captain

A letter from a muslim sheikh to the parents of Australian commando KIA has caused considerable grief to the family and yet may cause some grief to the sheikh if his commando mates catch up with him.

'Sheikh' tells dead Digger's dad the loss was for nothingBy Mark Schliebs
December 05, 2007 05:05pm
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Dead soldier's father told his son "died for nothing"
"Hurt" John Worsley says "we were proud of our boy"
Private Luke Worsely "saved lives of others"

A MAN purporting to be a Muslim cleric wrote to the father of slain Australian soldier Luke Worsley telling him he "can't be proud" of his son who "died for nothing" - then posted the letter online.

John Worsley, father of 26-year-old commando Private Luke Worsley who was killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan last month, received the letter from “Sheikh Haron” just days after news broke of his son’s death.

“We were hurt (by the letter),” Mr Worsley told NEWS.com.au.

“We’re very proud of our boy.”

Former adviser on to John Howard on Islam, Dr Ameer Ali, said that the letter was ridiculous.

"(Pte Worsley) did his duty, like any other public servant would," Dr Ali said.

"This man (who wrote the letter)... does not respect the lives of other human beings."

The letter – topped with Mr Worsley’s home address – has been posted on the internet by the mystery “Sheikh”.



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Do you know more about Sheikh Haron? Email us at news@news.com.au or SMS / MMS 0429 300 245
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“Dear Mr Worsley,” the letter reads. “It is painful but we should be proud when we loose (sic) our dear kids for defending our country while we are unjustly attacked by another country.

“But it is more painful and we can’t be proud when we loose (sic) our kids for nothing!

“We loose (sic) our dear kids for nothing if we unjustly attack to (sic) another country and our kids are killed while the other country is defending itself.”

NEWS.com.au emailed the author through the website where the letter was published but did not receive a response.


Pte Worsley was farewelled at a funeral in Sydney yesterday.

The letter said “it would be nice” if Mr Worsley asked the Department of Defence to organise a ceremony “for the respect of innocent civilians, whether they have been killed by Australians or not".

“It was nice of Chief of (the) Defence Force Air Chief Angus Houston that (sic) has extended his sympathies to your family… but I don’t know why he has not had any comment for the family of three innocents who were killed in that operation.”

Pte Worsley was killed during a fire-fight against the Taliban on November 23. He was part of an operation against insurgent bomb-makers in the dangerous Oruzgan Province.

At his funeral yesterday, Pte Worsley was described as a “hero” who saved many lives and was an inspiration to his comrades.

“Luke was the first man of the team through the door and was met by enemy forces who opened fire at close range, resulting in Luke being killed almost instantly,” Lieutenant Colonel Mark Smethurst said.

“Luke's actions upon entering the room, warning of the enemy threat, almost certainly saved the lives of other members of his team.”

Pte Worsley was the third member of the Australian Defence Forces killed in Afghanistan in the past two months, following the deaths of SAS Trooper David Pearce and Sergeant Matthew Locke in October.

In 2003, SAS trooper Sergeant Andrew Russell died when his vehicle hit a landmine.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0.23599.22874009-2.00.html

Has this sort of thing happened to any other families anywhere else?

Cheers.

S-2

Not in America. Here, fellow citizens stand outside funerals of troops to decry their waste. Sickening.

There have been lawsuits, I believe, to assure the peace-of-mind of these bereaved families against these insensitive and tasteless loons.

God bless your troops.

__________________
"This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski

Dreadnought

Most outsiders dont understand the culture of being a soldier. Bless the soldiers family for he did not die in vain nor for nothing. And I hope his mates catch up to the author in the closest mens room.

__________________
Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

gunnut

Yes sir, there were lawsuits. The father of a slain soldier filed the lawsuit and won a settlement and restraining order against that "church" group that has been disturbing private military funerals for the past 2 or 3 years.

Let me see if I can find the link.

I found this link:
FOXNews.com - Father of Marine Killed in Iraq Sues Church for Cheering Death, Appeals to Public Online for Help - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

I thought the case has already been decided. Maybe I just couldn't find that link.

__________________
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

Dreadnought

Gun,
If Im not mistaken the soldiers father was awarded millions. The court hearing was within the last two weeks.

snc128

impolite sheikh.
a dead soldier is a honoured soldier.cuz s/he had become martyr for the values s/he believed.that is what Islam preaches,and what Turks applied in Gallipoli.
I think this kind of people have nothing to do with Islam.They do not know what Islam preaches.

__________________
action speaks louder than words

captain

I understand what you are saying about Gallipoli and all Australians do appreciate the care the Turkish nation takes of the remains and memorials of the Anzacs who fell at Gallipoli.
In Australia the Turks who have migrated here march every year together with Australian and other sevicemen/women on Anzac day to remember the fallen in all conflicts.
The fact that they do march is welcomed and also appreciated.

The unfortunate reality is, more recent muslim arrivals from the Middle East, Pakistan and India are very hostile to our secullar and predominately christian society and they do claim to represent what Islam is meant to be, pouring scorn on any others who disagree with them.
Even those who were born here seem to be easily radicalised which is very evident when one visits the Australian muslim web sites.

World wide there are literally hundreds of web sites that spew the kind of hatered and condescension that inevitably will do no favours to islam.

I have had a bit of a look around to see what I could find out about this particular Sheikh but all I found was his web site with no clue to his identity.

Cheers.

Khan_Han

Not "Impolite sheikh"...more like FAKE sheikh!!! Kevin Rudd needs to put his weight on this matter and find out who this idiot is...As an Australian of Turkish decent I deplore such stupid and inconsiderate actions. I also deplore the Australian government for giving refuge to idiots such as these! They have no place in Australia and should be deported!!

Albany Rifles

I heard an interview a few weeks ago with the father. He stated he doesn't care if he has to go through the appeal process. The father said he is going after the church overall and each member of the extended family of the "preacher". He plans on breaking them and forcing bankruptcy on them and seizure fo all assets, both personal and church owned. Apparently the father has the resources to keep it going. He won in circuit court...now on appeal to the Appellate court.

I hope he takes them to the cleaners.

__________________
"Always with the negative waves Moriarty, always with the negative waves." TSGT Oddball, Tank Commander

Julie

How did this piece of crap get the father's address?

Trooth

This "shiekh" is unlikely to be anything other than a teenage / twenty something westerner (probably Australian since people tend to pick on their own).

For me the incorrect spelling of lose is the give-away. Someone who rarely uses computers would not make that mistake, and certainly not anyone educated and over 30 (because they are unlikely to ever taunt people as "looooooooosers!!!!").

Unfortunately it is just hate fill **** from someone who, to be fair, may actually believe that the Australian cause in Iraq is a wrong one. Still hate filled **** though.

__________________
The world as it should be at surrealscoop.blogspot.com

Trooth

That's that Westboro Baptist mob isn't it? Bunch of loons who believe that whilst homosexuality exists Americans are doomed to burn in hell (ironically i assume with proverbial trident up their bottoms). They protest at soldiers funerals purely for the shock value - good, let them get shocked by some massive fine. Then they can go to prison for non-payment - they can get up close and personal to some sodomy then.

Cactus

Trooth, here is a neologism for you: "esurgent".

Plenty of second-generation Moslems, as well as kids of rich Moslem families studying in West under student visas, are completely immersed in Western lingo and quite familiar with Western cultural references. Yet they may be completely mullah - more mullah in their faded-hip jeans and plugged into iPods selves than the hapless bearded taxi-driver in salwar kamiz. In many cases the process of radicalization actually starts in Londonistan and Torontabad, the visit to Pakistan just cements the process. Hence "esurgents".

Trooth

My amateur racial profiling would probably have it as someone from a muslim background (the usage of Shiekh is a bit subtle for an angry non-muslim).

However i doubt these things are new. Letters have been around for some time after all. I bet all sorts of black propaganda has dropped through the post over the years.

S-2

Sounds quite trendy, these "esurgents". Sort of like heading off to Spain to fight the fascists in the 30s. Or being the first on campus to wear a Che Guevara T-shirt.