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Deep Pencil - the musings of Morgan Bell

 
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it did it really make a sound? If i post a blog and nobody reads it was there really any point? You have entered the random thinking space of Morgan Bell . . . These are my musings . . . things about my life written off the top of my head . . . written in an informal disjointed style almost completely devoid of punctuation, this is where i flesh out writing ideas, discuss my life, and generally be self indulgent . . . it is also the bargain bin for articles which do not fit in with the film or arts themes of my other blogs . . . so have a wander around my mind, have a laugh, have a think, be nice, and humour me!

refreshing and positive - the face of Muslim youth in Australia

June 4th 2008 17:54
finally some fun vibrant moderate Muslim people on TV . . . watch Salam Cafe on SBS and see some light-hearted intelligent young Muslim Australians talk about current affairs, how their religion is percieved, and the funny side of their lives, families and culture . . . i think this show has been around in one form or another for a few years but i saw it for the first time today and i was reminded of the lovely Muslim people i studied with at university or worked with in engineering . . .

Salam Cafe panelists





i am SO SICK of seeing extreme terrorists on the news as the only example of Muslim people . . . it really irks me (im sure it irks the Muslim community more) as all the Muslim Australians i have ever personally met have been lovely and i think they get a bad rap

so check out Salam Cafe at 4PM and then again at 10PM on Wednesdays a see some regular fair-minded articulate Muslim people . . . i promise their positivity will make you smile!

CLICKHERE to view an episode of Salam Cafe on the SBS website




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Comments
39 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by S.L. Bradish

June 4th 2008 18:05
I'm curious, Morgan... Do the Muslims you know or the ones on Salam Cafe object to what the terrorists do? Do they denounce terrorism at all or do they just not mention it? The few Muslims I know are not terrorists, but they don't want to discuss them, either. I find that a little more than just disturbing. If a Christian group goes off the deep end, I have no problem in speaking out against them (like those jerks who launch protests at funerals, for example). We don't get Australian TV here, so I won't be able to watch the show, sorry.

Comment by RubySoho

June 4th 2008 23:15
I watched for the first time last night too Morgan. I am a fan of some of Waleed Ali's writing so it was interesting to see him to do this.

One of the girls has a tongue ring...that surprised me to say the least.

It wasn't bad...but the banter seemed a little forced. I think it's a major change for them going from community television to SBS.


Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 03:43
hi S.L.
you can watch the show by clicking the link at the end of the post, they put an episode on the internet
the white girl (Susan Carland) on the panel converted to Islam and she was voted Muslim of the year in Australia and often speaks out against terrorists, i think alot of the problem is that the media doesnt want to report anything positive so most people dont even see what the moderate Muslims have to say . . . they really are just regular people
to view an interview with Susan Carland CLICKHERE she talks about terrorism near the end (about 5:00min out of 6:30min) and says the Muslim community has to take responsibility for negative stereotypes etc

hi Ruby,
yeah i think it was very much trying to imitate to format of white shows like The Panel or The Footy Show and i think they were making a conscious effort to remain objective . . . perhaps a dash of stage fright too . . . but it looks like its going to be a really good show!

Comment by S.L. Bradish

June 5th 2008 03:46
Thank you Morgan. Now if my speakers just worked! I'll save this and see if I can get them repaired. I don't need them very often, but it's a pain when I do!

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 05:29
hey S.L.
i found a transcript of an interview with Susan Carland and her husband (and fellow panelist) Waleed from 2005

I think my first response to September 11 actually wasn’t in my capacity as a Muslim at all. It was just a human response. I mean I was incredibly horrified. First of all that anyone would do this, but secondly that they would do that in the name of something as rich and with as much to contribute to humanity as Islam.

that was Waleed, an Egyptian Muslim Australian who works as a lawyer, journalist and lecturer in Melbourne and has degrees in Law and Engineering

CLICKHERE to read full transcript of interview

i think like with any group there are good community-minded people trying to make things better for everyone and then there are odd bad apples making it hard for the rest of the group

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 07:31
Do the Muslims you know or the ones on Salam Cafe object to what the terrorists do? Do they denounce terrorism at all or do they just not mention it?

*sigh* oh no, they're secretly evil terrorists!

I advise you to visit the following links, I know it won't be enough, but it might put your heart at ease.

Really Long Link

Oh and: Really Long Link

I've also read that most American Muslims earn more than most non-Muslim Americans and are 'integrated' to pretty much invisibility. But perhaps that's a reason for jealousy? I dunno, you have a habit of twisting good news to fit with your dark outlook on life.

If a Christian group goes off the deep end, I have no problem in speaking out against them (like those jerks who launch protests at funerals, for example). We don't get Australian TV here, so I won't be able to watch the show, sorry.

They already have, you just don't like to believe your televangelicals with their Jesus Camps are insane

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 08:08
hi Ahmed,
thanks for the links, they are some very interesting articles

"Politics, not piety, differentiate moderates from radicals" in the Islamic world, said Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Center for Muslim studies.

a very humbling statement, i hope everyone takes note

i know Australian Muslims can cop a fair bit of unwarrented abuse, even my non-Muslim dark-skinned friends of Indian heritage suffer from anti-Islam taunts when they are just quietly going about their business
i just hope this program shows that there are a broad spectrum of Muslim people apart from the sterotypical terrorist so focussed on by the mainstream media

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 13:57
I cop a lot of abuse from Indians in Australia.

Seriously, they walk up to me and ask 'are you from India?' I respond no... and they walk off.

This happens to me at least once a month, it's not like they can't speak english or anything, it's inconcievable is what it is.

This one time I did say 'yes' thinking I might be able to delve deeper into their psycie, but it continued into a quesiton about the bus timetable. Now I'm no umm, old man of the mountain but I do think I have enough wisdom to know that my nationality has very little to do with what I'll know about the damned bus.

Honestly I feel incredibly battered and abused


Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 14:02
haha Ahmed you poor thing!
you must look like an oracle of knowledge!
maybe you need a guest spot on Salam Cafe to break the stereotype of you being a bus expert?

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 14:08
oh now, I'm still a sort of expert for trainstations. I remember some British tourist (I can only imagine she was a tourist) was walking around looking desperate, she asks me where the train station is.

You'd think it's a fair enough question, she got off at the bus stop across the street expecting to see the trainstation around there and now she's worried she can't find it.

Except the trainstation was like, across the street, in plain site.

*sigh*

Some people.

I think it's the facial hair, people seem to think because I'm too lazy to shave it means I know stuff.

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 14:22
oh the beard of wisdom! lol
you are the friendly neighbourhood public transport advisor!

Comment by RubySoho

June 5th 2008 14:52

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 15:45
well i dont know Ruby haha
he sounds fairly helpful doesnt he?

Comment by RubySoho

June 5th 2008 16:38
no comment is still a comment....

have you guys noticed how Morgan's head fits almost perfectly on Ahmed's body?


Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 16:41
haha very observant of you Ruby!
i always wanted a boys body - Ahmed should comment under me all the time

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 16:54
...

That's not my body.

I'm not white.

However, I do like the shirt.

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 16:58
BAHAHAHAhahaha
good point!
i dont know why i presume everyone is white, i guess i thought you might have gotten pale from sitting inside on the computer all the time LOL
well nice shirt on someone elses body anyway!

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 17:06
I may need to change it to something more appropriate, perhaps?

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 17:11
maybe a pic of a bus timetable? haha

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 17:16
I like my current one, granted the missing part should be located a bit lower than that. Ah well.

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 5th 2008 17:19
hey that was a quick change - decapitated stick figures, yeah i can see the appeal!

Comment by Ahmed

June 5th 2008 17:22
I might start changing it more often,keep people on their toes ^_^

Comment by Hazel Castillo

June 5th 2008 21:02
aren't the comments sections just more amusing than the actual posts at times?

it's like an on-going TV series on its own!
Just dropping by Morgan

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 6th 2008 03:17
hi Hazel,
great to see you!
i think Ahmed and i should definately have our own tv show . . . you could make a guest appearance!

Comment by RubySoho

June 6th 2008 03:29
Oh no. Ahmed modified his photo. Now my comment about his body is devoid of reference and historical context.

Damn you for rewriting history Ahmed. I should have known that you have no scruples.

hahaha.


Comment by Morgan Bell

June 6th 2008 03:37
oh Ruby are you projecting your own evils on to poor Ahmed the tour guide now? haha
who knew that blogs were of equal historical importance as encylopedias? why are we even sending kids to school, we should send them straight to the master of as knowledge himself! (where you dont need references, just your own say so)

Comment by RubySoho

June 6th 2008 03:43
What can I say Morgan, misery loves company?

You may do well to disassociate yourself from me (and Ahmed) in the future. hahaha.

Morgan, that post is now cracking me up well and truly, every time I get on there someone new has joined the fray and it is not going at all like Dum Dum had planned....




Comment by Ahmed

June 6th 2008 03:49
@Morgan I'm too grumpy to be on TV.

@Ruby Yes well, I'm sure decapitations will find their place eventually.

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 6th 2008 03:55
it must be something to do with having "middle eastern relatives"? lol

Really Long Link

Comment by RubySoho

June 6th 2008 04:24
yeah, how fucking racist was that comment?

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 6th 2008 05:00
it seemed a little irrelevant . . . i dont know if it was designed to provoke an emotional response?

Comment by Ahmed

June 6th 2008 05:01
I'd comment on that post but I have no idea what is going on, haha.

Comment by RubySoho

June 6th 2008 05:09
Morgan everything those two say to me is designed to provoke an emotional response. Including the post itself.

It's backfired on them though hasn't it? Dumb and fucking dumber.

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 6th 2008 05:42
hi Ahmed
it started out of a parody of ruby likening her (and her hajib?! wtf) to this violent feminist man-hater that wrote the SCUM manifesto, Damo had to put his anti-ruby two cents in and say a few sexist things and then when a few other people told him to pull his head in he tried to bamboozle everyone with (poorly applied) logical fallacy terms and is just resorting to insulting people to deflect from his own short-comings

well thats my interpretation anyway

Comment by RubySoho

June 6th 2008 06:04
Damo: master of Argument by Verbosity.

"If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit!"

Comment by Morgan Bell

June 6th 2008 06:23
nice summary Ruby . . . i think thats what it all comes down to!

you should see the Chewbacca defense from South Park described on wiki (CLICKHERE for more . . . )

Comment by postmoderncritic

July 30th 2008 16:40
Man, I missed a LOT of really good Deep Pencils...
I'm really sick of Islamophobia, I've been seeing a lot of it ever since I started telling people about my great new friend from Egypt... some London tourist had the gall to tell me that people from that country were all smelly and he was probably a terrorist, and my dad tells me that if I were to get into a relationship with him he would bash me up and possibly even kill me, despite the fact that he analyses feminist texts every day for his phd and signs off every conversation with 'peace and love'. And apparently, the fact that he lives in Egypt means that he is automatically Muslim. ARGH!

Oh no. Ahmed modified his photo. Now my comment about his body is devoid of reference and historical context.

Lol. If it helps, I remember his pre-stick figure avatar... but that comment was just really funny.
If you look again, he's changed his image once more - Yayyy!

Comment by Morgan Bell

July 30th 2008 16:51
hi epiphanie,
its tiring to always hear negative things about a particular group isnt it!
i get similarly fed up with the negative news about aboriginal people and the people of Africa . . . are positive stories really that impossible to find?
thanks for the compliment and sharing your story!

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