My name is Lukey. I'm new to this forum.
BOAZ_David, I share your concerns about exploitation of children. Can anyone enlighten me as to how practicing Muslims generally are aware of this behaviour by Mohamed? Is it seen as acceptable?

I do not care if someone is Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, Hindu or Wican.

I do not care that someone was, like me, born overseas or born here.

I do believe, however, that "assimilation" is the only moral outcome of social evolution.

Multi-culturalism is a "transition process" which enables us all to retain and share the "best" of our countries of origin.

"Assimilation" is the process which "generationally" follows "multiculturalism", to meld us all into "Australians", where regardless of the spelling of our name, or historic religous preference or cultural origins, we can all stand equal as Australians.

So why do I feel "Assimilation" is the only reasonable, rational and moral outcome?

Well for this one simple reason -

The alternative to "Assimilation" is "Segregation".

Dr Martin Luther King gave his life in the pursuit of "integration" (Assimilation is a simile for integration).

I for one will never support anything which promotes or entrenches the evils of segregation

Col, I like your most recent post. The tricky bit seems to be finding a workable means of defining what level of assimilation is required.

I started trying to write a list and most items seemed just as relevant to people born here as those who have come here from oversea's. Language seemed to be the only item which really applies to the foreign born more than the locally born (I have not tried to address the original inhabitants language issue).

- Sufficient skill in the predominant language that language is never an excuse for failing to meet legal obligations (understanding no fishing signs etc) or to stop you supporting yourself.

The broader social obligations - what I would "like" to be the core for all people living in this land.
- Obey the law of the land
- Mix outside your own social/cultural/religious grouping. Probably unenforcable but if we don't want segregation something we need.
- Respect other peoples right to choose differently to you even if it does not suit your world view or if it makes if difficult for you to follow your religion (if you have a lust problem because of how someone dresses that's your problem not his or hers).
- If the culture here is really distasteful to you move somewhere more to your taste. This applies regardless of where you were born.
- Take reasonable steps to ensure that your exercise of freedom does not unfairly limit someone elses freedom (again hard to enforce). Personally I don't want church bells or calls to prayer ringing out to loudly in my neighbourhood.

Maybe there are some other core things that could go there (or maybe the list could be shrunk).

Cheers
R0bert

The best example of assimilation that I have come across came recently from my chinese greengrocer. He told me that when he came to Australia ten years ago, he was really shocked to find that locals considered the government to be the enemy of the people, but as the years went by he realised they were right!

Your right, the government will never assimilate with the people, should we ask them to leave first.

We can safely sat that most Muslims will assimilate into the Australian way of life, but not into its bad cultural habbits. The problem arises when Muslims wish to introduce Islam as a religious political and legal system. It by its very nature and structure is exclusive of all religions and personal democratic freedoms. They cannot coexist. Most Muslims dream of an Islamic State. The Taliban almost achieved this ideal, before America bagan its war on terror. They want a State based upon their understanding of an absolute moral lifestyle. It is opressive to ordinary people that is why we had so many refugees fleeing Afganistan.

The Jewish traditions and Talmud that influenced much of Islam's Shari'ah laws we can recognise in Jesus outrage at the religious oppression of the common people and his berating of these religious zealots. I speaking as a follower of Christ Jesus have to reflect the attutudes he espoused: Religious law is too oppressive and destructive of good relationships. Hence his emphasis on forgiveness and love as the basis of society.