Scout, thanks for Warhurst link.
Timely and puts in an unexpectedly clear perspective some of the stuff turning up in the news today. Firstly, yet another pompous, offensive and sanctimonious lecture from Toad Hall. Howard's patronising and arrogant load of tripe about secular politics to "Muslims"( which ones?), comes from the leader of a government deliberately crammed with right-wing Opus Dei and Pentecostal Fundamentalist nutwigs.
Some of these people are infamous for the lies they hve told about the ABC. By a strange twist, this gives us a clue as to how much veracity we should ascribe to comments they make any one/thing else, doesn't it?
If they'd lie about Auntie, what hope a small and nearly-marginalised community like the hapless subgroups lumped together under the label "Muslim"?
Then there is the whimsical, picaresque proposal from peanut Beazley that even has members of his own parlimentary party wincing in embarrassment ( embers of last week's Steve Irwin/ Germaine Greer contretemps still glowing amongst the ocker anti-thought brigades on the ALP right?).
I reckon any pledges to be signed as to loyalty to this country should firstly come from the neo libs in Beazley's own party, then people like AUSFTA/AWB Vaille, Lord Downer, IR minister Andrews and the imigration minister, whose behaviour has become so gross she has come to resemble an escapee from a piggery. Her decision to pitch out another forty East Timorese brings genuine and incrementally increasing shame to REAL Australians.

Leigh said:

"Yes. There is the Christian Old Testament. But Christians, unlike Muslims, have adapted to modern times, and we haven’t noticed too many Christian terrorists around lately"

Mate, the reason there are no "Christian Terrorists" around, is that neither the Old Testament or New can be used as a basis for such things. While the OT "reports" many atrocities and wars, it does not really 'advocate' them as a general principle. Certainly not in the manner of the 10 commandments, which form the basis of the relationship with God that is central to the Old Testament.

KEITH the 'more' interesting thing about the Afghan Camaleers shooting at the train, was 'why'...... they believed that "Muslims were under attack".... sounds rather familiar.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH MUSLIMS ? asks TurnRightThenLeft...

1/ Those here, we evangelize and leave the result to their own hearts and conciences.
2/ We tell them the truth about Mohamed.
3/ We clearly explain the culture of Australia to would be Muslim migrants and highlight specific areas of incompatability.
-Treatment of Women and good cultural manners toward Aussie girls.
-Emergency Service procedures
-No female genital mutilation.
-No Polygamy nor polygamous family re-unions.
-No underage brides
-No forced arranged marraiges
-No honour killings.
-Intermarraige is encouraged.

We then tell them to make a decision: "Can you and will you live under these conditions and be loyal to the values of Australia"?
Finally, they will be asked this "Will you embrace Australia and call yourself 'Australians' or will you call yourself Lebanese or Turkish or whatever.... ?
This would be part of the visa application process.

(The same should apply to ALL would be migrants)

4/ Those already here. Not much can be done unless they have dual citizenship, in which case I'd ship em out unless they renounce the other citizenship.

Professor Robert Pape of the Chicago Project on Suicide Terrorism says that at least 2 Hezbollah suicide bombers were Christians. The majority were socialists and nationalists.

The thing with suicide bombers is, at least they inflict also on themselves what they inflict on others. None of this pushing a button in an air-conditioned bunker hundreds of miles away stuff.

Irfy... clearly they had not read their Bibles lately.

"Christians" ? I think its time we all read our Bibles again...specially the New Testament :)

There are "cultural" Christians and Biblical ones. Please make the distinction.

That aside, I am certainly interested in the background to their involvment. I'll check it out.

I am unsure if they can be called "Hezbollah" because this is a specifically "Muslim" party and would like to know more detail about what they said about their actions in any suicide note, and what their targets were... may have been against SYRIANs ?
Who knows..... if you have more, please let us know.

Some of your suggestions have merit boaz, but an awful lot of them are already illegal in Australia. You say 'no honour killings' or 'underage brides' but since when has it been legal?

Now these things are probably happening in rare instances, though if it's already illegal the people that are responsible for these crimes clearly don't have much respect for Australian law anyway. If they're not Australian citizens they can be deported, and if they are they can be jailed. What exactly is your proposition in relation to these matters?
I understand that the ultimate goal is to break up the tightly knit muslim communities where acts like this can occur... but bear in mind that increased intrusiveness is only going to increase resentment.

As for the suggestion to 'evangelize' people and let them decide... would you convert if someone tried to convert you to the muslim faith? And as for the 'truth' about mohammed, I'd argue that there is too much interpretation there.

I mean honestly... take L Ron Hubbard. He died 20 years ago, and there are thousands of people who believe he was a stand up guy, but look a little deeper and there's some rather unsettling facts.
There is dissent in opinion for someone who died 20 years ago. How can we be objective for someone 2000 years ago?