Nice try Abe, but you just don't get it do you. Australians accept and acknowledge difference. But as long as religion is involved, we will have dissension, fear violence and destruction. On one side you have those with primitive minds, who have just recently started to come out of the dark,(christians). On the other, those that not only have primitive minds, but primitive behavior as well, (muslims).

Just look at the muslim Hajj, each year hundreds get killed, trying to throw stones at a man made wall. Now thats really intelligent. They come in their millions just to throw a few stones. Can't you understand why the intelligent people of the world, are becoming increasingly disgusted with religion and the religious.

Then we have the Irish orange and the green conflicts, plus the mighty christians right, destroying everything in their path to gain the oil riches of the world so that they can control it. Destroying cultures and people in their rush to convert, hasn't got them the power they want, now its oil.

Its not cultures Abe, its religion. Because all religions are fictitious, the followers can only resort to violence in the end. They have no scientific, or historical fact to support their delusions. So they resort to threats of damnation, then abuse, then [physical violence.

I would actually feel sorry for the religious, if they weren't so destructive and ridiculous.

I prefer to see them as they are, the despotic and dangerous clowns of the world.

I hear you achelmist.

350 dead at Mecca. That was an act of god wasnt it. if god was protecting us, he would not have let 350 of his followers die just completing a ritual. If anything, and looking at the current world, this Muslim god must be a bloodthirsty one.

When will people stopped being fooled? Take religion away and you are free. I promise. Know their is a ruler out there, but dont waste what little time you have on earth worshipping. God would much rather see you a successful, fruitful person who benefits the world than an avid follower of the man made religious entities.

Australians have had the luxury thus far of being somewhat classless, free from tight religious identity and restriction. We like everyone, we give everyone a fair go, and it is biting us back.

There does not need to be 2 sides, but there is. It is created due to segregation and spending your free time in your own religous bubble.

Go down to the pub, even if you dont drink, we have italians, PNGs, Serbs, croats, Aussies, poms, lebanese and arab, some who are religious, some not. But walk in there at 7pm each night, people are united in having fun, and everyone is friends.

Put people on a level playing field and let them experience all kinds, and eventually they adopt what we hope they do. Racism can leave us if we adopt the paul hogan 'crocodile dundee' mentality. Everyone is different, but everyone is a legend

“This new identity will come to see Muslim Australians to be like Catholic Australians, Italian Australians, Irish Australians … that is, both Muslim and Australian.”

I hope not. Why would do we insist on Italians Australians, Irish Australians etc but think Muslim Australians is OK. Muslims come from many different countries and represent many different races. Many were born in Australia.

And who calls anyone Catholic Australians? I haven’t heard of atheist-Australians either.

We should not identify most people as whatever racial/nationality-Australians, but at the same time further isolate Australians who happen to be Muslim by calling them Muslim-Australians. Muslims themselves tend to describe themselves as such too, but they also need to start thinking differently. We do not have any other religion-Australians. Why should Arabs, Malaysians, Africans who happen to adhere to Islam be any different?

Secular countries are not interested other people’s religions. Religion is a private, individual matter, and tacking it onto your identity is nonsense.

Muslims, like any other religionists or atheists, are perfectly entitled to think and live the kind of personal life they wish to. But we should all interact with each other only as fellow human beings and Australians

Dear Abe,

I am an Australian Muslim and came to Australia in 1996.
In all honesty, I have seen acceptance from all Australians. I have seen some ugly behaviour from youth of Arabic background (to be specific Lebanese) which I have not seen neither in the Middle East nor in Australia from, say, Australians of Indonesian, Turkish or Egyptian origin for example.

Asking the average Australian to 'accept' wrongful behaviour is very unfair. I agree there are always youth problems but we have a specific one which we need to deal with.

Peace,

Alchemist, Realist,
I think it's a little too simplistic to blame it all on religion. Given that there have been many people, religious and non-religious, inclined to evil and likewise many people, religious and non-religious, inclined to goodness, and given that there have been many religious people who have committed destructive acts and likewise many non-religious people who have committed destructive acts, the common denominator of evil and destructive acts is clearly not religion or religious beliefs. It does not follow that removing religion from the equation would remove evil and destruction, so the abolishment of religion is unlikely to bring about the utopian society that you may envisage.

To Fellow Human
Good for you and thankyou for being so honest and fair. Our kids are growing to be spolit little brats with less feeling for the elderly and others each day. The thing is what to do about it. In all honesty i think the center link money must stop. We are a nation living off one third of its people. The workers. The lebs ARE difficult and aggresive as a whole.I would be interested to hear any ideas at all from u as to how best to handle this problem
We need people like you to help everyone. Personally i feel we must be more selective of whom we bring here. We shoul give a 1 year stay or 2 year or 5 year depending on their behavour. What say u.