The "Australian identity", presumably by 98% of the Australian population, scares me more than the "Muslim identity" by presumably only 2%.

“The second posits that if Australians were more knowledgeable about Muslims they would express more favorable opinions of Muslims and Islam.”

This is not necessarily the case. It is not relevant to know the details about a particular religion if you have already concluded that it is not relevant to know about religion. We do not need to know or understand the religious behaviour of Muslims as distinct from Christians of Jews – we just need to know that all religious behaviour is ultimately damaging society.

Australians are indulging in less religious behaviour as each generation passes. They are less inclined than ever before to deal with reality by resorting to religious practices. Religious behaviour does not permeate our society in the way it once did. When new arrivals come from predominately Muslim countries where most people respond to reality with religious practices they are challenged. They are forced to face the reality that religious behaviour is not the best way to deal with the things that life throws up. This is very unsettling for them but it is a truth that they have to face for their own good. The frustration and fear they have to deal with as a result of coming to Australia poses two options for them. They can try and hang on to religious behaviour and mould the rest of the country to their ways or they can face their own ways of doing things and change.

This is not a challenge to their culture or to their religion – it is a challenge to their humanity. It is an invitation to be more human and thus to be of more benefit to establishing a harmonious society. In this way coming to Australia may be the best thing that ever happened to them.

It is also very manipulative to play the ‘culture card’. Claiming that Islam is a fundamental part of their culture is very misleading. There are great things about their culture which we should embrace but Islam is not one of them.

The word Muslim in this country has become a euphemism for Arab and it's now used in a dishonest and counterproductive way by self styled "Anti Racists".
For one thing there's never been any such thing as an "Irish Australian", "Italian Australian", nobody spoke in those terms when I was growing up, Irish were Irish, Poms were Poms, Greeks were Greeks and the migrants and their kids certainly didn't think in those terms.
This "I am, you are, we are" nonsense is a relic of late 1980's-early 1990's Anti Racism, back when they still had some clout.
What's obvious is that Islam isn't the problem and the more "integrated" Arabs become the worse they are, the Lebanese in particular have been consciously de-assimilating as time has passed and the second and third generations have matured.
The pre 1945 Australian culture is gone, it's been purposely destroyed and denigrated, the succeeding Civic Nationalism and Multiculturalism of the 1970's and '80's is also defunct, what we have now is a cultural vacumm.
I don't know how a melting pot can operate in a vacuum, logic dictates that the fire would go out.

I grew up with children of post war migrants. Whilst the parents may have still considered themselves Greek, Italian, Polish etc. Australians, the children certainly didn't. They considered themselves as just Australians.They did their best to integrate into the local culture and considered themselves Australian. They certainly didn't ask for separate services like access to swimming pools without having to share with the general public. Nor did they express offence at the sight of our symbols of celebration, like xmas or Easter.
But watching interviews with second generation Muslims,these people seem to still identify more strongly with their parent's birth place. " I am Lebanese" " I am Iranian".
There is no attempt to support the cultural values of the majority of the population, rather a distain for them, an attempt to distract away from them and towards the muslim's feeling of discomfort at having to see them.
We never hear complaints from Budhists, or Hindus , only Muslims. Which doesn't bode well for future relations between the groups.

Dear Nana,

<<We never hear complaints from Budhists, or Hindus , only Muslims.>>

That's because you never bother to listen unless complaints are accompanied with violence and threats of Jihad.

Non-Violence is the primary religious practice of Buddhism and Hinduism, which is why you will never be threatened by us in the way you are threatened by Muslims. This however doesn't imply the lack of complaints or that your culture is superior and worth assimilating into.

What brought them here?

An opportunity to recreate all that they rejected to come here!? We need to tear down that wall and those ghettos!

And leave these (angry) people with no other choice than to mingle, send their kids to our schools, muck in and take a turn or two manning the tuck shops; exposing us to their customs/attitudes and them to ours!

And when they've done that; if where and what they came from was better (b er)? Hike on back!

Sorry, but I'm offended by the sight of a dutiful wife trotting several paces to the rear, and red faced with exertion, carrying everything, including bubs and the shopping; (well there won't be too much of that now, will there!?) While his Majesty, sets up a cracking pace up front, all while he alone fills his face with a sweet treat or icy pole; and entirely on the public purse!

Our town occupies a natural amphitheater, and the sounds of women and kids being brutalized into submission almost daily, echoes throughout the place/robs me of my sleep/serenity!

And no you don't have to be a permanently angry Muslim to brutalize those you're charged with protecting, but I guess it has to help!?

And there they are the very next day, down at the local Mosque, telling Allah the merciful, what wonderful husbands and fathers they are!

That's not how it's done here, R sol!
Rhrosty.