I just loath the way that the xenophobic, racist, bogong and bigot labels are hurled around by the latte set as soon as someone wants to open a discussion, silly idear or not. Where is all that islamohobic backlash we are all waiting for following the Sydney hostage crisis. Get it through your pea brains my friends, Australia is NOT a racist country. Can the same be said for Saudi, Pakistan, Iran, etc etc. show me an Muslim majority/ruled country and I will show you ALL the above epithets/labels.

In Hinduism some priest walk naked in the street and do not wash expect during a festival ( forgot name) in the Ganges , should we allow that?

I'm quite comfortable with multicultural however it like everything has it limits, and at some point social cohesion must outweigh individual rights. your never going to get everyone to agree where the limits are but the burqa is too far in my view.

"how to balance women's rights and religious freedom."

That statement seem to imply that religious freedom is somehow distinct and separate from human rights, when it is, in fact, simply another human right. I hope that the authors really didn't intend to promote that idea.

Jay of Melbourne,

Good quote, although so far as the West is concerned at present, the only ones recognizing that "strong horse" are some oddballs on the fringes of society.

Gaudlium,
True that:
http://goo.gl/U30tSr
http://goo.gl/PXBBD8
Islam is just another White messianic "forlorn hope":
http://goo.gl/OO2sKn

The most notable thing about this thread is that a self appointed elite have decided that this is something that should be of no concern to the <<plebs>> . We their betters will decide on their behalf :)