fascist.[1] In 2008, he was "highly commended" by the Jesuit publication Eureka Street, for an essay on combating violence against women in Muslim-majority states. [37]

In 2008, the Canberra Times[38], New Zealand Herald and Yusuf[39] apologised for two pieces written by Yusuf[40] [41] that they had published. The Canberra Times published this statement: "The Canberra Times and Irfan Yusuf accept that Mr Pipes never predicted nor has he ever endorsed a Holocaust of European Muslims, and they unreservedly apologise to him for the errors."[38] Pipes responded on his blogs: "Irfan Yusuf has a history of writing inaccurately about me, something I have already noted and corrected. His having embarrassed the Canberra Times should send a signal to responsible media everywhere to decline his tendentious writings."[42]

In 2009, Yusuf was part of a Christian photo opportunity washing the feet of the homeless[43]. Irfan obviously did this because he is an Islamic terrorist pretending to be Christian-friendly. In March 2009 Yusuf commented on protests - on grounds of anti-semitism, Holocaust denial, support for terrorism and opposition to Israel[44] - against a visit to Australia of former Iranian President Khatami. Yusuf rejected the allegations and instead encouraged dialogue with Khatami.[45]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Irfan Yusuf (2009),Once were radicals - My years as a teenage Islamo-fascist, Allen and Unwin, May 2009
  2. ^ a b c Irfan Yusuf, newmatilda.com, 2 November 2007, Brendan Nelson: Bejewelled Interloper or Future PM?
  3. ^ Insight, SBS TV, 27 May 2008 [1]
  4. ^ Irfan Yusuf. "About Me". Once Were Radicals blog. Retrieved 2009-05-03.
  5. ^ Jill Rowbotham, Religious affairs writer Portrait of a radical as a young man December 13, 2007 The Australian
  6. ^ Irfan Yusuf, 20 November 2008, Conference '08: Irfan Yusuf on Imams as Expert Witnesses, University of Melbourne
  7. ^ Australian Homeland Security Research Centre, About Us
  8. ^ [2]
  9. ^ [3]
  10. ^ [4]
  11. ^ [5]
  12. ^ [6]
  13. ^ [7]
  14. ^ [8]
  15. ^ [9]
  16. ^ http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/nsw/content/2006/s1694459.htm
  17. ^ The National Interest: 28 August 2005 - The Aussie Mossie
  18. ^ [10]
  19. ^ ABC, 17 July 2006, The Right Stuff
  20. ^ a b ABC Lateline, 5/9/05, Clarke denies denigrating Jews, homosexuals
  21. ^ ABC Lateline, 22 November 2007, Liberal candidate goes to ground after bogus flyer controversy
  22. ^ [11]
  23. ^ Onlinopinion.com, Irfan Yusuf, accessed 28 April 2009
  24. ^ Irfan Yusuf Islam isn't a Synonym for Terrorism http://www.nzherald.co.nz/islam/news/article.cfm?c_id=500817&objectid=10534281
  25. ^ [12]
  26. ^ http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/opinion/story/0,22049,20650652-5001031,00.html
  27. ^ [13]
  28. ^ [14]
  29. ^ [15]
  30. ^ [16]
  31. ^ a b Sydney Morning Herald, 6 September 2005 Bishop accused of keeping bomb in skirt
  32. ^ [17]
  33. ^ a b Irfan Yusuf, Online Opinion, 6 September 2005, Mrs Bishop and the cloth
  34. ^ [18]
  35. ^ [19]
  36. ^ Allen & Unwin - The Iremonger Award
  37. ^ Eureka Street Extra, 19 July 2008, Eureka Street Writers Awards winners announced
  38. ^ a b Canberra Times, 13/09/2008, Apology to Daniel Pipes
  39. ^ New Zealand Herald, 1 October 2008, Correction to Karadzic opinion article
  40. ^ Irfan Yusuf, "Justice the remedy required to help Bosnia heal,", Canberra Times, August 18, 2008
  41. ^ Irfan Yusuf, New Zealand Herald, 18 August 2008, Karadzic trial gives chance to rein in Muslim hardliners
  42. ^ [20]
  43. ^ http://au.christiantoday.com/article/buddhists-muslims-christians-wash-the-feet-of-the-homeless-this-easter/5966.htm
  44. ^ [21]
  45. ^ [22]
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