"Once meaningful policies are implemented, we can let the migration process run its course, and we will see Australian Muslims, like the Irish, German, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese and Chinese before them, become another colourful tile in the modern Australian mosaic."

And so the ignorance continues. This author compares a religion (Islam) with nationalities (Irish, German, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese and Chinese).

Even Irfan Yusuf goes to great lengths to try to explain that people who follow the Islamic faith come from varying nationalities and exhibit the varying traits of those nationalities/cultures.

Unless Muslims can learn to treat their religion as people of other faiths do - private, separate from state and not all-encompassing in their everyday lives - they will continue to be in the outer.

Islam has a disastrous image; some of the Muslim areas of South West Sydney are no go areas for a lot of people. The “in your face” expression of their faith and hostile countenance of some does not make a pleasant atmosphere. Attitudes to education and women’s rights and an uncompromising religious straight jacket have generated a distinct underclass. I may be pessimistic but I do not see a very harmonious future.

Leigh, I understand and agree with your point. Well played.

While I like the positive nature of the authors assertions I have some concern about the methodology of placing the onus on the government and the taxpayer to fast track Muslims through "successful integration" and guaranteed employments.

(A more urgent focus should be on developing policies which address economic barriers to integration and facilitate upwards mobility of Australian Muslims within the broader Australian society.)

(These programs should focus on areas of geographic disadvantage, and specifically address under-serviced areas such as Muslim women and youth. Such programs will tackle some of the disproportionate unemployment problems suffered by the Muslim community.)

Do not we have in place already programmes of special educational and employment services for women and youth? Do we require special Muslim services to facilitate their integration?

(One barrier is religious discrimination. Hence strong laws against religious discrimination will help Australian Muslims get jobs, keep jobs and gain promotion.)

I doubt the veracity of such a law will help anyone get a job but, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. I know for a fact it will not help anyone keep their job or gain advancement. Unless it's a Muslim hiring a Muslim. Most everyone else will be focused on ability, work ethic and personality.

Having read and reread Imran K. Lum's article {a PhD Candidate with the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne.} I've come to the conclusion that it is a very neat politicalization of the religion of Islam with in Australian society. It's a slight of hand trick in the guise of social harmony. The author reminds us several times as to what could happen if these steps are not taken for Muslims.

I guess the best way to get over a fear of a monster under the bed is to look under the bed and see that there is no monster after all.

And I think there is partly a racial/cultural component to this because when one thinks of Muslim, one usually thinks of Arab or Middle Eastern. So saying its just about the religion isn't completely true. What would the perception be if they were Anglo-Muslims?
Maybe the objection that comes up in this nation every time a different race of immigrants comes in, is a fear of being invaded and of losing land to newcomers; fear of having what was perpetrated on Aborigines - by the founders of this nation - happen to us, the heirs of this nation

It is up to the moslems as to whether they are able to live in our western democratic system. The only reason for any anti-moslem attitude is mainly the fault of these moslems. The problems in Cronulla were the result of a group of arrogant moslems. The problem in France and all other western nations is, as I see it, the attitude of moslems as regards to democracy and freedom. If moslems can get rid of their fire brand seemingly uneducated imams there may be some hope but until they get rid of these rabble-rousers and they themselves accept democracy we will have strife. Regards, numbat

1)Islam is not a race. It is a religion.
2)The issue is not so much with Muslims as with Islam. If Muslims get offended by that, it is their business, not that of the one who caused the offence.

IMO Islam vs. Western values is similar to the ideology wars of Communism vs. Western values of the early-mid 20th Century. Although most Aussies decided that Communism was incompatible with Western democracy, at referendum they decided not to allow the government to compulsorarily dissolve the Communist Party of Australia, because they didn't want to give the government the right to decide which political parties could exist in Australia.

It's the same with religion. Your right to practice your faith is in the Constitution, so long as it doesn't conflict with other Aussie laws, and I can't see the government outlawing it any time soon. However, that doesn't mean the general public accept the ideals of Islam as compatible with Australian democracy. Right or wrong, I think most people's perception of Islam is something like "hold your private beliefs, just don't try and run or change the country with them".

I think understanding religions' impacts on society as more similar to political ideologies' impacts than racial impacts is very important.