Dr Eva Sallis in the article I cited earlier tells us
- "the expressed hostility towards "Lebs" as recent
intruders belies the history of Australia, where people
of Lebanese ancestry have lived for more than a century."

Why these current problems? Dr Sallis says:

"While denying even that racism exists, our leaders
have given tacit approval and support for it through policy,
whether this is policy on refugees, security or Indigenous
affairs. The policy of mandatory detention of asylum
seekers was strongly linked with border protection from
2001, and, as most asylum seekers of recent years have been
from the Middle East and Muslim South Asia,
"border protection" has become protection
from Muslim refugees in the popular imagination."

"Like the US, Australia has new anti-terrorism legislation
first passed in 2002 and significantly strengthened in 2003.
Such laws have helped to validate broader community mistrust of
Arab and Muslim Australians."

"Our government has done little to substantively allay fears of
Muslim and MIddle Eastern Australians generally or to increase
public understanding and appreciation of their culture and
contribution to Australian life."

Dear Hasbeen,

I'm sorry for what happened to your son. My nephew was beaten up
while going to the aid of a young girl in Lismore. He ended up
in hospital in a coma. He has brain damage and he now wears a
plate in his head. The guys who beat him up were Anglo-
Australians. Thugs are thugs - no matter where they come from.
But blaming a whole group of people for the behaviour of a few
individuals to me at least, does not make sense.

Dr Sallis tells us, "Prejudice creates what it fears by
cutailing young people's prospects. Young Arab-Australians
are increasingly ghettoized in Sydney's poor suburbs, where
they struggle for education and jobs. Their families are often
prejudiced against non-Arab Australians, the racism of the
minority and that of the broader society reinforce each other."

I totally agree with Dr Sallis that "we need more education,
less fear mongering, and not least, greater honesty about
the culture of racism that is so damaging to us."

Most people are getting tired of what the government is handing out to the refugees they are coming into our country getting paid for it,i was always to believe that charity starts at home.
What about our forefathers that went to war and now they are letting these same people into our country.

I totally agree with Dr Sallis that "we need more education,
less fear mongering.
Lexi,
I 'd prefer to replace education with logic enlightenment in this context. Trouble is the education system has ensured that no-one's qualified in that field.
The term fear mongering is used by academic experts who fear that any interest sparked into focussing on them will expose their expensive uselessness.
To want to prevent Australia being stripped any more of it's way of life is not fear mongering. It's being realistic & forward looking.

Racism is borne of ignorance. People who are dubious of different religions, such as Islam, become scared of that which they know nothing about. It is easier to research and find information which should eradicate all doubts. There are in this, and other Countries, extreme Christian religious groups, who are just as radical as extreme Islamists. It is fear which generates racism, it is much easier to research and discover the truths than to remain uninformed and become scared, which results in racism.
Let us not forget that we are all immigrants, or descended from the first fleeters. Every one enjoys a relatively free and easy life here. But I believe that people from the Eastern countries eventually assimilate in Australia as the children who are arriving with their families from Muslim countries will assimilate very quickly. As an English migrant, I was always impressed by the Australian ethos, that
gave everybody a fair go.....would that that same attitude reigned once again.
NSB

Well I guess there is always a silver lining.

When Islam takes over in Oz, it will eliminate the same sex marriage debate, & any other same sex argument too.

Dear Hasbeen,

Your remark, "When Islam takes over in Oz," is surely
a tongue-in-cheek remark and you're simply stirring
and not being serious.

People believed in all sorts
of "doom and gloom," scenarios with each lot of
newcomers that came into this country - "especially
those who formed linguistic or ethnically distinct
groups." However as history has shown - they all
became fully integrated eventually.

Still, as Dr Sallis
points out, "A volatile part of our community is
deeply alienated, unable to belong, and another
volatile part has retreated to an irretrievable past and
a mythical notion of racial purity..." But given enough
time, hopefully the younger generations will be able to
sort things out for themselves. Our country's well-being
depends on it.