America's population is now over 300 million. A couple of intolerant people, even thousands of intolerant people, do not make America a theocracy. Notwithstanding the issue of religion, Keith Ellison won the popular vote. Fox News may have slandered Barrack Obama but the fallacy was exposed and Obama's poll numbers continue to rise. The author's hyperbole betrays the lack of substance to his argument.

If readers are truly concerned about intolerance they should read James Button's opinion piece in today's Age. Growing numbers of European intellectuals are , rightly, concerned about the new apartheid being advanced by political Islam in Europe. Unlike the few bigots in the United States and Australia who are incapable of actually shaping public policy, there is an alarming unity amongst many Muslims demanding Islamic law, Muslim-only hospitals and severe limitations on free speech.

It is because of its history of freedom that we can set the bar so high for it. Not so in most other countries of the world though where one could be denounced and stoned to death at the whim of a religious fanatic.

Why should we support Islam in a democratic country when it is so inferior in protecting the freedom, rights (and lives) of its adherents?

The real mystery is why would muslims who are famous as freedom loving, human rights protecting, admirers of females be drawn to migrate to xenophobic America, the home of satan?

Cornflower and Sage.

Your posts hinge on the presupposition that the billion-odd Islamic people are all anti-American extremists and blindly follow the ancient doctrine.

I find it interesting that it tends to be the conservative side of politics that supports ongoing action in Iraq on the basis that there is hope for a stable country, while at the same time, it tends to be the conservatives who are for prohibitions on immigration. It's an interesting dichotomy when you consider all the aspects.

One thing I'd like to point out - few people are going to defend the practices of abhorrent Islamic regimes. Yes, they exist, and yes, we want to avoid that kind of situation in Australia.

But in all honesty, the likelihood of an Islamic state being forced on us sometime soon is pretty minor. And like all people, the vast majority of muslims would like to live their lives in peace.
Do we allow this fear to encourage us to mistreat Australian citizens of muslim background?

Irfan,

You made an interesting point.
It is important to keep in mind that those who play the fear card are always in the minority regardless of how loud they are.

There are lots of 'drummers' for collision and clash of civilisations on both sides of the fence and they have their share of media influence.

If history taught us one thing is that 'friction' of civilisations is the first step of integration and finding common grounds. People needs are always the same and except for warlords and newspapers sales, nobody benefits from wars and clashes.

Peace,

T

I know some people will find this completely unbelievable, but this article was not saying that the United States was the great satan or that all Muslim-majority states are inhabited by angels. The real message of the article is found in the final paragraph.