Just for Rainer.The core components of our national identity.

Firstly; We have to have a good grasp of the English language.

Secondly;Have a knowledge of our sense of humour.Be able to cop a friendly ribbing.Above all,have an open mind and be honest about our foibles.

Thirdly;Have a knowledge of our history,and laws that affords such prosperity to new immigrants.

Fourthly;Have manners and show respect for all people of different backgrounds.

Fifthly;Be committed to Australia by working hard.

Sixth;Treat religion like sex.Done in private between consenting adults.

Could you add to it Rainer?

Scout-Dianna, by the sounds of things, luckily for you and for me,we both live far enough away from the action of what this debate is all about, to not be directly affected by it.

So it might feel great to take a Polyannaish worldview and feel good about ourselves in the process. Personally I try to take a more
empathetic view, wondering how I would feel if I was spat at,
abused, assaulted, threatened or robbed by Lebanese street gangs,
year after year. Its easy to be tolerant, if these things did not
happen directly to me, but what about the victims and their feelings?

Clearly its time for the greater Lebanese community to take some action, to help to bring these gangs under control.

Think about it this way. If you had been the one who was left bruised, battered and abused by these gangs, would your worldview still be as Polyannaish as it is now?

Scout, Albert Einstein also said....

'Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen'

and.....

'The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education'

I think if you worked and played nearby mid east mossies then you'd also be part of the 'shrill and insecure minority'.

Crabby
I've read Tanveer's article and thanked him for it, he's partly right.

Yes Albert Einstein:
Thank you for the insight into your mind Scout;
You do realize he has a compilation of 20 so odd years of CIA files? Not because he was Pantheistic Ideologist ay. Have you read Einstein’s papers on Spinoza? And his wife was a very smart woman. You already know that scout.
But Understanding the point you make is inspirational for those on another tangent, I think Rainer would substantiate that by: “Dream Time”. Please do not forget to wake up. Utopia is great in philosophy, especially when someone else is compelled by
Force to surrender their Individualism and property rights, so the perpetrators are exonerated for their pillaging: Do you love the sensation that others pay for you to exist in a surreal world; is that what you mean?

I have worked, lived amongst and socialised with Muslims since the early '90's.

Unlike many posters here, I am intelligent enough to know that good and bad exists within us all.

No one race/religion or gender is better than another.

Many here have complained about a 'failure to integrate'. How anyone can feel that they are a part of a society which relentlessly, mindlessly and continually denigrates them for their beliefs, the clothes they wear or the colour of their skin.

If I feel hostility, then I avoid that situation. How, then, do you posters who clearly hate Muslims, expect anyone to feel a welcome part of our society?

You have not made a single effort to consider the POV's of others - all you do is complain rather than looking towards extending the arm of friendship.

In effort to undermine reasonable posts you resort to personal insult. I have observed more enlightened behaviour at pre-school.

There is no justification for constantly deriding those with whom you disagree. It is entirely counterproductive and only further worsens a bad situation.

I can only wish that you have some good fortune enough in your empty lives that you may feel generous enough to assist those less fortunate than you.

Have a happy Sunday.

The obvious answer to your question Scout, is you obviously have a emotional impact on these people of unfortunate circumstance, then with these talents; your professional services would be more appreciated at the Genesis of the problem, by fixing the corruption that exists in other countries , by creating circumstances where Good fortune can prosper, then there would be no need for any animosity to anyone: we can visit them and they can visit us, so we all can be happy little vegemite so the lovely people you talk about can enjoy and bath in their Philosophy without denigrating someone else’s existence, You can not rearrange nations foundations to suit ones own purpose , The word is OCCUPATION; not by the antithesis advocates of American Imperialism ; or we become the mirror of what some immigrants ran away from, note some: with out the welfare of course. You have to realize eventually good will has a depletion date- that date is rapidly approaching. The automatic response of Socialist advocates is the primitivism of Looting, rape and pillage. Modernized by Linguistic and psych-epistemology. The end result is the same, Goodbye Society; hello anarchy, Propaganda does not remove the fact, just hides it temporarily. Living in the guilt rider’s existence just attracts more parasites; certainly is not correcting or helping anything or anyone, just compounding the problem. It would be more beneficial if you understood the Paradox of Oxymoron’s and not create more conundrums for more misery to prosper: (Oxymoron) In the misery industry scale; where do you place our society at this moment in time? Politics aside: