Irfan,

The mention of "armchair Nazis" in your simple questions no doubt highlights your frustration.

You are missing a point though...

First, no doubt Islam is a threat to freedom and democracy and MUST be challenged at all time. It's call VIGILANCE, a bit like periodic chemotherapy to counter the growth and spread of a cancer. (You may not liken Islam to a cancer, but that's besides the point).

Perhaps you cope quite a fair bit here as a Muslim. But let's face it, you do enjoy your life-style in Australia, don't you ?

Alternatively, what would your life be like in an Islamic state? Cordial brotherhood all round? With your stature, you may even be a well respected elder there.

So which is the lesser evil for you?

If your life is better in an Islamic state, then it confirms freedom and democracy is not for Muslims. We should do the right thing by Muslims - deport them all to Islamic States where they have a better life.

If however you see the merit of freedom and democracy here, then do accept you have to put up with the side-effects of periodic chemotherapy against that cancer. It is PART and PARCEL of Islam's co-existence with the liberal west.

You are asking too much if you expect us to drop our guard against Islam.

I reckon I agree with most of the comments to some degree,
but point out that the article is written by a lawyer. These people are able to debate a point very effectively whether they agree with it or not.
Everyone I know from ethnic backgrounds has a desire to fit in with the laid back way of life we currently enjoy. I admit, I dont really know any moslems. My limited experience of the moslem faith includes an Australian family in Bankstown somewhere where they built a mosque and tower to blast out the prayers at high volume. There was no consideration of these residents' desire for peaceful suburban life.
The other experience was at Holland Park in Brissie where some new neighbours rocked up and erected a 4metre high tarp round the place, and the wife stayed behind the tarp. Presumably curtains or establishing a garden is not sufficient.
Newspapers only print what people want to read, interpret it how you will, but the Australian speaks for a more educated demographic than some other papers.
The hysteria of Cronulla or the Skaf brothers are grist for the mill in regard to redneck denegration of one faith over another, All faith should be phased out as should cigarettes, politics, concern over the wheat board and ridiculous petrol prices.
As previously stated, why arent people asked at the metaphoric front gate "do you REALLY want to be part of this?"
Some can manage seemingly well i.e. the seikhs at Coffs and FNQ, ...well you get my point?

Many interesting posts, however I do firmly believe the author of the article is portraying himself as a victim.
I actually lived side by side with Islam for two years, as well as other religions, even had a Muslim worker in our own home for that whole period and I must say, my interaction with such people at that time, left me with many very pleasant memories.
SADLY, the branch of Islam I was familiar with, was NOT of Middle Eastern heritige but ASIAN.
It was also very pleasant to witness people of differing religions cohabiting together extrmely well without rancour, arrogance or vilification, something I find very rampant with people of M.E. back ground.
Frankly, I'm very tired of hearing how difficult things are supposed to be for these Muslim emigrants and would suggest much of this difficulty is brought about by their own actions and behaviour.
With all due respect to them for their devotion to their chosen religion, I'd suspect things would go much easier for them, if they began to treat their new fellow Australians in exactly the same manner that they themselves would like to be treated.
They may be in for a very pleasant surprise.

Boaz,
Is that really what you take from Romans 13?
Doesn't it, like a lot of Paul's letters, actually go to the fact that living a life in accordance with christian belief is living in accordance with the laws of the land? Does it not go to how to live a life of love and decency?

Perhaps Irfan and/or other Muslim posters might say where a living a christian life would contravene sharia law: at least in so far as there are any religious prohibitions contained in sharia law, and to the extent they have an idea of what a life lived in accordance with christian belief might be.

odsoc

I am beginning to suspect that some people here are not actually Australian. Certainly, they are not acting Australian.

Thor is mouthing off at left-wing liberals (capital letters and all) suggesting he is an American. It's never made sense to me why a liberal is left-wing. The US has enough racial troubles without having those problems imported here.

David BOAZ want to send the Army into the suburbs. So perhaps he's actually living in some place where that happens, but its unthinkable to a real Australian.

GZ Tan makes an interesting point about chemo, but he seems to be very confused about its use. Australian chemotherapy called the Anti-Discrimination Act and it's used to make sure our freedom and democracy is protected from cancerous bigots and racists.

Unless there is something wrong with Australian values, which there isn't, its gonna be another "turkey shoot" (I put that one in for Thor.)

I notice these last posts have making very general statements now, because every time they say something specific, it gets skewered. Just like BOAZ with his tribal demographics. He wasn't able to handle real ABS statistics last time, so he now uses fuzzy maths.

They remind me of a nasty gang of thugs called 'National Action'. They put out a lot of grafitti about Asians and cowardly attacks. Of course, thanks to Bin Laden, today it's muslims who are "fashionable" to accuse of everything under the sun. Bin Laden must be so pleased with the likes of Banjo, kactuz and numbat. He's saying to you "keep up the good work!"

Jimmyj,

First when you say Sharia law I assume you are talking about the criminal justice part of it. Correct me if my assumption is wrong.

- I would take the UK stats with a grain of salt. Questions should separate family, inheritance & custody laws from criminal justice laws.
- I would be surprised if more than 10% of Australian Muslims would want to see Shariaa law in Australia. The Australian Muslims are non-reflective since the majority are Lebanese/ Shiite Muslims. I think it will be much less in sunnis.
- Would you prefer Sharia law? If a Muslims does not want to live under Shariaa law is it a sin?

The 2 questions are linked:

First, Shariaa laws are contextual and meant to be protective and preventive rather than corrective. The debate between Muslims is taking two views:
- ‘The literals: ie the sentence should be applied as is. (like Dr Qaradawy for example)
- The moderates or pro-modernisation (like Dr H. Hanafi) who say that the context should apply (ie harsh sentencing) but the content is not relevant for today. For example, a drug dealer or a rapist will be executed or locked away for life is equally harsh context to what was carried out 14 centuries ago.

The literals schools of thought are dominant in certain Muslim practices like Shiite (Iran), Wahhabis (Saudi) and one strict sunni practice known as Hanbalies.
Majority of sunnis are more likely to think in contexts and modernise using precedents.

Peace,