Live for the day when Arab Muslims (and other Muslims for that matter) can get over their ignorance and stop stereotyping others in a negative sense. Can anyone say `infidel'?

In particular, a quick glance at the cartoons section of memri.org should disabuse anyone that is interested of the notion that the problem is a Western one. No shortage of ignorance on display there. That special Der Stürmer - Saudi crossover style we are all so fond of.

This level of hypocrisy by the author is quite an achievement.

I guess Abe Ata loses this round of the propaganda war for Islam.

I think the OOL Forum should ban the flashing from these helicopter adds. They nearly give me epilepsy from the this flashing above, on the side and on the middle. This is too intrusive. It puts me off this site. I will certainly give nothing to UNHCR unless they show compassion to those of us with epilepsy. The overzealous flashing is hard to endure for those of us affected this way.

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With the Arab world, I wonder if burning the Australian, American and Union Jack flags with such anger and offensive sentiments are ignorant stereotypes. How many demonstrations have I seen: anti-Jewish sentiments: burning their papier Mache sculptures of Hassidic Jews burning, and western greedy pig bashing. OK, there will always be a rationale. But this is an anti-western stereotype-all-the-same.

We are not all greedy pigs that are anti-Islam. Why are we cast this way in the ME?

Buddha had a great saying. You want to give me this gift? I don't accept it. Where does the gift go? To the wind or to the crow? I do not know.

Or in the west the saying goes, if the shoe doesn't fit, then don't wear it.

At the same time negative images of Islamic Arabs can incite hate and violence. There is a point that the problem may not be for the sake of offending the Islamic people here, but inflaming hatred that is already here generates Euro Australians to irrationally hate.

There is a difference between being funny and being offensive. We need to agree on the difference. When is not just offensive but possibly dangerous and against our national interest? I doubt the west would have a clue. There does have to be a line somewhere for the sake of peace, courtesy and respect.

PS. Someone please kill that flashing helicopter.

saintfletcher

There is a way to remove the flashing helicopter and other flashing adds.

I do it by using "Mozilla Firefox" as my browser. It is better and more secure than Internet Explorer and free just go to their website.

Then add "Adbloc" as a an add on. It takes a bit of time to get going, (read the instructions first) but removes most adds. Firefox is a serious browser, open source and favoured by most computer specialists - it is a development of Netscape.

There is no doubt an equivalent for Explorer.

The author's own stereotyping of the western culture is making him blind to the fact that all Arabs are not muslems; and all muslems are not Arabs.

Lebanon for example has always been a Christian Francophone country. For many years it was called the Switzerland of the east. Lebanese people are not Arabs. For centuries prior to the islamic invasion of the 7th century Lebanese were known as Phoenicians or Canaanites.

So to lump all ME people as Arabs is a blunt ignorant perception on the part of Mr. Ata. There are great differences that need to be highlighted.

Another example are the Copts of Egypt. They are the true Native Egyptians (not Arab) who embraced Christianity well before the Islamic contamination of their nation. Today they are a minority which is heavily persecuted by Islam.

Iraq is another example, Iran, Turkey, and on and on... Islam is on a quest to Islamise the whole world. And what is the west doing? Scribble cartoons and make jokes of this sombre epidemic.

Because the Qur’an was allegedly given (by Allah) to Mohammed in Arabic it is assumed that Islam is synonymous to Arab.

I watch in disbelieve how these poor arrogant ME souls are proud to portray themselves as “different from the western society" and still expect respect and dignity on their terms…huh!

What happened to nationalistic pride of desecration of our flag? Or worse flinging another flag (terrorist Hezballah) in the middle of a protest in Melbourne recently?

Whatever happened to law and order in this country? Are we so layback that we will let the true infidels take over all our freedoms without a fight?

Great point R0bert and to answer your question to Coach, no the author does not suggest he is a Muslim in fact at the bottom of the article it says, "Dr Ata is a 9th generation Christian Palestinian academic born in Bethlehem". Mouthbreather you seem to suggest Dr Ata is an Arab Muslim too when in fact he appears to be an Arab Christian.

Col Rouge and TurnRightThenLeft I agree and think it's better to have open comment made and rebutted than censorship.

Leigh posted that muslims are the most different migrants Australia has had, I would add, also the most difficult.Never before can I recall such a malcontent mob of newcomers .
Perhaps to import a mix of people who are so totally consumed by such a ramrod ,intolerant religion into a western society where freedom of speech, dress,humour and a complete lack of respect for all kinds of bull dust was a stupid if not downright criminal act.
Australians have no respect for such intolerance, it has no place here.
Now do we like seeing our streets being dominated by an aggressive lot who are spreading their hatred of other Australians. That is racism writ large. And out of place in our easy going society.