Banjo, I don't think you are a stupid man, but I feel I will have to spell it out for you.

The definition of racism is a "...prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior." (Google).

You are saying we should refuse Muslims the right to emigrate to Australia. This means that the many different races and countries that have people who practice the Islam religion will be discriminated against because of the actions of a few terrorists, if we listen to good ol' boys like yourself. Racism.

A non-racist solution is already being done...we let anyone who fits our quota as a refugee, or someone with qualifications we need etc, as long as they don't have a criminal background, including terrorism. Simple really...and not racist.

Hi Suse,

Sorry, that's not racism: if Muslims can be of any 'race' whatever, and if - as Banjo keeps insisting - that his argument has to do with ideology, not race, then it is quite likely that you are confusing ideology with race, unnecessarily.

Christianity is not a 'race'. Buddhism is not a 'race'. Hinduism, even if practised mainly by Indians, is not a 'race' but an ideology, and should be critiqued as such.

Perhaps if you stuck to the line of argument - that Islam is to be critiqued as an ideology, and condemned in its more brutal forms, and that therefore we need to be wary of adherents to Islam - we might get somewhere.

Banjo's point, that Muslims need to be screened etc. because of the excesses of Islamist beliefs and principles, is an ideological stance. You and I may not agree with it, but that's the tree you should be barking up.

Cheers,

Joe

I don't agree Loudmouth.
If we were to go down that road then why weren't all Catholics screened from emigrating to Australia while the IRA terrorists were causing mayhem in Ireland and England? It wasn't all Catholics who were scrutinized at airports though, it was all the Irish people.
Isn't that the same thing?

Shall we ask Banjo if he is ok with black non-Muslim refugees from Africa, Indonesia, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Afganistan emigrating to Australia? I can assure you it wouldn't be ok with him.

People like Banjo, JOM and Calwest use the current Islamic terrorism problems to push their racist agendas. They want white people, preferably with a Christian European background to settle in Australia, if anyone, and even blind Freddie can see that.

Susie
You are to blind to see that Irish Catholics and Protestants come here to escape the crap they were in. Many Muslims bring the crap with them You fail to demonstrate the reasoning qualities of a primary school student. Your hatred seem to blind you from reasoning.

Hi Suse,

No, I think you are on the wrong track. And I don't recall all Catholics being screened during the troubles - apart from the fact that the unification of Ireland was not a particularly Catholic movement, I support unification for instance, and I'm not Catholic.

And as for your comment that Banjo would oppose ' black non-Muslim refugees from Africa, Indonesia, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan emigrating to Australia?' - how do you know ? Of coure, you have to maintain that, it fits in with your racism paradigm.

But on both counts, Suse - Irish unification being only Catholic, and Banjo opposing all non-white immigration - you really have painted yourself into your own corner: you have to maintain both positions in order to confine Banjo's argument to 'race', but if they both fail, then your whole approach fails as well. Sorry.

Ideology is the issue: should migrants be barred because they may support a particular religion or ideological version of it ? That may be Banjo's point, and that's what you have to argue against. It has nothing to do with race.

And, by the way, come to think of it, the Irish, as a 'race', are not particularly distinct from the English: DNA studies have shown they are almost indistinguishable. So even Irish unification had little or nothing to do with 'race'. And Catholics are not a 'race'.

Joe

Runner, hatred of what? You are the only one who spits venom at anyone who doesn't agree with you.

Loudmouth, I stand by my position that barring all Muslims from entering Australia simply because they are Muslim IS a racist response. If it wasn't, why all the outcry against those who publicly support the move ...eg Donald Trump?

I wouldn't call a religion an ideology either. It is the practice of worshipping an invisible God, as far as I am concerned. The IRA consisted of predominantly Catholics, regardless of why they killed predominantly Protestant people.
My point was that the Australian government didn't ban all Catholics emigrating to Australia because of the actions of a few killers in the IRA.
So why do you think they should do so with Muslims?

We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.