Why do they allow so many bigots on here? Not the posts. The writers.

I know being Arab so often means being brought up in a vile, twisted home full of hatred for non-Arabs (look into Islam if you don't believe me...where even non-Arab Muslims must recite Koran into Arabic...bow to Arabia 5 times a day - to what is now a sacred mosque but

Don't even ask me what the Hadith and Quran say about infidels...and especially Jews! On the last day there will be a Jew hunt!

Peace and tolerance! When we're all dead!

It's funny that people go to Mecca (I say people but mean Muslims, because of course if anybody doesn't know how intolerant Arabs are (and yes...most...well you should have written your article about how Arab Muslims are organising protests at the Saudi Embassy to end religious, cultural, and gender aparthied...well...could do that with all Arab countries) they won't let your or mine filthy blood near Mecca.

Bizarre because it used to be a place like Wall Street, where people vyed to sell trinkets of the various Arab Gods! Now they go there every year to throw stones at the centre of it...shouldn't that tell you what you need to know...throw stones at the heart of Islam...or Satan incarnate?

You types make me sick. You use our freedoms to promote your hate. Step outside your upbringing (I mean, you live here...your values are so obviously dirt) and become an enlightened, individual - as opposed to a collective herd. Religious Jews should hear that too!

This is an interesting and informative article, outlining as it does how far Australian policy with respect to the Middle East drifted from relative neutrality under the Howard regime. I agree that the Rudd government's early efforts to redress this policy imbalance are to be applauded - Australia has pandered to Israeli aggression for too long under the sycophantic Howard government, which did indeed foster anti-Arab xenophobia and Islamophobia via its obsequious toadying to its British and American big brothers.

The vitriol with which some correspondents above have responded underlines the thinly disguised bigotry to which they subscribe. Of course a contributing factor to the disgraceful Cronulla race riots was the Howard government's jingoistic authorisation of Islamophobic sentiment among the hoi polloi.

However, this is utterly rejected by OLO's most prolifically Islamophobic bigot:

<< decades of Lebanese Muslim racism and social disfunction, rudeness to other aussies and outright land grabs ("no..you white trash can't use these rockpools..they are for OUR women") >>

I don't suppose Porky can provide some evidence for these so-called "land grabs" and the statements he attributes to Lebanese Muslims? What's the bet that this is yet another case where he's simply made up a quotation as something that the objects of his hatred might have said?

I see that the idiotic racist Benjam1n has returned to OLO under an altered pseudonym. Let's hope his stay is brief.

Wake up, there is no solution to this problem.
There has been trouble since the Romans forced out the Jewish people
from Jerusalem and the Arabs moved in.

It has not been sorted in 2000 years so forget it and worry about your super instead.

CJ Morgan

lets blame this on Howard

Wait but after WWII, did not Ben Chifley (ALP) agreed to create Isreal, but he was not create any problem, because he was part of the ALP

Oh wait, here is Howard, getting a former ALP prime minister to go to the middle east and giving him resources to help the peace talks.

What a bigot, what a racist.... lets rewrite history please mr Morgan

Benjam1n you're a waste of space.

Another Massacre in the name of Islam .... maybe it is John Howard's fault too!!

Start writing down a list of people you can blame now. Maybe the Pope and Mother Teresa