meredith,
Are you suggesting Indonesia's Muslims do not support terrorism? I am afraid you are totally ill informed about Indonesia. Try Aech, Ambon, Timor, Bali, West Papua for starters, over 25,000 murdered in the name of Allah.

Quote, "Here is a survey from Indoneasia last year, its a huge population, highy Islamic these days, http://www.infid.be/radical_survey.htm#Intolerance%20Is%20Still%20High
this shows not many support total all out terrorism."

Post of atricle: Survey shows significant support for radical Islam in Indonesia ... the implementation of strict Islamic law, with nearly 60 percent saying they want adulterers to be whipped and 40 percent backing cutting off a thief's hand.

The survey ...found 16 percent of people polled refused to condemn terror attacks by the al-Qaida linked regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah if they were committed to fight Muslim oppression. Still, 59 percent condemned the attacks, while 25 percent said they had no opinion.

"It is a worrying phenomenon," said Ulil Abdala, the institute's head. "There is a strong indication that radical Islam is gaining ground. It's definitely something that moderate Indonesian Muslims must take note."

He added many uneducated Indonesians may not have access to information about the terror attacks that have hit the country in recent years or their only sources of information are militant Islamic groups.

Since 2002, Indonesia has suffered three major bombings blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah that have killed 224 people.

The survey, which was carried out for the first time earlier this month, showed many Indonesians support the establishment of laws based on the Muslim holy book Quran.

Fifty-nine percent of people polled backed whipping adulterers and 40 percent said thieves should have their hands hacked off. Meanwhile, 39 percent said they support polygamy for men and 40 percent oppose a women becoming president.

Many Indonesian Muslims also expressed intolerant attitudes toward Christians, with 50 percent saying they oppose churches in Muslim-majority are

Did anyone see Media Watch this evening? It's online at http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s1442946.htm

It's a horrible example of how the media continues to inflame the anti-muslim zenophopia that is present in our world today. A young muslim was misquoted as saying "We will never integrate." What he continued to say was not aired, because it would not raise the ratings that the 7 Network want from their ignorant viewers. He did go on to say ... to the extent of other citizens because of our religion. (or words to that effect). My wife and I are fair-minded people and we think these three young muslim men, leaders in their community, deserve a better treatment than this.

If you want muslim to assimilate then break down the barriers, that are very real.

PLEASE send complaint emails to Today Tonight via their wesite at http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/contact_feedback

Cheers
Andrew

hi Philo, Duec

60% for sharia to me seems as much of a worry as terrorism, but yeh 16% in a country that size supporting terrorism is dam high hey and i know this. I mentioned the huge population. So apoligies if i mislead you there Philo. That survey terrifies me.. its good to read re sharia as it shows blantely what sharia law is, then we move on to acknowlage that islam has not seperated its self from law yet as the west did with xtianity.
i care about sharia, as i am fairly powerless agaisnt terrorism. sharia and islams disciminatry attutide to Australians i can lobby against.

Europe and Canada are 25 years ahead of us and are desperate now in attempts to roll back the PC and MC as sharia legislates with the fast growing islamic population...

i said somewhere earlier today secular adn non secular are liek oil n water.... which one will rise to the top.

to sneaaky peter,
you said:
"the problem we face is that it seems us white bread guys are now the targets. We're not really used to it. We can wear all manner of bad things happening to any other race but bring the trouble home and we go to water.
I guess there are some that will live and die for a good cup of tea ( white no doubt) and a vegemite sandwich."

true

my great uncle was one who died for it in ww2 and my grandfather (his brother) ws shot to smithereens. so yeh thats very true,some would die for it. i dont want to get used to it either.

Andrewc

Watched media watch too. Tks for the link. Will place my protest.

BTW I live in Coburg - suburb of melbourne, big Islam popn. Due to my lifestyle I am out and about at all hours, sing in a grunge outfit, wear a bit of metal, have tatts. But I have yet to be hassled the way meredith claims she has.

Maybe its about attitude - if yur hostile people sense this you get hostility back.

Would all the Lefties, moderates etcetera posting here... STOP trying to force humanitarian, respectable and well informed ideas down the the throats of fellow Right wing posters in this forum.

They don't need your "censorship" or "critical appraisal" or 'evidence based arguements' flaming their opinions and views of the world around us. As you know they find it difficult to fathom their own lack of intellectual depth and sincerity. Give em a fair go! Thanks.

I think the Australian electorate is even less likely to permit any kind of implementation of Sharia law than it would with respect to Chrstian laws - remembering of course that religious-based laws are specifically proscribed in our Constitution. It seems to me that hysterical pronouncements about Sharia law - particularly when tenuously supported by dubious stats collected in Indonesia rather than in Australia - are more likely to inflame hatred and good old Aussie latent racism than anything some lunatic imam is going to say. After all, most Aussies know a religious nutter when they see one, regardless of the religion in question. Personally, I categorise Mohammed Omran in the same loony basket as Fred Nile.

The really troubling thing for me about the current anti-Muslim hysteria is that it simultaneously authorises and facilitates the open dissemination of extreme ideologies that find fertile ground in some sections of Australian culture and society. It's the Yellow Peril again, except that it's not a paranoia based on overtly racist ideology.

I for one am truly appalled at some of the extremely objectionable comments that are posted here. While the cleverer bigots disguise the inherent racism of their comments by claiming 'cultural' incompatibility rather than racial inferiority, they encourage the knuckle-dragging set to more extreme expressions of racial and religious vilification.

It seems like some people actually want to increase disharmony in our society, rather than finding common ground upon which we can all build. Perhaps we can take some comfort from the likelihood that the noisiest and shrillest voices of discord tend to come from the margins of society, where they probably belong.