Senator Fatima Payman

On the wrong path

Joe Hildebrand’s column headlined “Big question looming for Fatima: now what?” was one of his best (Opinion, DT, 8/7).

Birds of a feather stick together, is not always the pathway to follow.

Well, Fatima Payman has gained publicity for her beliefs within Australia and perhaps the rest of the Muslim world and the senator is entitled to her religious freedom and conscience-based views.

However religious beliefs remain personal to individuals and are usually held private in the workforce and governments in Australia – or you risk sparking conflict/argumentative politics. Joe is correct.

At present, the Zeitgeist across Western nations is being strongly influenced by religious challenges and propaganda, climate change agendas, identity politics, and dictatorship war monomania.

Perplexed governments have failed the West. Identity politics are very risky and need to be understood before democratic societies fail and fall to religious socialism, or war.

Strong sensible leadership must guide us.

Ron Brown, Ballina

No impact on conflict

It might be the authoritarian streak which lurks in the ALP which helped cause the mess it has made of the Fatima Payman affair by excluding her from caucus.

Having said that, Fatima Payman was no naif, as her silences and subsequent actions make abundantly clear.

In eschewing help from senior government ministers, parlaying with some Greens and threatening to join with mooted anti-Labor Muslim groups, she must have known she would damage the party which enabled her to become a senator.

I do not doubt Payman’s sincerity about Palestine.

However, her demanding the recognition of Palestine immediately will make no difference at all.

The only viable solution to the fraught Gaza conflict is a two-state solution which guarantees the viability of the Israel, a nation Payman seemingly cares little for.

Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

Future Oz to pay price

The Albanese government has ignited a brushfire of sectarian division that’s now out of their control and will consume Australia (“Islamic rise is karmic payback for Albanese” – Andrew Bolt, DT, 8/7).

It is karma that the Albanese Labor government will be shamed in history for their self indulgent, self-serving, too-clever-by-half political gymnastics.

It’s the future generations of Australians who will pay the price.

Bruce Collison, Banks, ACT