My old dad participated in two world wars. Between the wars, he was involved in a bit of village burning in North Africa and even had a brush with Lawrence of Arabia. Add a bit of enforcement in the poor areas of Northern Ireland.... and there, you have a real man's man. Perhaps the sort of bloke who would appeal to the martial instincts of some of our posters here.

Yet in the end, he told us kids that hatred was only another form of fear.

My advice.... don't be afraid!

Bronwyn, stand up and take a bow.

yabbi
you were not exaggerating you were telling an untruth. Let me explain. When we have a big group of people we call them the majority. When we have a smaller group of those same people we call them a minority. Now when the minority do something bad we say some of the majority are misbehaving. Not "all", not "most" but SOME!!
Some anglo racists were acting up at crunulla & some Lebanese [40% of Lebanese are christian NOT muslim] racists were acting up too. NOT the majority of either group. Got it now?
:D

Although many will disagree, largely out of ignorance, it ALL comes back to ISLAM.

As one who has studied Islam, and no, not the Karen Armstrong version, non-Muslims are sub-human. I doubt that these Lebanese youth read the Koran and quote it before they bash or intimidate whites, but they do grow up in homes where westerners are despised, our values are naught.

I have heard Islamic leaders say over and over again that the veil is worn for modesty reasons. By Default, ANY WOMAN WHO DOESN'T WEAR THE VEIL IS, to use a euphemism, impure.

Further, Muslims don't think critically. Salman Rushdie? Apostates, adulterers, are to be killed? Any thoughts Bob Brown on Islam's view on homosexuals?

Islam holds the distinction of being the ONLY religion which sees it's duty to eradicate all others. This is not interpretation, this is fact. Islamic scholars unanimously accept that Islamic tenets include JIHAD, which is to bring Islam to the whole world by ALL means.

One ONLY has to look at the reality that these problems occur all throughout the Islamic diasporas in the western world. What more does anybody need to say?

Benjamin,

Well said. Only when we know our common enemy can we live together in peace and without suspicion and distrust.

Loyalty in Islam (to Allah, his Prophet and the holy faith) is dearer to than anything else including life itself.

True and faithful Muslims are committed to living according to their Qur’an.

All Muslims are brethren, equal, without least discrimination on account of race or mother tongue. Therefore they all abide in the same teachings. No room for moderate or nominal mslims.

"The most noble among you is the one who is the most pious” (The Qur'an)

The believers are required emphatically to do whatever they can to defend and propagate Islam, as the best and the truest way of life for all humanity.

This, in Islam, is called jihad or the struggle for the defence of their faith. It can take many forms, depending on the circumstances.

Should the conditions demand the collective use of force so be it.

A person meeting his/her death for the cause of jihad is called a martyr. Their’s is a truly divine place of unparalleled honour and distinction in Paradise.

"Think not of those who are slain in God's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the Presence of their Lord" (The Qur'an).

"To fall a martyr in the cause of God atones for everything except a debt." (Muhammad’s tradition)

Martyrdom is not restricted only to death. Any Believer who is persecuted, punished, beaten, insulted or tortured for the sake of Allah will be rewarded most lavishly in the Hereafter

Coach, i'll try avoiding the more violent suggestions included in the christian bible!
Yourself & Benjamin appear to take quotes from the Koran(sic) literally, & out of context. As when interpreting the bible, one must take into account-
When the bits were actually written, the social conditions at that time & the context. I'm sure mohammed had no intention of his followers going out of their way to kill themselves just to satisfy a pathway to heaven. The quotes Coach & benjamin put foward intend to cover situations of extreme personal & social challenge (all out war etc).
It is true some followers of Islam today do take the suggestions literally. These are the problem, a psychotic attachment, not Islam as a whole. Do not dismiss the fact that white christianity has its anti-social fundamentalists. I place George Bush & other prominent westerners in this category.
I'm actually almost impressed with Sydneys response to the Riots. Hazem Elmasri probably did more to quench the heat at Lakemba than anyone else, Stevens did his bit too. Prominent community leaders have come out in droves..good stuff..
I don't listen to Alan Jones - I hope he's admitted to have taken the wrong approach.

Bosk"I Don't understand."There is a lot, Bosk you and your ilk refuse to understand.For a start the enraged Anglos were manipulated by the neo nazis.They went on a blind rampage choosing innocent victims just like the Middle Eastern ferals who have wrought such vile hate and chaos on our city that our State Govt is primarily responsible for.You and your PC brothers in arms have a lot to answer for.

The only way to solve the problem is to confront it.Just listen to the ABC on a daily basis and they constantly divert and switch the blame to some social maliase perpetrated by the Anglo Saxion race.

Unless the Middle Eastern community face the reality of crime in their community,it will only get worse.Over 50% of crime in our State is perpetrated by people of Middle Eastern origin and they make up less than 2% of our pop.

I"ve noticed Irfan Usuf take a more defensive stance recently and is no longer calling for Muslim reform.I think that the Muslim community is also terrorised by the extremists and the criminal element that they dare not compromise their position of the oppressed minority .We seem to have this chemistry of religious extremists and criminals in a symbiotic relationship.It is all about power,their common goal.

The chaos of their leadership,that has the ears of our academics and pollies,is a very dangerous mix.No one wants to take them to task for fear of being called racist or religionist.

I just can't believe how this urban terrorism perpetrated upon the "Skips"has gone on so long without serious reprisals from ordinary Aussies,and you dare to call us the general pop who has put up with this for years the racists and intolerant ones!

The era of the PC left and their manipulative lies is rapidly coming to an end,thanks to forums like this and talk back radio, where left wing journos no longer dictate the agenda, nor what really matters to ordinary people.