Funny Guy of the Year

The controversial Mufti of Australia, Muslim cleric Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilaly and television personality Naomi Robson are among the big winners in this year’s Ralph Magazine Awards.

Read on for Hottest Chick and Rear of the Year Awards with Pics

The blokes’ mag has named Sheikh Taj El-Din Hilaly the Funny Man of the Year, edging out film characters Kenny – the portaloo cleaner-cum-working class hero – and Borat the Kazakhstani journalist.

The magazine jokingly said the sheik’s “absurdist comedy”, comparing immodestly dressed women to uncovered meat, had been misinterpreted as a “sexist rant”.

“One day we’ll translate his comic observations properly and recognise him as the Islamic Seinfeld he really is,” the magazine writes.

Sheikh, who is the mufti of Australia’s biggest mosque in Sydney, was in trouble again on Friday after saying Muslim Australians had more right to the country than people descended from convicts. He told Egyptian television in an interview that white Australians originally arrived in convict chains.

“We (Muslims) came as free people. We bought our own tickets. We are entitled to Australia more than they are,” he said in comments translated for Australian television networks.

The controversy last year over his ‘women as meat’ sermon was a conspiracy to “bring the Islamic community to its knees”, Hilaly said, calling white Australians the “biggest liars”.

Hilaly angered community and political leaders and divided the country’s 280,000 Muslims in a Ramadan sermon last September in which he appeared to criticise heavy jail sentences given to a group of convicted gang rapists.

The Egyptian-born cleric said immodestly dressed women were like uncovered meat left out for a cat.

Prime Minister John Howard said Hilaly’s latest comments would bring a wry smile to the face of Australians whose ancestors came to the country between 1788 and 1850 among 162,000 convicts sent from England.

“It’s almost a badge of honour for many Australians,” Howard said.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Hilaly was no longer taken seriously.

“I’m a South Australian. South Australia was never a convict colony, so I’m very relaxed about what people say about convicts,” Downer quipped.

Islamic Friendship Association president Keysar Trad, a close friend of Hilaly’s, said the cleric’s latest comments were “ill-advised”, apologising for any offence.

Former Today Tonight host Robson has been awarded Woman of the Year, with Ralph saying there isn’t a woman hot enough to fill her “knee-high leather boots” now she has vacated her position.

Bindi Irwin and Deputy Labor Leader Julia Gillard were the runners-up.

Trapped Beaconsfield miners Brant Webb and Todd Russell picked up the magazine’s gong for Man of the Year, ahead of Socceroo John Aloisi.

The Socceroos’ 3-1 win over Japan in their opening World Cup soccer match was the sporting moment of 2006, ahead of Ian Thorpe’s retirement from swimming and the wide bowled by English quick Stephen Harmison as the first ball of the Ashes series.

No men’s magazine poll is complete without the Hottest Chick Award – this year it was given to the face of Australian tourism Lara Bingle.

The Rear of the Year Award was handed to US actress Jessica Alba.

Source: Various

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