"Many Muslims in Australia find themselves caught in the middle of two cultural traditions and wonder if their growing community is being accepted by mainstream society."

Virtually all cultural traditions are accepted by the so-called mainstream thought this pssage and the whole article somewhat raises the issue of what "the mainstream" is).
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"It is my hope and indeed my belief that the new Australian identity will come to see Muslim-Australians as Catholic-Australians, Italian-Australians, Irish-Australians, etc.… that is, both Muslim and Australian."

The difference is the Catholicism v Protestant thing, that the author seems to be alluding to, was still not as much a difference as a Christian v Muslim thing (the then northern Ireland inspire Anglo-Saxon angst notwithstanding).

"People who advocate and promote a mono-religious and mono-cultural Australia may be motivated by a kind of loyalty, but they are hindering the development of a newly emerging Australian identity."

That is true, particularly as the newly emerging Australian identity is one without a religious overlay; at arms length from a religious umbrella.

The real issues in real life are away from people proposing nebulous rewards in an equally nebulous afterlife.

'ere we go again...

Big Nana and Jay of Fantasyland, if you don't think that earlier immigrant waves identified primarily with their roots, I suggest you go and check out the various Greek Clubs that have formed the centre of a vibrant cultural identity for that community.

You might like to look up the enormously discriminatory treatment of Catholics (yes, Jay, many of them were Irish and you wouldn't have wanted your daughter to marry one) and the segregation that occurred within the Catholic community when the waves of Italian migration happened. There were Irish churches and there were Catholic churches and there wasn't much mixing. In some places there still isn't.

If you can stop the vapours caused by the thought of someone wearing a long dress and a veil long enough, you might be able to recall the sight of Greek and Eastern European Orthodox widows dressed in similar garb to commemorate their men lost to war or hard and dangerous work - not to mention the occasional Jewish Orthodox woman.

The article makes a powerful point and no amount of calamatising from the usual antisocial ratbags here will change it.

Wake up to yourselves.

Sorry, of course that should have been "There were Irish churches and there were Italian" churches

I reject the idea of Muslim Australians, Catholic Australians, Italian Australians, Irish Australians etc.
And I'm not being racist or intolerant of religions.
For my way of thinking - You're either Australian or a foreigner.
You can't be loyal to our country and call yourself a Australian citizen if your heart belongs in another land.
What if a war breaks out in your old nation?
Do you suddenly become a dissident and a problem in our country now?

Do I refer to myself as a Scottish Australian because my forefather came from Scotland on a British convict ship?
No, Im just an Australian.

The whole vibe I get from this practice is that were focussing on what makes us different instead of focussing on what we have in common.
And that line of thinking only ends up dividing people against each other.

So for me, I don't reject Australia's multicultural diversity, but home is where the heart is.
If you want to refer to yourself as an Italian Australian, you're not Australian, you're Italian.
If you want to refer to yourself as an Irish Australian, you're not Australian, you're Irish.
And if you wish to identify yourself by your religious denomination, say Muslim Australian, then you are openly trying to take advantage of and highjack our culture.
Maybe a true Australian should be someone who was born here.

If you wish to identify yourself as anything other than Australian, or hold dual citizenship you should not be able to hold office or public service positions.

You talk about the 'Newly Emerging Australian Identity'
What exactly was wrong with our existing identity?
Why do we have to morph into something new to appease those new gatecrashers to the country who may or may not be even Australians yet?
If they don't like it here they should go somewhere else.

Pure religion as describes by Bible
'(Jas 1:27) Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their afflictions, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.'

Pure religion as described by Koran

kill the infidel.

Pure religion as modelled by secularist

its all about me

the last 2 have far more in common.

Runner, what about Matthew 10 ?

21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. ... 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life *for my sake* will find it.