Tolerence is not much of a goal when it comes to human relationships. The goal should be love but love is about being attracted to a person's values and behaviour.

The author says that tolerence is about accepting 'shared humanity'. We all share humanity but we are not attracted to people because they are human beings. We differentiate between human beings. We love some more than others and this is based on how closely their values resemble our own.

I don't think that fear of violence is the overiding factor in the questioning of things like Muslim immigration but I think it is about values. What is important to us is not what is important to most Muslims and that is what makes them Muslims. It is impossible for us to ever come to love Muslims because of this gulf. We cannot deny this without denying who we are. We want to have close relationships with Muslims but they do not want close relationships with us - they do not value love as much as they value Islam. Their hands are tied. They are too afraid of letting go of Islam and loving other people. They become defensive and insular to protect themselves from being attracted to values that they see in the west.

We cannot deny their inability to love. Sure they love their kids and families but they are only open to love to an extent that it does not infringe the basic tenets of Islam. Islam is the major priority and not love. Who would be happy to welcome people incapable of loving others and who are quite happy to parade that fact?

Love knows no boundaries but if Islam is your boundary then you are not capable of much love. I would want to move on to someone else if I was looking for genuine human relationships because as soon as I know you are Muslim I know you are not really capable of love.

Rivka,

There are certain facts which make Kruger's comments valid.
These are:-
1. Mohamed "married" a child when she was 6 and penetrated her when she was 9.
2. He conquered a tribe of Jews, sold all its children and women into slavery and beheaded every male adult.

3. In the Koran, Mohamed specifically authorises the killing of prisoners of war, who will not convert, and treatment of their women as booty.

4. Mohamed specifically requires the discrimination against non- Jews Muslims and women- court evidence differentiation, Christians and Jews wearing specifically identifying clothes, special taxes on non- Muslims etc

This is not a matter of "interpretation". It is straight translation from the Arabic of the Koran and the "ahadith". ( Islamic texts depicting Mohamed's life and teachings-singular "hadith" plural"ahadith").

If young people are reared from childhood in reverence of such a man, a man who, if he were in Australia today would be gaoled as a paedophile and war criminal, the chances are slim of such a person being a worthy, citizen worthy of a vote in a civilised society.

There is a probability of a significant proportion of children so raised ( particularly males) being dangerous lethal costly drags on society.

Certainly many Muslims will grow up to be productive good citizens. It would be entirely reasonable to believe that such productive citizens will be outnumbered by lethal drags on their society.

In fact our current history is proving that to be the case.

This is unfair to Muslims who strive to be good citizens, but it is their belief system which is the problem not ours. Why should we have to cope with a problem brought in , uninvited, by the very people who have to flee their own countries because of the problems created by the belief system they refuse to abandon ?

Is it reasonable to require us to be tolerant of a people whose belief system requires them to be shockingly intolerant?

When your done teaching the Islamic Extremists about fairness and empathy, then you may have your two cents with Sonia Kruger, if you're convinced that punishing the victim is the right course.

Why should Sonia Kruger have to spend time with Muslims?
Is it some kind of politically correct punishment or re-education?
She doesn't owe them anything.

Why is it that we are being subjected to a tsunami of academic, pro-Islamist, commentators presently? Are they afraid of something? And why do they write in a tone appropriate to an audience of high school girls? Is that their usual audience?

Anyway, Rivka Witenberg writes:

a. "[T]here are people who are fearful about terrorism which seems to them to be intimately connected to Islam..." -- Rivka, it is connected to Islam. Remove the academic veil of fog from your eyes. Islamists are attacking the free world. It's really true. Go read the news and their religious doctrine.

b. "Every day we wake up to new atrocities..." -- Yes, perpetrated by Islamists.

c. "If we ignore tolerance then we also jeopardise social harmony and cohesion..." -- Go tell the Islamists.

d. "The message here is that you cannot expect tolerance and acceptance without practicing it as well...” -- Go tell the Islamists.

e. "Reciprocity is about respect between people from diverse backgrounds accepting that every person has equal rights, whether politically or legally irrespective of belonging to either a minority or majority group..." -- Again Rivka, go tell the Islamists.

f. "How can we reduce genuine fear in a world where geopolitical realities are changing so rapidly?" -- Here's a hint from Shakespeare, "... take arms against a sea of troubles, and, by opposing, end them."

It's a war Rivka, they hate us. They hate the free world. They've declared war on us. They are desirous of converting us all to Islam, enslaving us, or killing us by shocking, horrible, nasty ways. I find that sentiment somewhat intolerable and that's not through fear of extinction - it's plain unemotional logic.

Scientific Studies have shown that the best recommended method of banishing a fear is to find out what you can about the cause of the fear then remove the source of that fear.

Sounds reliable to me.

Fear my eye! Personally, I do not fear Islam as Sonia Kruger says she does; I loathe it and totally object to its presence in my country, as I loathe the politicians who allowed and, in fact, encouraged, these barbarians to come here in the name of poisonous multiculturism, which could see the death of our own culture, and the installation of the vile Islamic culture, unless we elect people who will reverse the situation. Islamophobia, meaning fear of Muslims is a stupid word - an ignorant put-down suggesting that Islam is not the problem, it is just our "irrational fear". Rubbish!.