On Australia Day, Rodney Hogg, the former Australian test cricketer, delivered a beamer to our Muslim community.
Just like those glory days at the MCG with “Hoggy” ringing in his ears, Hogg ambled back to his mark as he polished the shine on his virulent epithet. He turned around to commence his run.
At the batting crease, a proud unsuspecting community was too busy celebrating living in one of the luckiest and culturally diverse countries on the planet.
Rodney Hogg’s beamer was not delivered at 140 kilometres per hour, it was delivered in 140 characters via Twitter.
“Just put out my aussie flag for Australia Day but I wasn’t sure if it would offend Muslims…So I wrote “Allah is a shit” on it to make sure”.
This is not the first time you have seen a remark like this and it certainly won’t be the last. But, try making this type of comment publicly in a normal workplace or, even, the playing field.
But, Rodney Hogg’s workplace isn’t normal.
His is the world of living off past glories via speaking engagements and media appearances where you spin a yarn, crack some bad jokes and offer some punditry.
Its good coin not only for Rodney Hogg but also for his the people that represent him, Croc Media. They produce many of the programs for SEN Radio and where Rodney Hogg appears as regularly as the change to the new ball.
Their attempt at damage control says a lot about the bubble this industry lives in.
Rodney Hogg first tried to brush it off on Twitter as nothing but “bad attempted Australian humour, sorry if I offended you.” No surprise there, an insincere apology from the creator of a deeply insensitive remark who is bewildered by the backlash.
The Musilm community fulminated until a few more hours later and probably after some advice from his minders came a more measured “My sincere apologies to the Muslim community. A stupid tweet by me in very bad taste.”
For Croc Media CEO, Craig Hutchison, it was the end of the affair. Yesterday he tweeted, “For those asking, spoke at length last night to @RMHogg about his insensitive tweet yesterday, expressed disappointment and accepted apology.”
Remarkable.
Who cares what our Muslim community and civil society think. It’s on with the show.
Craig Hutchison made his name as an AFL journalist. He covered the game’s battles with racism and vilification and their eventual success in becoming leaders in tackling this scourge both on the field and in the community.
Two years ago, when AFL ambassador, Robert Dipierdomico, made a racist gaffe at a sportman’s night an outraged Andrew Demetriou suspended him indefinitely without pay and made him attend racial sensitivity meetings.
The AFL boss went on to say “It is time to wake up to all those people who think that sportsmen’s nights are a forum or excuse to be chauvinistic or racist or are days of a bygone era where it provides a platform to deride people,” he said.
“Start getting into the 21st century (and) conduct yourselves as normal human beings in a country that prides itself in welcoming people.”
And that was him talking about private sportmen’s nights. Imagine what he would have to say about a public forum such as Twitter.
Unlike Demetriou, what Hutchison does not understand is that Hogg’s vile tweet was seen as humorous barb by a significant section of our community and tacit endorsement of their bigoted views.
Seen in this light, the refusal by Croc Media and SEN Radio to distance itself from Hogg is disappointing.
Representing Australia on the sporting field should offer no protections and sorry episodes like this should result in the calling of stumps.
Athas Zafiris is on Twitter @ArtSapphire
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January 28th 2012 @ 8:17am
Sam said | January 28th 2012 @ 8:17am | Report comment
Well said. I completely agree with you, and for once, Demetriou as well.
January 28th 2012 @ 8:52am
Midfielder said | January 28th 2012 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Art
Hogg has been like it all his live … in a tour of India I think it was at a dinner in the Australian’s team honour he made comments about the locals and local officials that should have had him sent home but it was largely hushed up…. essentially the he was drunk at the time was the line used …
But as it says somewhere or words to this affect anyway… don’t think bad thoughts, as thoughts become your words and your words become your deeds and your deeds define your character…
January 28th 2012 @ 10:18pm
Danno1 said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:18pm | Report comment
I have to say I loved Hoggy the cricketer with a pasion, at a time when Aussie cricket was full of people without fire or passion he stoood out like a beacon.
Perhaps the nasty tour of Pakistan in 79 has never left him, he did get pelted by the crowd on that tour. As a response he collected all the bricks, rocks and bottles thrown at him at the end of his run-up, gathered them in his arms at the over’s end and when he got back to fine leg pelted them into the crowd. It did not go down well, but like Cantona kung-foo kicking that gross ignorant twat of a fan, understandable.
Hogg’s comments were high quality stupid, but unfortunately Hoggy won’t lose his media job, he’ll do the usual mea culpa and all will be right with the world.
After all it has not been a problem for Dean Jones, he said “the terrorist has got another wicket” after Hasim Amla toook a catch in an SA v SL test match. He lost his job on that channel but all in the media still seek him out, he still gets work, he’s still a “top bloke”.
Maybe it’s a Victorian thing?
But we all know the media won’t sack anyone unless it makes ratings worse to continue with the person than to be rid of them. Really, Kyle Sandilands has regularly been more stupidly, unfunnily offensive than Hogg, Dean Jones, Alan Jones, and Greg Smith put together, but he seems reasonably well paid.
Articles stating the obvious like this one does won’t stop stupid comments, or get Hogg off the air, ringing up, emailing or tweeting companies saying you won’t buy their products if they advertise with certain TV,Radio, news outlets would have far more clout.
So is Hoggy an objectionable tool? Yes. what can we do about it? Contact SEN and let them know, the rest is just keystrokes in the ether.
January 28th 2012 @ 9:08am
Ian Whitchurch said | January 28th 2012 @ 9:08am | Report comment
Don’t ever forget that Rodney Hogg was one of those who took the kruegerrands and supported apartheid by going on the rebel tour in 1985.
Next time you enjoy seeing non-white South Africans play for the Springboks, remember that Rodney Hogg did everything he could to make that impossible.
January 28th 2012 @ 9:32am
stabpass said | January 28th 2012 @ 9:32am | Report comment
I dont entirely agree with you Ian, taking money to play cricket is not new, unless you are aware of his circumstances, you have no idea why he accepted the money. Some people play sport, without connecting it to international politics.
As they say, let he without sin cast the first stone.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:30am
Ian Whitchurch said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:30am | Report comment
Stabpass,
That argument would have weight if the South African government had allowed an England team with Basil d’Oliviera in it to tour. *Any* tour of South Africa that played against Apartheid teams was a deeply political move.
January 28th 2012 @ 1:27pm
stabpass said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:27pm | Report comment
It may have been a deeply political move by certain parties, but its certainly possible he needed the money, and has no interest in politics in sport, or for that matter politics, but more interested in the welfare of his family and bank balance !.
This was this guys best way to make a living, maybe his only way !, its very easy to judge.
January 28th 2012 @ 6:54pm
Seiran said | January 28th 2012 @ 6:54pm | Report comment
Well said stabpass.
January 28th 2012 @ 5:37pm
Quality said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:37pm | Report comment
It’s an interesting side discussion Ian and stabpass…it’s hard to comment on each player’s motivations but I suspect most of the rebel cricketers went for the money rather than with a pro-apartheid agenda. That includes West Indian and Sri Lankan cricketers who surely weren’t apartheid supporters. That’s not to defend Hogg or any of the rebels – the SA Govt of the time gave tax exemptions to the tour sponsors, so in effect they were subsidising the tour and the rebel players’ tour fees. That must surely be the great disappointment with these rebel cricketers – they took money from a institutionally racist government with little to no consideration of the moral implications. It seems time has healed the wounds as many English and Australian ex-rebels hold media and administrative roles in cricket now, but the whole thing remains a sad and rather grubby chapter in cricket.
January 28th 2012 @ 7:37pm
stabpass said | January 28th 2012 @ 7:37pm | Report comment
Of course it was about the money, what do Hogg and the others need to be ashamed of, making a living, doing what they do best, setting themselves and their families up for the future.
Every cricketer i know is not Mother Theresa, Ghandi or the Pope, they dont have these sort of moral convictions, that some posters on here think they should have.
January 28th 2012 @ 9:37am
Rabbitz said | January 28th 2012 @ 9:37am | Report comment
Yes Hoggs comments were not nice, and if meant in a humourous way, they were very poor.
However, why are you focusing on his comments, why not include the offensive and inciting comments made by so called church leaders in mosques throughout the country each week?
At least he wasn’t inciting violence and ignorance of our laws.
Just Sayin’
January 28th 2012 @ 10:28am
dasilva said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:28am | Report comment
Even someone like me who thinks that religion are overprotected and gets a free ride sometimes in terms of criticism (I see religion to be an equivalent of any philosophy, criticising or mocking a religion should be equivalent to criticising and mocking someone’s philosophical and political values and shouldn’t be considered anything worst then that. When you have a religion that’s tries to spread their philosophy to other people, it’s only fair that they are open to the same amount of scrutiny and that involves satire/mocking that they may find offensive as well)
However it’s hard to see this comments by Hogg to be anything but crude insults. It’s the religious critique equivalent to Gillard is a witch type critique. Has no intellectual value, just offends people and doesn’t exactly convert people to your way of thinking and it’s not funny at all.
January 28th 2012 @ 1:35pm
Rabbitz said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:35pm | Report comment
I offer no arguement that Hoggs comments were, as you say, nothing but crude insults.
I guess what I was trying to say is that religious bigotry cuts both ways. Neither direction is acceptable.
January 28th 2012 @ 5:48pm
soapit said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:48pm | Report comment
this is a sports site so you probably wont see many articles about non sports people.
January 29th 2012 @ 3:54am
amazonfan said | January 29th 2012 @ 3:54am | Report comment
‘Church leaders in mosques’? If you are referring to actual church leaders, I can’t imagine that too many Islamophobic Church leaders would be invited to speak in Mosques. If you are referring to Muslim religious leaders, they are Imams, not Church leaders.
Furthermore, not everything has to be balanced out. Yes, some Imams may make horrible comments (not every week), however Rodney Hogg made some disgusting comments this week, and not only is he a former sports star (and this is a sports site), but he did so on twitter.
BTW, if you do want to talk about other racist, ignorant or dangerous comments, then I can refer you to comments made against Muslims by politicians, Christian leaders, and so-called journalists and shock jocks.
“At least he wasn’t inciting violence and ignorance of our laws.”
While what he said wasn’t the worse thing in the history of the world, I hope you aren’t trying to lessen it.
January 29th 2012 @ 6:28am
Rabbitz said | January 29th 2012 @ 6:28am | Report comment
An Imam is still a leader in the Islamic church.
Why do you assume that every church leader is of the Christian faith? A little biased n’est pas?
January 29th 2012 @ 6:53am
amazonfan said | January 29th 2012 @ 6:53am | Report comment
‘An Imam is still a leader in the Islamic church.’
No, it isn’t. Muslims don’t use the term church. They use the term mosque. If they refer to their wider community, they still wouldn’t use the term church.
‘Why do you assume that every church leader is of the Christian faith?
Perhaps because almost all are? Muslims don’t use the word church. Neither do Jews. Neither, presumably, do Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, or Pagans. The only non-Christian religion that I can think of that utilises the word church is Scientology, and it’s a fair assumption that in Australia, church refers to Christianity.
‘A little biased n’est pas?’
This from the person, whom presumes that because his religion uses the word church, other religions do so as well.
You made a mistake, just accept it.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:19am
jamesb said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:19am | Report comment
I don’t know whats worse.
Rodney Hoggs tweet about Allah or watching indigenous protesters causing inconvenience to the PM while also burning, spitting and stamping the Australian flag
January 28th 2012 @ 1:40pm
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:40pm | Report comment
Jamesb you can’t compare the 2 situation mate totally different, i am on neither side on that one but it is a complex issue. And I am not an Aboriginal man, i am anglo saxon but of course I am neutral and non racist and like aboriginal people. They have made many contributions to Australia throughout, the arts, culture, and sports , in Australian life.
The aboriginal people had been the 1st humans after cave man times on the land of Australia 1st as far as I am aware.
Since 1788 they were invaded and colonised by the British , and had to deal with all sorts of European problems invading there land.
The introduction of alcohol and alcoholism, having there land and more primitive and tribal lifestyle uprooted in 1788, treated like 2nd class citizens , not able to vote in Australia in political elections until the 1960′s, the Mabo land right’s dispute, the stolen generation, racism, employment discrimination, and introduction of european medical diseases.
So it is totally not right to say to aboriginal people that , some of there anger towards the Australian flag which has a British union jack on it as we are not yet a republic, as a form or protest in the treatment they have received from the Australian political system which was founded based on the british westminster system as the British colonised Australia, and the national Australian flag with a British union jack is a symbol of that jamesb.
I am happy the Aboriginal flag is recognised as one of our official flags, and have no problem with Aboriginal australian athletes carrying the aboriginal flag to sports events.
January 28th 2012 @ 4:16pm
MattRusty said | January 28th 2012 @ 4:16pm | Report comment
The two situations aren’t completely different Johnno, they both involve a lack of respect for other people.
I’d like to know how the Aboriginal people would feel if we burned their flag on TV. That was a disgraceful and stupid act.
January 28th 2012 @ 4:39pm
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 4:39pm | Report comment
But once again mattrusty look at the reasons why they are burning the Australian flag with a union jack on it. I am not aboriginal i said that i am anglo saxon.
Just look at the reasons i said above, wouldn’t you if you were aboriginal have some vindication to be annoyed and show disrepect at the British empire and at the British wesminster political system in Australia, that has repressed aborigianals on many levels, from introduction of European diseases, to racism, to the stolen generation, not to mention Aboriganal deaths in custody is higher than any group of people, .
Many things, I wouldn’t in my opinion condone aboriginals burning an Australian national flag if Australia becomes a republic but the british union jack which is on the Australian flag is a symbols of a lot of repression aboriginal people have had to put up with since 1788 if one look at history, it is undeniable the negative issues and repression aboriginal people have had to put up with Mattrusty.
The fact that aboriginals could not vote in our political system until the 1960′s is outrageous in my opinion, and the stolen generation issues too.
January 28th 2012 @ 5:08pm
Justin said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
How did 600 people on a boat invade a country? As for disease that is part of social evolution. Many people were “stolen”. You know why? Because itmay well have saved many of them from a horrendous and abusive life.
There are mistakes on both sides but how long do we continue focussing on the past?. Unfortunately now if we criticize aboriginals we ate seen or painted as racists by the PC brigade…
January 28th 2012 @ 7:49pm
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 7:49pm | Report comment
Justin you say 600 people on a boat invade a country. This is 1788 mate, before internet, computers, tv, and modern technology.
Aboriginal had no experience of white people and vice versa. Gun powder was used by the British empire, as a weapon an Aboriginals had no knowledge of guns ,and became to quickly realise these guns were powerful. They had never seen such large ships like the 1st fleet, the use of cannons on there ship.
And they claimed and annexed the land of Australia as British colony, and as proven by then in 1788 as in today’s time, superior military technology most of the time is stronger than sheer man power.
The aboriginals were scattered around Australia they did not have actual fountain pen written maps, or large tall ships, or cannons or gun powder. Spears are not as efficient as guns and cannons as far as far military technology is concerned.
Disease part of eveloution there, measles and small pox were not medical diseases of evolution for the Aboriginal people.
Was swine flu a disease that was part of social eveloution for people in mexico then the world, or mad cow disease in the UK, i don’t think so anyway.
It’s good you acknowledge wrongdoing on both sides, but I can see the frustration that aboriginal people still experience today.
January 28th 2012 @ 9:40pm
Justin said | January 28th 2012 @ 9:40pm | Report comment
The English were explorers looking for a penal colony. How you can insinuate that brought disease and should be held accountable in some way is laughable. It was not intentional and I would guess not even an afterthought.
If it wasn’t the English it would have been the Dutch or Portugueese.
Either way we have minorities in this country battling but for diffetrnt reasons. If we are treating all people equally as we should then wehave to analyze what creates such a discrency between cultures and enable them all to flourish, if that’s what they truly want.
January 28th 2012 @ 5:08pm
dasilva said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:08pm | Report comment
I think it’s a difficult issue.
I think the indigenous Australian will continue to oppose the Australian flag (especially if we continued to have January 26 as Australia day) indefinitely.
As long as the union jack is on our flag, the flag burning would continue.
People fought and died for the Australian flag and people fought and died for the british empire and the british roots played an important part of Australian culture and therefore I can see why people want to hold on it.
Nevertheless the union jack symbolises the oppression of the indigenous population. I personally think that flag burning is a legitimate political protest if you are campaigning for changing the flag (amongst other things).
January 28th 2012 @ 5:27pm
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:27pm | Report comment
I agree dasilva 100%, and as i said in my comments above the reasons why like you i saw it as a legitimate protest, the burning of an Australian flag that contains a British union jack. I would not condone flag burning by Aboriginals on Australian flags that don’t contain the union jack eg Norfolk Islands flag, but the british union jack is an deniable symbol of oppression of the Aboriginal population.
I loook at like this dasilva,. Try to imagine to other australians try to put yourselves in the aboriginal people as see there perspective. Equally your point about British empire and culture is a good point too.
And the Rodney Hogg issue was very degrading but a totally different set of issues i think.
I would like the flag changed regardless of wether Australia is a republic or not, more recognition and nation building for Australia and more distance from UK which is in europe , and Australia is on the other side of the World.
Im amazed to be honest how the commonwealth games continues to survive dasilva for multiple reasons.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:29am
The Cattery said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:29am | Report comment
Low brow, poor taste, vulgar, and not the slightest bit witty – which is the worst crime of all.
January 28th 2012 @ 10:52am
Atawhai Drive said | January 28th 2012 @ 10:52am | Report comment
Better to stay silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth (or fire up your Twitter account) and remove all doubt.
January 28th 2012 @ 2:27pm
Bearfax said | January 28th 2012 @ 2:27pm | Report comment
I like that one
January 28th 2012 @ 11:41am
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 11:41am | Report comment
I think Rodney Hogg should be sacked from the media networks he works for. I didn’t find it funny and I am not muslim, i suppose i am christian but hardly a religious person, but to be honest I was shocked, but later in hindsight I was not so shocked, and I will say why .
I don’t know if it was rascist as it was attacking a religion, but the comments were bigoted, degrading, and highly offensive to Islamic people. I think the term islamophobia is the right term.
And why I think now i was not so shocked after initially being, was this.
Sections of the mainstream media have been i suppose since september 11 2001, very islamophobic, and especially in talk back radio by some of the radio presenters.
After 9/11 there has been this paranoia about muslims supporting or condoning terrorism, which is total nonsense.
There have been since world war 2 a large Turkish muslim population in sydney and melbourne, afghan muslims cam to Australia along time ago in the camel trade, Indonesian muslims, and they all assimilated into the community fine.
But after 9/11, and even the cronulla riots fuelled this paranoia in Australia to the uneducated on Islam, and it is awful.
And all backgrounds if 1 looks at Australia’s history since world war 2, have had issues fitting in, then the ignorance drops down and they assimilate. Many examples of this, women’s rights and sexism, and some sport examples too.
Greeks and italians used to be put down a lot with words like Dago and wog used in offensive ways. Asian people in Australia who came here eg Vietnamese after the Vietnam war. Vietnmaese were treated badly , and the problems in Cabramatta at the time, many Vietnamese were perceived as all being criminals and drug dealers and this came to a height with the shooting of the local MP John Newman.
But as time passes society at large realises after assimilating more all these fears, are just ignorance and unfounded paranoia and these groups assimilate fine.
Other examples are homosexuals in Australia, gay rights have massively come along way say 20 or 30 years ago.
And in sport football has come along way so massively it is amazing since say Johnny Warrens time.
The uruguay game of 2005, 2 world cups on with massive tv ratings, a A-league, football is in the mainstream, it is hard to believe football was so looked down upon by many Australia’s.
You would not see a book like “Sheilas, wogs and poofters ” written by Johnny Warren, actually written now as the problems he wrote about don’t exist now.
Rodney Hogg has worked for SBS at times when they covered the Ashes, I don’t know if SBS being a multicultural channel will give any more work in the future. I don’t know if it was career ending but it certainly will be a tough thing to forget. Maybe he should do some sort of promotion without he muslim community and let it be known publicly to rebuild his image, like dipper did by attending racial sensitivity meetings I don’t know.
Usman Khawaja’s family is from Pakistan and he himself was born in Islamabad Pakistan. I don’t know if Khawaja is himself Muslim or his family but in Pakistan Islam is the largest religion in a population of approximately 177 million.
Stef RIce made some twitter comments on gays, and she had to do a highly publicised media press conference where she was reduced to tears and was very humiliating for her as all this was done in the public spotlight.
What makes Hogg’s comments more shocking he is a 60 yr old man born in 1951, Stef Rice was only 22 born in 1988 and therefore is a lot younger less mature and Worldy and made these comments in 2010 as a 22 yr old young woman, so Hogg you would think would have more maturity and less ignorance, clearly not.
January 28th 2012 @ 1:22pm
Athas Zafiris said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:22pm | Report comment
Thanks Johnno for your post.
The president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ikebal Patel said.
“I’m very disappointed that I paid money to watch him now,”
January 28th 2012 @ 1:39pm
Rabbitz said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:39pm | Report comment
The same Ikebal Patel that is a supporter of Sharia Law being introduced into Oz and of religion based legal dualism? Hardly a pillar of virtue or someone who is interested in healing the rifts between ethic and religious groups in this land…
January 28th 2012 @ 1:56pm
Athas Zafiris said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
Rabbitz – many people, especially in the Muslim community, would agree with what Ikebal Patel said.
And then if you consider some of the vitriollc comments Hogg has received from outraged non-religious people, his comments are quite mild in comparison.
If you wish to discuss what Ikebal Patel stands for then I suggest you find another forum. They are not hard to find.
January 28th 2012 @ 3:27pm
stabpass said | January 28th 2012 @ 3:27pm | Report comment
But you were the one that bought Ikebal Patel up !!.
Hang on, you wouldn’t be argumentative to get the post count up, that would be a bit of a beamer in itself.
January 28th 2012 @ 5:28pm
dasilva said | January 28th 2012 @ 5:28pm | Report comment
To be fair to Art.
I normally like to take comments and quotes by its own values independent to the quality of the person who said it.
Just because Ikebal Patel is hardly a good person, that doesn’t mean the quote “I’m very disappointed that I paid money to watch him now,” doesn’t have any value amongst itself and isn’t valid.
If someone other than him said that, the comment would still be equally valid.
January 28th 2012 @ 6:08pm
Athas Zafiris said | January 28th 2012 @ 6:08pm | Report comment
you’re the one getting the post count up stabpass – I used a quote publlshed in Fairfax. I didn’t see them go on about Patel’s positions as the piece wasn’t about him.
Next time I’ll head down to Brunswick and Preston and get some local reaction.
Will that satisfy you? Probably not, as you’ll want me to ask them first about legal dualism
January 28th 2012 @ 6:37pm
Rabbitz said | January 28th 2012 @ 6:37pm | Report comment
I guess I did not express myself very well. My rebuttal of Ikebal Patel was aimed at suggesting that he was not a good example to use as his opinion and his meaning was likely to be skewed to inflame the situation rather than to heal it.
To put it cynically – Of course he would say something like that.
Neither comment (Hogg’s or Patel’s) were helpful or in the interest of our shared future.
January 28th 2012 @ 4:27pm
Schtumpy said | January 28th 2012 @ 4:27pm | Report comment
What Hogg said was appalling and ignorant.
What’s encouraging is the (almost) universal condemnation of what he said.
That wouldn’t have happened in the 60′s, 70′s or even 80′s.
We are getting better at this.
Tolerance and understanding is slowly becoming stronger as ignorance, racism and religious intolerance slowly dies.
But please don’t quote a man espousing legal dualism based upon a religion.
Such ideas are as much at home in a nation bent upon growth and improvement as the ugly garbage spouted by Hogg.
January 29th 2012 @ 5:32am
amazonfan said | January 29th 2012 @ 5:32am | Report comment
Rabbitz, how is Patel’s saying “I’m very disappointed that I paid money to watch him now,” not helpful in or in the interests of our ‘shared future? Should he have said nothing, even though he is the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, and Hogg vilified the Islamic faith? I guess I have a different view to you on what is helpful or is in the interest of our ‘shared future’ (whatever that means.)
January 28th 2012 @ 2:21pm
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
I don’t blame him, to have to listen to such degrading nonsense, i’d ask for a refund if i was Ikebal Patel.
January 28th 2012 @ 3:28pm
BennO said | January 28th 2012 @ 3:28pm | Report comment
Well said johnno.
January 28th 2012 @ 3:36pm
Johnno said | January 28th 2012 @ 3:36pm | Report comment
Thanks BennO .
January 29th 2012 @ 5:56am
amazonfan said | January 29th 2012 @ 5:56am | Report comment
Johnno, I rarely agree with you, however this is a superb exception.
I couldn’t agree more. I think that Hogg should absolutely be sacked, or at the very least given a lengthy suspension. It is completely unjustiafable, however I suspect that nothing will be done, seeing as how Islamophoia has replaced anti-Semitism as the acceptable form of bigotry.
“I don’t blame him, to have to listen to such degrading nonsense, i’d ask for a refund if i was Ikebal Patel.”
Me too! I loved that comment.
Anyway, great post Johnno.
BTW, regarding Craig Hutchinson’s comment: ““For those asking, spoke at length last night to @RMHogg about his insensitive tweet yesterday, expressed disappointment and accepted apology.”
I wasn’t aware that Hutchinson, one of my least favourite sporting journalists as it happens, was Muslim. His accepting the apology is not only presumptuous (as a non-Christian, I wouldn’t seek to accept an apology from someone who expressed anti-Christian bigotry, as it’s not my place to do so), but completely absurd.
Fantastic article Athas, and after the Curtis Mayfield reference, you’ve done some stunning work in recent days!
January 28th 2012 @ 11:55am
Nathan of Perth said | January 28th 2012 @ 11:55am | Report comment
Really wished they had been more specific about which Hogg it was. After all, theree was another much more prominent Hogg in the papers lately…
January 28th 2012 @ 1:11pm
Tony said | January 28th 2012 @ 1:11pm | Report comment
Hoggy also defended caddy Steve Williams when Williams took a shot at Tiger Woods. Hoggy’s line was that Williams’ remarks should not have been reported because sportsmans’ nights contain lots of, ahem, off colour remarks and should be off limit to reporters.