THE Christian Democratic Party is behind a mysterious group called the Committee for Public Affairs Education that organised a large meeting this week to protest against a proposed 1200-student Muslim school in Camden.
In the guise of a local residents' action group, the CDP organised the meeting, which has been accused of inflaming anti-Muslim feeling.
The CDP leader, the Reverend Fred Nile, and Robert Balzola, a Christian lawyer and lobbyist, were key speakers on the night.
Police had to calm about 100 people outside Camden Civic Centre who could not get into the packed hall, some of whom issued threats against people of Muslim heritage.
Mr Nile told the crowd he opposed the school because Islam opposed Christianity.
Mr Nile and one of the meeting organisers, Colin Broadbridge, a CDP member who lives in Campbelltown, denied that the party had staged the meeting.
But the state MP Charlie Lynn, who was also invited to speak, said he had been approached two weeks ago by the CDP and asked to attend.
Mr Lynn said objections to the school proposed by the Quranic Society should be made on planning grounds and because there was no local need for such a school.
He said Max Cracknell, a CDP Camden branch member, had been the main meeting organiser.
"They approached me about two weeks ago in Parliament but my advice was not to hold it but to wait for council's deliberation," he said.
Mr Cracknell referred the Herald to Mr Nile. Mr Nile said his party had not organised the meeting and referred the Herald to Mr Broadbridge.
"I was just invited to that meeting," Mr Nile said. "It was not a Christian Democrat meeting."
Mr Broadbridge also denied that Wednesday's event had been organised by the Christian Democrats, although he acknowledged that he was a member of the party.
"We are a loose coalition of people; we are people who are prepared to go one step further rather than just carp about something. There is no human face to the Quranic Society … The people of Camden want to know who is coming in to their town."
The Quranic Society was not invited to speak at the meeting.
Mr Broadbridge said the society had been insensitive to propose such a big school in a rural setting, a long way from any Muslim community.
Mr Balzola, who is a member of the lay Catholic organisation the NSW Knights of the Southern Cross, and a member of a group called the Religious Freedom Institute, which lobbies for Christian rights, said his religious affiliations had nothing to do with his attendance at the meeting. "I was the MC at the meeting. I was not acting on behalf of any other organisation," said Mr Balzola, who lives in the inner-western suburb of Croydon. "I was there in a private capacity as an environmental lawyer."
A spokesman for the Quranic Society, Jeremy Bingham, said the society was made up of people who were Australian citizens and Muslims who wanted to build a school for their children that would follow the NSW curriculum, and that would be open to non-Muslim children.
"This is their only school. and they are stretched to raise money to do this," Mr Bingham said.
"I think Fred is a little out of date. I don't think he realises the Crusades were over a long time ago. He was talking nonsense about Muslims being anti-Christian … that is absurd. I am very disappointed in Nile." --(The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 Dec 07)
In the guise of a local residents' action group, the CDP organised the meeting, which has been accused of inflaming anti-Muslim feeling.
The CDP leader, the Reverend Fred Nile, and Robert Balzola, a Christian lawyer and lobbyist, were key speakers on the night.
Police had to calm about 100 people outside Camden Civic Centre who could not get into the packed hall, some of whom issued threats against people of Muslim heritage.
Mr Nile told the crowd he opposed the school because Islam opposed Christianity.
Mr Nile and one of the meeting organisers, Colin Broadbridge, a CDP member who lives in Campbelltown, denied that the party had staged the meeting.
But the state MP Charlie Lynn, who was also invited to speak, said he had been approached two weeks ago by the CDP and asked to attend.
Mr Lynn said objections to the school proposed by the Quranic Society should be made on planning grounds and because there was no local need for such a school.
He said Max Cracknell, a CDP Camden branch member, had been the main meeting organiser.
"They approached me about two weeks ago in Parliament but my advice was not to hold it but to wait for council's deliberation," he said.
Mr Cracknell referred the Herald to Mr Nile. Mr Nile said his party had not organised the meeting and referred the Herald to Mr Broadbridge.
"I was just invited to that meeting," Mr Nile said. "It was not a Christian Democrat meeting."
Mr Broadbridge also denied that Wednesday's event had been organised by the Christian Democrats, although he acknowledged that he was a member of the party.
"We are a loose coalition of people; we are people who are prepared to go one step further rather than just carp about something. There is no human face to the Quranic Society … The people of Camden want to know who is coming in to their town."
The Quranic Society was not invited to speak at the meeting.
Mr Broadbridge said the society had been insensitive to propose such a big school in a rural setting, a long way from any Muslim community.
Mr Balzola, who is a member of the lay Catholic organisation the NSW Knights of the Southern Cross, and a member of a group called the Religious Freedom Institute, which lobbies for Christian rights, said his religious affiliations had nothing to do with his attendance at the meeting. "I was the MC at the meeting. I was not acting on behalf of any other organisation," said Mr Balzola, who lives in the inner-western suburb of Croydon. "I was there in a private capacity as an environmental lawyer."
A spokesman for the Quranic Society, Jeremy Bingham, said the society was made up of people who were Australian citizens and Muslims who wanted to build a school for their children that would follow the NSW curriculum, and that would be open to non-Muslim children.
"This is their only school. and they are stretched to raise money to do this," Mr Bingham said.
"I think Fred is a little out of date. I don't think he realises the Crusades were over a long time ago. He was talking nonsense about Muslims being anti-Christian … that is absurd. I am very disappointed in Nile." --(The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 Dec 07)
Editor: Is this the Australian way of treating minority population? Human right? Religious tolerance? Why hopping mad like a kangaroo over an Islamic school? If Muslim countries can allow Christian schools why not a Christian country allow Islamic schools? In Malaysia and Indonesia there are hundreds of Christian or missionary schools, if Muslims try to stop them, there will be international condemnation. Quranic Society...you have the backing of 1.5 billion Muslims.
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