mohammed jihad

Dr Mohammed Haneef was arrested in a Gold Coast hospital three weeks ago and held without charge, the first test of our shiny new anti-terrorism laws.

The only 'evidence' the government, er I mean, police prosecutors could come up with after a week was the spurious accusation that Haneef once gave a SIM card to his cousin in England, who has been linked by UK investigators to the Glasgow bombing.

In court, the magistrate hearing the charges released Haneef on bail according to procedure. Within moments, Haneef's visa was revoked and he was re-arrested and locked in an immigration detention facility.

So much for the separation of powers between the government and the judiciary.

So much for the rule of law and the entitlement to the presumption of innocence.

And while I've got the calculator handy, so much for the capitalist democratic process that sculpts an electorate more interested in tax cuts than basic human rights. A happy electorate with plasma screens. Smiling, watching as our beloved western democracies march on regimes accused of the very same human rights violations they freely commit. Fuck you.

The funniest part is that the charges against Haneef will probably be dropped due to the breathtaking lack of evidence. After which time he will be deported back to India where he will actually become a terrorist because of how royally he has been terrorised for being called Mohammed and having a sackfull of cousins of the same name.

I'm no fan of extremism (except in relation to anchovy martinis). Remember kids, Islamists and Islamic people are not the same thing. I don't know whether Haneef is guilty or innocent. But that's not really the point. The problem arises when people's fundamental rights are shunted in favour of racism, political expedience and good ol' fashioned unaccountability.

I'll drink to that.