3 September, 2024
Dear Reader,
An almost perpetual cultural cringe is a feature of what passes as intellectual life in the West nowadays. If we are ‘white’ we have much to be ashamed of; if we’re elderly males as well we are almost beyond the pale. So in commenting on any current events that touch on matters such as race and gender we have to expect some savage kick-back. That’s just too bad.
In regard to the current Middle East crisis we at the Dawson Centre have tried to speak fairly of Islam. Most of us have met and liked Muslim people. We recognise that Muslims hold Jesus and Mary in high honour and that they are sometimes quicker than Christians are to defend their honour. Some months ago I wrote about the 13th century Dominican friar William of Tripoli who (incredibly, considering the age in which he wrote) was an active apologist for Islam. It is important to bear in mind, too, that Islam has been and still is riven with sectarian division, as Christianity has been in many periods of its history, and that it is foolish to assume that Hamas and Hezbollah represent the spirit of Islam, any more than the most violent expressions of Christian terrorism (surely I need name no examples?) are typical of Christianity.
That said, we recently provided a link to the Hamas charter. It throws an entirely different light on the issue, making it quite clear that the goal of Hamas is the complete destruction not only of the state of Israel but of the Jewish people. It should be compulsory reading for anyone who wants to express opinion on this subject. Celebrities please note!
Our view of the current conflict must be based on the best available information, and must take into consideration the intricacies of historical events leading up to it. The sequence of causes is long and complex. Ideas, even ancient ideas, have enduring consequences. The kind of people who write for X show little grasp of that continuity.
The popular view of the Crusades as a violent and unprovoked attack against peace-loving Muslims is simply preposterous on many levels. The Muslims (they first appear as saraceni in contemporary manuscripts) overran Italy in the 9th century, sacked and devastated Rome in 846, and retained territory in southern Italy (including all of Sicily) right through into the 13th century. They also held parts of Spain until the 15th century, all of North Africa, and many parts of eastern Europe including Greece (which did not achieve independence till the 19th).
So far from being innocent victims of ‘western colonialism’ (the current narrative) they had a long history of aggressive invasion. Europe lived in terror of them, and written records over many centuries make it clear that the saraceni were seen as the most formidable threat in the south, second only perhaps to the Vikings elsewhere.
Another important thing to note is that the epicentre of Christianity had always been in what we now call the Middle East. Once Islam had captured all the territory of the Middle East, the epicentre moved westwards and the Roman Catholic church became the most powerful and influential component of Christianity – almost by default. It is true that the bishops of Rome had been regarded as the senior bishops of Christendom, as successors to St Peter, but the catastrophe of Muslim invasion had thrust upon their shoulders a far greater share of responsibility for the welfare of Christendom than might otherwise have been the case.
The proportion of Christians in Middle Eastern countries has plummeted, particularly in recent decades, from about 15% in 1900 to fewer than 5% today. Those who are left behind face discrimination and even persecution. This article is a valuable corrective: its author, Onsi Kamel, insists that Arabic deserves recognition as having been a Christian language, with a marvellous literature, long before it became the language of Islam. It’s an interesting angle, well defended.
It was against this background that Pope Urban II summoned the first Crusade in 1095.
When tens of thousands of men go to war their motives are always varied. It’s the usual human mix: some seek personal advantage, a few are cruel by nature and enjoy blood-letting, but most (we hope and trust) are driven by genuine zeal and loyalty to defend their country and to protect their allies. It was no different for the Crusaders. Simple piety and dutifulness, loyalty to their Faith, concern for the welfare of fellow-Christians in the Holy Land, and a desire to keep the pilgrimage places open were all part of their motivation.
I once spent Christmas as a guest of an evangelical Anglican rector in East Anglia. At dinner somebody made a negative remark about the Crusades. I loved his reply: ‘men from this parish served in the Crusades and we still honour them for it.’ It was a lovely example of that sense of continuity that survives in some Christian and western cultures just as it does in Islamic and Jewish ones.
So far I have both defended Islam and condemned Hamas, and also spoken up for the Crusaders (a feat many would think impossible). But what of Israel and the Jews? What a prodigy of continuity is Judaism! Surely, you would think, any reasonable person would acknowledge its right not just to survive but also to thrive. Compared to Judaism, Islam is a newcomer to the world. Could any reasonable person doubt that the Jewish claim on Jerusalem is every bit as strong as the Aboriginal claim on Uluru?
Well yes, plenty of people question that and see no comparison at all. Politics brings together the strangest bed-fellows, and activists on the atheistic left seem to be in alliance with the most radical forms of Islam, without coming even close to understanding the deep spirituality at its heart.
With best wishes to all, as ever,
David Daintree
SUMMER SCHOOLS
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MEDIEVAL LATIN & BIBLICAL AND KOINE GREEK
2023 COLLOQUIUM BOOK
WOKERY – A WAKE-UP CALL FOR THE WEST, the complete proceedings of last year’s Colloquium, is now on sale. The cost is $35 (postage included). ORDER ONLINE HERE or write to us at director@dawsoncentre.org.
FOR FURTHER READING
THE LONG MARCH TOWARDS INFANTICIDE 2024
On Tuesday 20 August Senator Ralph Babet moved this motion in the Senate:
That in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:
The need for the Senate to recognise that at least one baby is born alive every seven days following a failed abortion and left to die, and that Australia’s health care system is enabling these inhumane deaths; and for the Senate to condemn this practice, noting that babies born alive as a result of a failed abortion deserve care.
32 Senators voted against the motion, just 18 for it; 26 Senators did not vote.
Midwife Louise Adsett gave this testimony just one day before (19 August) to a Queensland parliamentary committee. Note that it is very difficult to find on YouTube: a search of Louise Adsett revealed nothing pertinent.
Senator Maria Kovacic spoke against the motion:
We have to consider all information, whether we agree with it or not. We should be deeply concerned, when considering such matters, that we are allowing what are personal decisions on issues between an individual and their healthcare practitioners to become politicised and serve agendas that have very little to do with medical care.
As a piece of content-free and mealy-mouthed political posturing it deserves a prize!
Our Deputy Director, Naomi O’Donovan wrote in reply to Senator Kovicic:
‘Terminating the life of an innocent child can never be reversed. Abortion affects every family in more ways than can be imagined by a single person.
‘I’d like to question your motives as a politician. Do you not consider the cold sterilised pans where healthy babies are left to die in every day around the country: with no funeral, no dignity, no comfort?
‘In an age of mental health awareness, surely, in your power as a politician you can at least acknowledge the mental health concerns arising from an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy and assist in helping these women and men find assistance to raise their children.
‘As I hold and look after my own four month-old baby every day, I think how lucky he is to have made it, how celebrated he is because he was wanted. What a strange world to live in: had my circumstances been different my arms could have been empty, leaving the hospital alone as a victim of my own ‘choice.’
‘The Liberal Party is known for rewarding Australians who choose to accept personal responsibility and supporting them with policies that are family-oriented and growth-centred. Abortion is the antithesis of that.’
To close, you’ve got to watch this! Veteran anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe forensically dissects Senator Kovicic’s speech here.
PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT IN INDIA
As if all this is not harrowing enough, here is a grim report on the situation in India. It warrants fuller treatment, but this has only just reached us.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER ATTACK?
IT’S WORSE THAN THAT: FREEDOM OF BELIEF IS NOW AT RISK –
1. Yvette Cooper, Britain’s Home Secretary, promises to ‘crack down on harmful beliefs’. Read Brendan O’Neill’s account here.
2. Gavin Ashenden takes a more nuanced view of the increasing animus against ‘deplorable’ people in Britain!
ABSURDITY IS WINNING
1. We don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but here’s a piece about racist buildings in Wales that will amuse or outrage you.
2. And in this clip four Gardai Irish police officers turn up to arrest one young school teacher for his failure to support gender ideology.
BUT SOME CAUSE FOR OPTIMISM?
The Institute of Public Affairs recently conducted a survey of ‘the values and beliefs’ of young Australians in the age range 16 to 25. Here’s a summary of the results. It’s not all good news – pessimism about the future has soared in the past five years. But it does reveal that the group is not as committed to left-wing or radical opinions as is commonly supposed. There are signs of strong resistance to censorship and the misuse of ‘offence’ as an excuse for closing down discussion. Most think that gender activism has gone too far. Most of them are looking for stronger leadership in centre-right parties.
COMING EVENTS
BRISBANE CLASSICAL AND LIBERAL SCHOOLS FORUM
A one-day event to be held on 24 September. Registration is free. We understand that this is now fully booked, but we understand there is a waiting list. Register here.
CHESTERTON SOCIETY ANNUAL CONFERENCE
At Campion College, Sydney, on Saturday 2 November. Details Here.
DAWSON CENTRE SUMMER SCHOOLS
JANUARY 2025
LATE AND ECCLESIASTICAL LATIN
Monday 6 to Friday 10 January 2025
Venue: Notre Dame Priory, Colebrook, Tasmania
The Latin school assumes some prior knowledge of the language and leads participants through a selection of important readings in poetry and prose, sacred and secular, from authors such as Augustine, Jerome, Bede, Peter Abelard, Aquinas, the Carmina Burana, and even Dante. In date our selections range from the poet Virgil to the abdication speech of Pope Benedict! There will also be a segment on palaeography when participants can handle real medieval manuscripts. Note that this course does not take any position on the liturgical use of Latin, but it recognises that Latin remains the official language of the western Church and acknowledges the insistence of the last four popes that Latin must be preserved! Accommodation may be available on request at the Priory. Enquiries to guestmaster@notredamemonastery.org.
BIBLICAL GREEK FOR BEGINNERS
Monday 13 to Friday 17 January 2025
Venue: Fr John Wall Memorial Library, 131 Tower Road, New Town, Tasmania
The New Testament and Koine Greek school is for beginners who want to experience the excitement of reading parts of the Bible in the original language. We shall read extracts from the Gospel and Epistles, as well as some important passages from the Septuagint (the ancient Greek version of the Old Testament), as well as some pieces from the early Fathers of the Church and the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom.
For all booking details and enquiries, email director@dawsoncentre.org