Friday 9 December, 2005

Blogworld 2

It's a fine line between fame and infamy in blogworld. Wired magazine reported last week that French prosecutors shut down several blogs last week and arrested bloggers for inciting violence with posts such as 'take out all of France'. The arrests have left some in fear of prosecution for publishing nonviolent content. Australian bloggers: beware the new sedition laws. Meanwhile, other bloggers are being rewarded for the efforts. Salam Pax's,The Baghdad Blog, the book of his weblog from Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, is now on the VCE list. Might Pax now decide to make a return visit to Australia? If Tim Blair had his way, Pax would be welcomed by Peter Costello's words emblazoned in a sign at the airport: 'If you are somebody who wants to live in an Islamic state governed by sharia law you are not going to be happy in Australia, because Australia is not an Islamic state, will never be an Islamic state and will never be governed by sharia law.' Madhab Al-Irfy tells us that, 'Turks are the great Aussie Muslim success story. Their religiosity is very European, and they do not subscribe to the isolationist theology that infects many Arab Muslim migrant groups.' Webdiarist Stephen Smith, writes a critique of the 60 Minutes' story on the Paris riots. 'If there are agents of jihad at work in Paris, a far more common counter effect in the street mix is the type of gangsta rap typical in ghettos around the world.' Australia's win at the soccer means that multiculturalism is working well as far as Glutbusters is concerned: 'They grew up eating Paddle Pops, drinking Solo, watching Double Dare. Their roots may be as far flung as mine, but they are my countrymen.'

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