Where was justice for Iktimal Hage-Ali?
I’ve been absolutely horrified at the media’s treatment of Iktimal Hage-Ali, the moderate Muslim youth leader who was, until yesterday, the NSW Young Australian of the Year, over the last week. Hage-Ali was questioned by police last month over an alleged drug trafficking ring in the western suburbs of Sydney, but was not charged, and it is unclear if she was ever even a suspect. Despite this, once the mainstream media (and not just the usual suspects) got wind of the story, they whipped up a frenzy of vitriolic press, effectively declaring her guilty. Although she had already been released by the time the story broke, they repeatedly referred to her arrest as if it implied guilt and effectively started calling for her head by whipping up rumors that her positions were under threat.
Consequently, Iktimal Hage-Ali, though she has not been charged with any crime, nor was even, it seems, accused by police of committing one, has been forced to hand back her NSW Young Australian of the Year title, remove herself from contention for the national one (for which she was a favourite), stand down from her job with the NSW Attorney-General’s department, and been fired from her job as a News Limited blogger, and may yet be forced to resign from John Howard’s advisory committee of Muslim leaders. How on earth is this just?
Instead of giving her the support and respect which she deserves as an intelligent youth leader and positive role model, Iktimal Hage-Ali has been presumed guilty and vilified before an entire nation. This case makes a mockery of the presumption of innocence and reflects badly upon not only the usual media suspects, but the entire mainstream press - even the ABC was uncharacteristically emotive in its reporting on the case. There are a lot of journalists who should be damned ashamed this week.
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Posted: by Rebecca December 15th, 2006 under Media, Law, Society.
Comments: 9
Comments
Comment from Kieran
Time: December 15, 2006, 5:49 pm
Muslim’s are guilty until proven innocent, haven’t you heard?!
DILBERT: “But I didn’t do it!”
CATBERT: “You should have thought of that before I forged your name on this confession!”
I agree, it’s absolutely disgusting. But emotive crap about evil muslim drug dealing troublesome youth, who has just won NSW young person of the year, just ticks all the boxes.
The tabloids declared her guilty, and everyone else folded (her employers, awards committees, etc) lest they face the wrath of those all powerful rednecks.
Comment from Rebecca
Time: December 17, 2006, 9:56 pm
What makes this all the more bizarre is that, up until two weeks ago, she was the darling of the tabloid right (Paddy McGuinness, Piers Akerman, etc.) for being a prominent young Muslim woman who didn’t wear the hijab. How quickly the bastards turn.
Comment from Phillip
Time: December 19, 2006, 7:08 pm
Although I have to wonder what a 22 year old could advise anyone on, and by the standards of this website I would probably qualify as a redneck, (not that I view myself that way), I think that Ms Hage-Ali deserves a great deal of credit for the way she has conducted herself since the allegations were made. She had the option of playing the victim card, but she acted with dignity and restraint. For THAT she is a role model for the community as a whole, and not just the Muslim section of it.
Comment from Iktimal
Time: March 15, 2007, 11:19 pm
Thank you very much - your comments make me feel that there is still sense in this country of ours.
Your right i wasn’t guilty of dealing drugs - nor was my house searched which says enough in itself - but my dignity is worth than any award. My parents taught me better than to argue with people with no morals.
Thanks again
Comment from David Bath
Time: March 18, 2007, 2:45 pm
The right-wing media would never publish and vilify the religious affiliations of Christians, or even agnostics/atheists such as myself. If they did, it would probably show that most of the criminals in this society called themselves Christians.
But moderate muslims are big on being “compassionate and merciful” (the phrase that stands out at the front of every book in the Koran), something the right-wing media hardly ever exhibits to anyone.
However, I do not think she should have stood down from a position in the NSW AG’s Dept. We need people of integrity in the public service. If this was entirely voluntary, I think it was a regrettable decision - if she was pressured, she should have seen her union.
“Fired” from a job as a News Ltd blogger? That’s probably something she can sue over. She could do society a favor by seeing if a lefty lawyer firm (e.g. Slater and Gordon) can seek compensation.
Iktimal: consider this a message of respect for you, and sorrow at the way you’ve been treated.
Comment from Honest Abe
Time: July 23, 2007, 9:24 am
“Instead of giving her the support and respect which she deserves…”…as a cocaine user who is suing NSW for NOT charging her with admitting possession of a class A substance.
Comment from Kieran
Time: July 23, 2007, 11:41 am
Care to elaborate?
Comment from Honest Abe
Time: July 25, 2007, 1:10 pm
Elaborate? Certainly. Just put Iktimal Hage-Ali into Google and click News. The story has been reported in the same way across the spectrum of the Australian media. She was arrested in possession of cocaine and under suspicion of being involved in dealing cocaine. She was interviewed for two hours, admitted that the cocaine in her possession was for personal use and released without charge. The police presumably established during the interview that she was not involved in the actual dealing. In other words they believed her story.
Now she has the cheek to seek damages even though she was let off from being charged for a criminal offence that she admitted. I don’t think criminals are necessarily deserving of our respect and support. Look at the pain and suffering that occurs around the world because of cocaine. She is a financial and presumably moral supporter of that.
No wonder we have to have a Middle Eastern Crime Squad in Sydney if people like her are regarded as “leaders” and “role models”.
Comment from Iron mike
Time: November 3, 2007, 8:36 am
I have studied theology and comparative religion. Iktimal has absolutely nothing to do with the Islamic faith. Nor has she anything to do with Christianity, she is obviously a product of the gay-secular Australian society. Besides no Abrahamic faith allows a woman to be a leader. I was so glad when she was exposed as nothing more than a coke junkie.
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