TNT,
You may be interested to know that for the month of February 2007 there were 237 Islamist attacks, involving 17 countries, which left 1716 people dead and 2884 people injured. Iraq was the worst and of the others about half I consider to be Islamic ruled. I would not consider any of these safe places to live. Only 2 countries were western i.e. USA and Israel, with one attack each.

Someone mentioned Indonesia earlier. Well Indonesia did not score any attacks last month, but there have been some horrific attacks over the past few years. One could class it as a country where anything could happen at any time.

I cannot see any Islamic ruled country being as safe as we are in AUS.

Banjo, blaming a particular religion for horrific acts is as simplistic and narrow as using religion to justify them. It's about on par with blaming Marilyn Manson for the Columbine massacre.

PS: How about Brunei? Dubai? I've been to both..their...airports, at least, they seem pretty safe and democratic to me. Then again, they're relatively wealthy countries. Maybe its the horrific poverty in the other Islamic countries that contributes to the violence and terrorism and crazyness. Or fascist governments, for which Islam is often used as justification, much like many other religions have over the years...

I think it is OK to 'accuse' someone of holding religious beliefs. I accuse every person who believes in invisible supernatural beings that made the universe and continue to lord it over life, of insanity. and I accuse those who want to force others to live a certain way because of such beliefs, of cruel and inhumane insanity.
And it's not only Muslim countries that persecute... check out the devoutly Christian countries of Africa, such as Cameroon.

Anybody who believes that the law applies equally to all in Australia is greatly delusional. Today, we have seen a White Australian sentenced for 11 months for throwing a punch and organising a protest rally.

Wasn't it only a week or two ago where Islamic Lebenese who smashed concrete slabs against the head of a white Australian man, broke his jaw, eye socket and more damage yet every single one of these Muslims were sent home with barely a slap on the wrist.

As they left the court, one of them sent out a threatening message that they're coming back. With Aboriginals and Black American's running violently around the streets when they get upset, none of them going to prison for their violence.

Yet the white Australian is savaged as a racist, as a white supremecist. I put my fellow white Australian's first and last. If that makes me a racist, then so be it.

Remember that Asian's are having street fights with Muslims in the streets too as the Leb's attack Asian women. Obviously, these people are unfit to live in Australia, deserving to be deported, no matter how long their family line has been here.

Boaz - you make a valid point about Obama, but would you be criticising someone who made their platform assisting disadvantaged aboriginal communities? It's different of course, but I'm interested in your answer.

Spider - sentencing can be harsher against whites and this is wrong. But is that the fault of other ethnicities or a fault in the judicial system?
Also, other groups, such as aboriginals, are disproportionately represented in our prisons.
Either we take on the notion that some races are 'worse' than others, which essentially is racism, or we point to the fact that people who have been raised in either other cultures, or a low socioeconomic system, will invariably clash with our liberal system.

This is a genuine concern, expressed by many conservative commentators. The problem is, oit's easy outlet for those who simply hate other races or religions. While you can argue in favour of the point I raised, you can't deny it does provide a genuine smokescreen for bigots.

How do we solve this? I don't know. I know I don't think the potential of any person can be dictated by race. The issue gets murkier when religion is thrown into the mix. Then it comes down to how you interpret your religion and how fanatical you really are.

Betty - yes, I posted on the other thread, now I'm posting on this one. Click the face at the bottom of this post. You'll see I post on many threads. Was this a criticism?
Again, there's no substance to your post. Irfan is reacting to bigotry against Islam, but you're saying he's making it difficult for muslims to just get by. I see it as defending those very people. If you think otherwise, please give reasons. I'd still be interested in knowing why you hate the author so much, as I've repeatedly asked you and you've yet to come up with anything but the vaguest notions.
And for crying out loud, read the articles before you dismiss them as tripe. How can you join an article discussion if you don't read the article?