I don't think Islamophobia is entirely unjustified. There is, I feel, a legitimate fear in the community that Islam is incompatible with Western society/values (evidenced by the way Islamic countries and countries where Islamic belivers are the majority). Where, for example, in any Islamic country or country where Muslims are the majority is there true peace and tolerance of other faith systems, particularly Christianity? It is difficult to find, if not entirely absent.

Dinners hit the nail on the head.
Only yesterday there was a complaint of Christians evangalising in
Afghanistan and that it must be prohibited.
This to others seems very typical.
What chance of preaching Christianity in Saudi Arabia ?

It is the hard line on these and similar matters even by "moderate" moslems that puts people off.

Thats how it is, like it or not. The change is to be made by Moslems
not by the rest of the population.

If as has been said by Islamic clerics, that you cannot change your
principles on these matters, then you should go to a moslem
majority country.

I agree with Dinners, to a degree. I also don't think Islamophobia is entirely unjustified. The sight of someone wearing a full burkha, looking through those narrow slits, is quite disconcerting. Nevertheless, Syed Atiq ul Hassan's article is basically a pretty fair representation of the facts. Fred Nile's Christian view is absolutely reprehensible, but thankfully, Fred Nile has been regarded by a joke by most of NSW for many years. It is a pity that Iemma has been forced to give him an air of respectability.

Syed Atiq ul Hussan (should I call him Mr (or Ms) Syed - we/I have a lot to learn) says that "The media is supposed to work in the public interest". He surely recognises also that the media is supposed to make a profit as well. Editors will pander to people's prejudices, making the prejudice even stronger. He cannot expect a fair deal, except from those organisations not seeking to make a profit.

Religion, of course, is the main problem, but what do we do about it? I believe we should stop funding schools other than those in the public school system. Let them devote Friday afternoons to various religious groups, while the atheists and agnostics attend classes on philosophy and ethics etc. At least the children will be all part of the same school, and there will be a better chance for tolerance of differences to develop.

"Islam"-a-phobia is entirely justified. "Muslimaphobia" is a different matter.

Most Muslims are nominal, and pay little attention to the 'fine print' of their faith UNTIL they are pressured or attacked.
So... that friendly Muslim neighbour.. the Muslim mate at the gym, the nice Muslim lady across the road... no, we don't normally need to have a fear of them. Still, of those who have been charged with terrorism in both Sydney and Melbourne, there are those who deny the possibility of wrongdoing. The ETU along with Muslim sympathiser Dean Mighell have alleged that the arrest of the brother of an ETU shop steward is baseless racism. In other words...if his brother is in the ETU it is 'innocence by association' ...

But Islam... has specific doctrines which only come to the fore when they approach a majority.

JUST like the 'stolen generation' claimed long and loud "IT'S NOT ABOUT MONEY" nowwwwww that Labor (the Champions of the Indigenous supposedly) the calls for BILLION DOLLAR COMPENSATION FUND are becoming increasingly hysterical and LOUD.

So to, when the Muslim community feels confident, has the numbers, and access to power... well the others said it already.

-Evangelism in Afghanistan..

but trendy Trad will just come out with his usual empty apologetic 'Islam is a tolerant religion, no compulsion in religion'

-Bomb attacks all around the world.

"But they arn't true Muslims, Islam does not condone the killing of 'Innocents'" But then, it also defines that the only 'innocent' people are the Muslims.

It's not "Muslims" we need fear, but "Muslims with power and the Quran taken as obligatory.

Does mainstream media benefit from "Islamophobia" ? of course they do, they win on the upswing (warning of the rise of Islamism) and on the downswing (Focusing on 'Islamophobia' and condemning it)

I appreciate David's distinction between justified fears between "Islam" as a system and those of Muslims as indivduals.

The distinction is important, as according to mainstream Islamic interpretation, the religion is a total system. The distinction between state and church is not made, ulema are both jurists and theologians, and individual choice on religious matters is denigrated.

The result of this lack of secular thinking is that Islamic states are almost invariably the most horrendous dictatorships on the planet and possibly without peer in their abuse of universal human rights.

i am against islamic schools, they corrupt the youth. but since ozzies have put up with catholic schools, anglican schools, hindu schools, buddhist schools, i don't see how they can protest against islamic schools. well, it's easy to see: the protesters are dim, narrow-minded ethnic bigots, so what else is new.

religion is a curse, right up there with national fanaticism. so let's do away with religious schools and private schools, and treat oz kids like citizen's-to-be, and give them an equal start, in public schools.