Salam, even though you have tried hard to make out you are one of us, (true blue Aussie), you still persist in being derogatory towards our way of life. Trying to conceal, yet putting forward your so called superior religious viewpoint.

Your head scarf shows your true colours and allegiances and they aren't here in Australia. Otherwise you would be following our social ways and wear cool comfortable clothes in this climate, fitting in with us instead of trying to force your despotic values down our throats.

“We were disgraced in the eyes of the world last year “

Thats is simply not true and is just your way of trying again to make us feel bad. Sensible people in the world supported us, for finally standing up to the religious bigotry we have to put up with from your lot.

“Is Australia Day just an excuse to have a day off work and get drunk, or does it hold a little more value?”

It's easy to see that you have no idea about Australians. I can understand that, considering your religious desire to show us as fools and your despotic religious ways as sensible.

“If people fleeing war-driven countries and other nations where they have few basic rights to come here, isn’t enough to tell you we are a lucky country, I don’t know what is.”

We will continue to be a lucky country despite those that come here trying to enforce their violent religious cultures upon us. Your manner, dress and expression give you away. I would like to see you write something that doesn't put this country and its way of life down and A photo of the true you, instead of one bound in fear. But from you previous articles, I doubt you have the capacity.

Ms. Zreika continues to demonstrate her unworldliness, naively believing that the “world” has taken more than a passing interest in the Cronulla stoush. It was a first for us, and could even be a one-off, whereas in most parts of the world it is commonplace. Much of the world thinks we are Austria, and the rest of it thinks our Liberal government is left wing, as it would be anywhere but Australia.

Her contradictory writing trips her up when she advises that we are a “world-renowned laid-back country”.

There is no controversy surrounding our Australian flag. There is merely some continuation of the nutty beliefs of some disturbed people and a few very unusual localised amateur politicians who can’t make the grade in the big league of State or Federal politics.

On the positive side, Ms. Zreika herself has a sound attitude to our flag – a happy contrast with a certain leader of the Opposition who not so long ago opined that flying the Australian flag at schools was “divisive”.

I also applaud her attitude to Australia Day. Unfortunately, many people who regard themselves as “true-blue” do regard the day as just another day off work and an excuse to ‘celebrate’ by killing off more brain cells than they can afford to lose. Then there are the people who think we should ignore it because we might become too nationalistic like those ‘dreadful’ Americans

Hi Salam

You are starting to approach the right track. You need however to take a little advice from Dirk Moses when he says

‘…we have been presented with the entrenched positions, staked out and clung to with dogmatic tenacity. Little critical self-reflection is evident,… writers give the smug impression of already having all the answers.’

We are't a nation of violent racist boozers.

None of us feel represented by the violence perpretrated before, during and after the Cronulla riot.

Before you start saying,

'If you had asked me ten years ago what word I would use to describe Australia, it would have been “multiculturalism”. If you asked me the same question today, I would still answer with “multiculturalism”.'

you need to define, as Irfan suggested, Multi-culturalism.

That's reasonable. Before we have a society with 'a backbone of national unity' we need a common understanding of what multi-culturalism means.

I invite you to come into this forum and give us your definition.

Now I'll give an example of Dirk's 'critical self-reflection'.

I've often asked why has there been a deathly silence from the Muslim community when it comes to condemning the violent behaviour of some of their youth.

I’ve held it a case involving, in some negative way, the Tenet of Muslim Solidarity. I’ve believed that tenet hindered a merging with the greater community.

I might have had my mind changed.

I visited a web site Moses referenced. I was enlightened. I was absolutely stunned by the following statement:

‘We are supposed to make excuses for our brothers & sisters in Islam...not turn on them at the first oppurtunity..’
(http://forums.muslimvillage.net/).

My new view is as follows:

Ned Kelly and his extended clan would give this sentiment a rousing cheer of approval. I’d never looked at the tenet of Solidarity in such a way. This simple statement adequately answers my inquiry and reasonably explains that deathly silence. I also believe such a sentiment could be understood and a mutually acceptable way could be found to incorporate it within the operation of our common legal and enforcement systems.

Regards Keith

Multiculturalism was a wishful concept that has never really worked in reality. It was a government invention to cover up their inadequacy and impotence to control the monster they have unleashed through indiscriminate and naïve immigration policies.

There is something immensely wrong when second or third-generation Salam can believe the society in which she lives in is evil to the core (and needs to be destroyed).

>> Is Australia Day just an excuse to have a day off work and get drunk, …<<

Who can forget the cheering in the Islamic schools and in the suburban streets after 9/11?

Who can forget the applaud to radical anti Australian speeches in our town halls?

There is something wrong when multiculturalism allows Muslims to attend mosques that continue to spew Australian hatred in the minds of its believers.

As a step forward to a unified Australia, we should insist on the right to know (on our terms and not some PR open day) what is being taught in muslim schools and mosques.

Maybe it is time for the muslim community to break their deafening silence and come clean and show us what they really teach under the protective shelter of multicultural PC.

Perhaps it is time to say, we have welcomed you in your time of strive - now this is the way it is here, you are NOT welcome to take our country and change our culture.

No matter how much you try to make us believe you have good intentions for this country we know exactly how you feel inside. We know what’s in your heart and we must say: NO thanks.

This is a very angry article with flavours of inverted racism.

It's getting to the point where an anglo-saxon christian who likes a day off work and has a few drinks should be ashamed of themselves.

"Will there be racial tension leading to more riots?" Were the riots about being "australian?" Most of those involved were youths, which says more about social cultures than racial tension;

..."disrespect to indigenous australians...". Celebrating Australia Day on 26 Jan is more about european settlement than about indigenous australians.

"Is Australia Day just an excuse to have a day off work and get drunk, or does it hold a little more value?" That's like asking christians if christmas day is "just" another holiday - Well, yes, but it doesn't mean they're not christians.

Was I reading a different article?

Isn't this a typical soft-left piece on the value of tolerance? Isn't she advocating celebrating Australia Day and singing the anthem in school?

you guys are carrying on like it's an al-zarqawi speech.