A week ago in Sydney:
Five Sydney men convicted of terrorism-related offences have been sentenced to maximum sentences ranging from 23 to 28 years in prison.
This week in Sydney:
SYDNEY’S Muslim community leaders last night condemned authorities over the conviction of five men under terrorism laws, describing their sentencing as a "travesty of justice".
Senior Muslim figures, including 10 imams and 20 community leaders, met privately at Lakemba Mosque before releasing a statement to The Australian late last night demanding police produce the evidence proving the criminal "intentions" of the men.
(…)
Hundreds gathered at the mosque in Sydney’s southwest to hear the outcome of the meeting.
Outside the mosque after the meeting, a group of young men pumped their fists in the air and accused ASIO of being "dogs".
(…)
The meeting was attended by Taj Din al-Hilali, formerly Australia’s most senior cleric.
Last night’s statement urged Australian Muslims "not to be afraid of being targeted" for their religion and promised the community would look after the families of those jailed.
al-Hilali? You may remember him. A well known expert in cats meat.
One day Islamic ‘community leaders’ will unequivocally condemn violence against the wider community, one day.
Just not today.
I first heard the phrase in the early eighties in connextion to riots in Toxteth and the like.
It’s 2010 and I am still no wiser as to what the fuck a “community leader” actually is, what they do, why they seem important or how I can become one.
I have frankly seen more adverts for the position of “Wizard” in the jobs pages. It’s a complete bloody mystery.
I always took it to mean local strongman. For instance, in NI, depending on where you were, it was either the local Provo boss or the local UDA boss.
These are the guys who look after the small businessman’s insurance needs and supervise the local supplies of recreational chemicals and female companions.
Dougie and Dindsdale Piranha are the archetypal community leaders.
Unfortunately Nick, the job vacancies tend to be of the ‘dead man’s shoes’ variety, and the selection process can be pretty cut throat, so to speak.
A community leader is a guy who appoints himself to tell other people in the community to pester either the government or the community at large to give them stuff or to do things to other people.
Example: a guy who organized a bunch of people to lobby their city to do asbestos cleanup in a sink estate (for which the city had already scheduled such cleaning, before the “leader” arrived on the scene.)
He then proved that, in America, anybody can be elected president.
… or indeed, a guy who threatens banks with litigation if the bank doesn’t lend money to people who want mortgages but who lack any hope of being able to repay them, and when they do default, signs them up as activists who will then register nonexistant voters for national elections.