The more things change ...

Most Muslims would concur with Pru Goward and her strong words of condemnation against their mufti. There are also, to the government’s increasing concern, a growing number of Indigenous people taking on the Muslim faith and these new recruits would be aghast at the inappropriateness of Sheik Hilali’s analogy of a woman’s self-expression in clothing attire to “uncovered meat”.

It would be inconceivable to believe Muslim women, including those Indigenous women of that faith, to take literally the teachings of the eminent mufti whose rantings belong in the dark ages.

The mufti should call it a day and make way for a new forward thinking and contemporary inclusive cleric to represent the nation’s large Muslim community and present a fresh articulate face to alleviate the nation’s growing level of discontent and, sadly in some quarters, fear and loathing of all things Islamic.

The third man to raise the ire of women around the nation, especially Indigenous women, was none other than Pru Goward’s husband, David Barnett.

Canberra Times columnist Barnett, on June 8, 2006, is claimed to have made racist and sexist suggestions that some Aboriginal women “wiped themselves with a rag after using the lavatory, then hung it up to dry for next time”.

He continued in his column with, “Aboriginal woman don’t do any housework”. This has got to be the most backward and insulting comment printed by a reputable broadsheet. Barnett soldiered on through murkier waters and came up with another screamer, “… the baby bonus sends a town on a drunken binge.” Wow - another gross generalisation.

Hasn’t Barnett heard about discrimination laws? Perhaps Pru Goward, who had a lot to say about Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali, should warn him about these laws, seeing she is the federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner.

Or perhaps "these laws" don’t apply to a highly educated man performing his creative duty as a journalist of enlightening the common folk on the ways of a backward race of people.

I hope respected ACT Indigenous barrister, George Villaflor, follows through with his threat to take Barnett and The Canberra Times to task before a court of law.

And what would a good news story be without a gaffe from Minister Mal Brough?

The Australian reported a story on October 30 about the minister being heckled by up to a dozen locals during his speech on the opening of a $2.4 million police station for Mutitjulu, near Uluru. Ironically the new police station will be staffed by two Aboriginal community police officers who have just completed nine week’s training. They do not have the power of arrest and are not authorised to carry handcuffs or firearms.

The cause of the vocal protest and finger pointing was a result of the minister alleging, earlier this year, that there were “pedophile rings” operating in Mutitjulu, but when questioned it seems he was unable to produce evidence to support the claim.

The more things change - the more they stay the same.