The only ones you can blame for Iraqis not taking advantage of the situation they now find themselves in (sans Sadaam) is themselves.

Muslims are killing Muslims... what for?

I enjoy Walid's comments but wonder about the world in which he dwells. As a lawyer, and assuming he practises at the Victorian bar, one would expect some reliance to be placed on evidence.

Citing a report from Chatham House as proof of the diminishing appeal of al Queda is a waste of time. The enemies of democracy long ago learned to use what was supposed to be a system of analysis uncoupled from ideology and national interest to provide a veneer of legitimacy for their aims.

Look around Walid and you will see that militant firebrand preachers affect the young much more than clercis calling for restraint. They appeal to the rebellious nature of youth, the alienated and the credulous; provide a new paradigm of meaning and unfortunately, come to believe that so-called holy war is just. A number are then prepared to bcome martyrs. If the fundamentalist clerics practised what they preached, the problem would solve itself, although more lives would be lost in the process.

Waleed Ali often says stupid things, and this has to be the pick of the crop.

I remember his comments after the London attack, that the perpetrators were 'home-grown' British......sure.

They played in Pakistani only cricket club teams, mixed only among their own kind, somehow believe themselves superior to non-Muslims, and so on.

Either Waleed is in denial, like most Muslims, or is being deceitful. I don't want to accuse him of the latter, but in the current climate, what else can one think?

His own Islamic Council of Victoria's website had links to race-hate books about killing infidels as recommended reading!

To be fair when someone (who wrote an excellent report on the two pastors vilification case in Victoria - during which, astonishingly, when counsel for the pastors offered to read extracts from the Koran about infidels to the judge counsel for the ICV objected saying it would denigrate Islam! Even more insane is the judge agreed!)

complained they took it down, but still, how could it have got there in the first place without someone there noticing it?

I don't believe there is much else to say, for to believe that Al-Qaeda is on the wane is to suggest that most Muslims abhor terrorism. To date, all the evidence points to the opposite, from surverys, however detailed, to responses by the Muslim community to racist, bigoted comments from their leaders.

That is how one judges a community, not by the racist comments of a vile Islamic cleric, but that no one protests to have him step down.....

.....Can you imagine what would happen if a Christian preacher called for the murder of those of another religion, or women who dressed in skimpy clothing whores?

Sheik Hilali is the leader of Australia's Muslims, yet this vile used car-salesman of a character hasn't been told to pack his bags.

One can only assume that Muslims agree with his sentiment.

Oh, there have been attempts to remove him, most notably when he went on his PR campaign to Iraq to help free Douglas Wood (during which he was busted of lying repeatedly about the situation - and this man, of this character, is the leader?) but shockingly, that was to replace him with a more radical cleric as apparently Hilali is too soft.

Times don't look good at all. I just hope that things don't get worse because I don't believe that Australians would sit back while their paradise is torn apart from uncivilised, backward, intolerant blistering purple-necks, not rednecks, purple-necks.

Attitudes need to change. People shouldn't feel that they are becoming more western if they get rid of racist practices or traditions based in Islam.

It's about becoming human, getting beyond a tribal allegiance. We are all one, and must abide by those universal principles upon which we can all agree.

No backward belief system like imposing Sharia will work, it must be a situation that all people, of all colours, religions, can agree upon, for everybody should be considered equal.

One mustn't be looked at as inferior for not being Muslim. This attitude must go in order for the very survival of Islam.

But as for Al-Qaeda on the wane, Ali is either using taqqiya or burying his head in the sand.

Think critically, this is a war. We are fighting it blindfolded with our hands behind our backs, against cowards who, despite wanting to live in a 7th century hellhole use western technology to achieve their aims.

In the article you refer to "Deep Muslim grievances". I have heard a lot of people say that muslims have legitamate grievances but I have yet to hear what they are. Can someone please tell me what muslims really want?