Haralambos,
You find it impossible to dispute what I said, so you trot out the old slurs of 'racist' and 'hate'.
Firstly Muslims come in practically every ethnic group in the world, including anglos. So the slur of 'racist' is just garbage. Secondly, I do not 'hate' anyone. The simple facts are that Muslims have a bad reputation and any number of them moving into an area lowers the property values because non-muslims do no longer wish to buy property there. You may think Muslims do not deserve that reputation but the fact is it is there. I do not know of any community where muslims have infiltrated which has had a possitive effect on property values.

The objections by Camden residents is not because of religion. If they thought the school would have a possitive effect on property values and enhance social amenity, people would welcome it. But they do not foresee that and they object for the same reasons they would object to any development they thought detrimental to their community.

I think you and irfan, and some others , are simply trying to portray Muslims as victims. If the poor reputation of Muslims, in general, is brought about by the conduct of the Lebanese Muslims, then it is up to other muslims to correct that so their reputation is improved.

Then such a development would face little opporsition.

Sheesh. So if Muslims live all together in the same suburb then they're "refusing to integrate", but if they try to spread out in the community then it's "we don't want them here". I wonder who really has the problem with integration?

Irfan - entertaining and astute as always. I'm not sure what was more amusing though - your article or the chorus of muppets who crawled out from under their rocks to confirm your hypothesis.

What a sad little band they are.

But the gold medal goes to (so very aptly-named) Banjo, with the "property values" argument. Here's a good solution Banjo - to protect the value of your tin shed and the busted sofa that sits outside on the front porch, let's round up all the Muslims and stick them behind a wall inside Greater Housing Enterprises That Totalise Our Security.

Then we can criticise them for only living with "their kind", right?

Steel writes 'Christians and catholics rape children.

Face it Steel you can't show how Jesus endorses this anywhere. On the other hand you guys murder the unborn and call it termination. Your secular philosophies have more in common with Islam that you would like to admit. Maybe that is why you defend it in a perverted way.

Irfan, you are the offensive one with your opening blasphemy " Sweet Jesus.....". Do not take the Lord's name in vain.

As for Camden, forget the planning laws.
In Australia's national interests we shouldn't have to put up with
Islamic schools ever being built. Racism is, like the word "fascist" just another overused word from the Left university set atheists since the hippie days of the 1960s. It is boring and a fad that ought to be long past.
Australisn who are patriotic( and yes patriotism is a virtue) have every right to protest against more Islamic schools being built here.

Iraqi Christians are flooding into Jordan and Syria. The media is silent. Any Muslim 'social justice' group to speak out and do somehting like Christians do? Nah, thought not.

"If it [the school development] does get approved, every ragger that walks up the street's going to get smashed up the arse by about 30 Aussies."

This reads like incitement to violence. Incitement to violence is not protected by free speech. People who make comments like this should feel the full force of the law.

Question:

Is this sentiment rife in Camden? Or is the media broadcasting the comments of a few Camden residents and thereby implying this is the way Camden people think?

Is the person who spoke these words as representative of the people of Camden as, say, Taj Al-Din Al-Hilaly (uncovered women are meat) is of Muslims in Australia?

Is the ABC, and Yusuf Irfan guilty of promoting "Camden-o-phobia?"

Is this a case of vilifying a whole town because of the words of a few individuals?

If we can defame the people of Camden in this way because of the comments of a few individuals is it legitimate to depict Muslims as gang-rapers because of the actions of a few Lebanese Muslims.

Here's what the ubiquitous Keysar Trad had to say about that:

"Keysar Trad, vice-president of the Lebanese Muslim Association, said: "It is certainly a disgrace to our community that people who were born to a Muslim family would commit such heinous crimes." But he went on to say it was "rather unfair" that the rapists' ethnicity had been reported "because these boys themselves have completely disaffiliated themselves from their culture or their religion".

(See: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/13/1026185124700.html)

Are we smearing the people of Camden?

Just asking.

This article is a nonsense. If Jesus were to turn up in Camden dressed as a 60s hippie, an Elvis impersonator, or an Elizabethan dandy complete with ruff, he'd get short shrift, let alone Middle Eastern garb. If Jesus were to turn up in a "modern" Islamic country, how far would he get telling everyone he was the "prophet Jesus reurned to save the world" given that Mohammad is claimed to be the "seal of the prophets"? Not only would Jesus be given short thrift, he'd be murdered as a "blasphemer"!

If Jesus did indeed turn up, I'm sure he'd manage to find modern clothes, and not feel compelled to dress in a centuries old costume. I'm also sure a nun wouldn't be looked at askance in Camden, either, no matter how archaic her dress, because nuns aren't associated with contempt for Australian values (think: Benbrika), placards exclaiming "death to the unbelievers" nor horrific videos of beheadings, explosions and mass mayhem.

The "Taj Mahal" comment Irfan quotes is reasonable, given the way other suburbs and indeed countries have gone after Muslims have arrived in numbers. Islamic school? How about a new mosque since so many Muslims have moved into the area. Of course, the minarets HAVE to tower over every other building in the vicinity. Perhaps a few Camdenites have visited Lakemba? Maybe they've even walked the streets there and experienced the glares from the dudes "dressed like Jesus"?

Nativity plays? One could well imagine the participants dressing up "in period". The audience? Well, flowing robes just aren't fashionable. Bethlehem? It's worth noting that the once majority population of Christians is now under 20%. I wonder why Christians in Bethlehem, Nazareth and other "Palestinian" towns are leaving in droves?