Parents of young men and women hoping to get a job in the Australian Defence Force might not know who Zulkarnain Naim is.
But they will see his smiley face on Defence’s latest recruitment campaign.
Naim is a Chief Petty Officer in the Navy. And he’s pictured posing with his father. It’s designed to make parents feel warm and fuzzy.
But it shouldn’t.
After all, the video with Chief Petty Officer Naim starts like this:
The major concern my mum had with regards to me joining the navy was the loss of identity and our cultural heritage – how much I would have to assimilate to be able to fit in.
The Navy has changed a lot.
Twenty years ago when I first joined the Navy fixing aircraft was my life.
Now I’m advising senior leadership about multicultural and multi-faith aspects of our Navy community.
The message is loud and clear. Twenty years ago, people were expected to fit in. Now they get to advise the Navy how it should change to accommodate them and their Islamic beliefs.
That’s all fine and dandy if you’re an anarchist or a Muslim. Not many anarchist parents see their children sign up to put their lives on the line for the nation. And Muslims get to see the world change for them.
But if you are the parent of a child who is neither and they are thinking about serving at sea, it might be a tad worrying.
A cohesive team was previously deemed necessary to win wars. We haven’t seen if a disparate group of individuals will fare so well, but I’d be less than keen to see one of my own children used as the guinea pig in such a naval military experiment.
But I doubt the Navy really cares about that. Naim is not there to recruit budding young patriots from the majority of Australian families anyway. He’s there to promote recruitment from a special minority group: the Islamic community.
As a short aside, we understand that this program remains, thankfully, almost entirely unsuccessful. But it’s not due to lack of trying. It’s just that other armies seem to have captured that recruiting market.
Back to Naim.
He’s also the Chief of Navy’s Assistant Strategic Advisor on Islamic Cultural Affairs (otherwise known as the deputy to the infamous Captain Mona Shindy).
And he told the Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia in 2015 that his job was all about Islamic recruitment, stating his role was to see:
“…better engagement with the Australian Islamic community to understand any potential barriers to recruitment and to promote the Navy as an employer of choice.”
It’s not a bad gig either.
After all, the Navy flew Naim to Saudi Arabia in 2015. With your taxes. And then boasted about it in the Navy newspaper:
THE RAN is primed to represent Australia at the next Prince Sultan International Military Quran Memorisation Competition after observing this year’s competition.
Last month, 27 nations were represented at the prestigious event, which was hosted by the Ministry of Defence of Saudi Arabia.
CPO Zulkarnain Naim, assistant to the Chief of Navy’s Strategic Adviser on Islamic Cultural Affairs, said as the first ADF representative to attend the event, he was able to lay the groundwork for ADF members to compete in 2016 and beyond.
“The competition finds the most proficient defence force member from around the world who can best recite the holy Quran from memory,” CPO Naim said.
“The Quran has 114 chapters and is written in eloquent Arabic poetry.
“Many find it a challenge to read and recite from the holy book in general, particularly if they have not had formal Arabic training.
“The task of memorising the entire scripture is incredibly harder again, but a goal many Muslims set for themselves from a young age.”
Isn’t that nice…
And if you missed it, the Navy is also advertising elsewhere for devout Muslims too…
August 20, 2017
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-20/three-men-to-be-charged-with-committing-terrorist-act/8824648
Q) Where is the most dangerous place to be when you are a Muslim
A) In the wrong Mosque.
Islamic violence coming to a suburb near you!
August 17, 2017
Islam changes and subverts existing culture and law bit by bit as they gain control of offices and committees and units…. until they no longer need to conform to Democracy. Then they replace Democracy with Sharia government…. government by Quran…. same for 1400 years.
Did I mention the bloody process in between? Probably not allowed to mention that here. Same goal for all Muslims it is written in many Quran verses.
August 17, 2017
Where are the Other Ranks advisors to the chiefs on Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists and Calithumpians, not to mention recruitment drives to enlist, now, white male hetrosexual minorities.
August 17, 2017
Quoting this somber section of a 1992 US Government study on gender integration in the armed forces:
A military unit at maximum combat effectiveness is a military unit least likely to suffer casualties. Winning in war is often only a matter of inches, and unnecessary distraction or any dilution of the combat effectiveness puts the mission and lives in jeopardy. Risking the lives of a military unit in combat to provide career opportunities or accommodate the personal desires or interests of an individual, or group of individuals, is more than bad military judgment. It is morally wrong.
August 17, 2017
I once knew a woman who had memorised both volumes of the Sydney Telephone Book. What a sight to hear her going through every permutation of A-Z. The biggest hold-your-breath moment was when she went through the X’s – after all, some pronounce X as a ‘Sh’ sound, some as a ‘Z’ sound. It was fascinating to closely study the fluidity of her tongue movement as she alternated the Sh and Z entries.
QED, the woman would make a great military woman…I mean, personnel. Apologies if I unintentionally offended anyone.
August 17, 2017
And in the workplace that is the Australian Navy, non-Muslims had better be duly respectful of Muslim Favoured-Minority-Status.
These policies are divisive and demoralising. I am sure that is why the Political Elites are foisting this PC on the Australian armed services. To the question, how do they expect to defend Australia’s interests with a divided and de-moralised armed services? – the short answer is: they don’t. And this is the point of the entire exercise.
August 16, 2017
Why doesn’t he memorise the names of all the diggers that have fought and risked their lives in the battlefield as well as all the Anzacs that perished overseas for this country, that should be every new recruits motivation for seeking “employment ” in the ADF.
But sadly the horse has bolted on this issue we’re screwed!
August 16, 2017
This is blatant racism against Australians. What”s memorising a ideological sects book got to do with the efficiency of a fighting force? Do they also pray to Allah 5 times a day???
August 17, 2017
These are like the Free Syrian Army guys who joined ISIS then found their heads in a big pile after ISIS took over each town.
August 16, 2017
Bernard, pity my previous offering was too contentious to post but that’s understandable in this day & age of cultural Marxism. One cannot print a call to arms for fear of the Feds showing up on your doorstep & taking one away in a black hood over ones head never to be seen again – or only to be seen on the small screen paraded as the latest “trophy” in the war to keep our society safe from extremists…..
August 16, 2017
As an ex member of the RAN (1962 to 1982) I find it grossly distasteful that in this day and age we are required to have people employed in Defence with ‘religious specific’ duties such as CPO Naim. So when do we also include ‘specific’ duties such as Same Sex Marriage Advocacy, Catholicism, Protestantism etc etc – The thin edge of the wedge no doubt so wake up Australia.