Belly

>>> I fear another culture growing within ours and making demands on us to change. <<<

Our culture is different from what it was 100 years ago, 50 years ago and will be very different 50 years from now.

If you fear certain authoritarian, misogynistic, narrow-minded religions infiltrating and holding undue influence over our freedoms, I'd be keeping a vigilant eye on the religions that already have high numbers and already influence our politics and laws - fundamentalist, evangelistic and money hungry, right-wing Christians.

And I'd just like to add, no Muslims EVER enter MY property, knock on MY front door and attempt to shove their beliefs down my throat!

Suggest you get your priorities right. If the sight of a woman and child giving you the eye fills you with fear and anger, mate you need a major rethink.

My view Severin and Belly is that you are both correct. Belly, now I fully comprehend your thread and what it is you are raising after a more detailed scenario.

Severin, I agree with you too; fundamentalists are a dangerous breed, many of whom, through generations caused terrorism and murders having given their own interpretation slant and actions in the name of their religion.

It is concepts you are seeking Belly to address the issues that exist regarding multi-culturalism, in terms of long term Australians mixing and communicating effectively with newcomers to Australia; in particular, people of middleeastern background?

Tonight will try and return to thread if its here and share some of my daughters and my experiences regarding the topics.

Severin I do like you as a poster, but here you are taking a liberty.
You may not! put words in my mouth or thoughts I do not have in my head.
That lady walked suburban streets I once lived in, in fact Paul Hogan did too a dozen face lifts ago.
She may have found me strange few Aussies walk those streets now.
I have time and again said migration made my country great.
I worked often as the only Aussie with people from every country it is the Muslim way, of some, too many, Muslims I do not want to share.
I WANT no religion none to say how we should live and not one who wants God to govern.
Like me, hate me that is how I think as multi culturism suffers because some few miss use our good will you may see my point of view.

Belly

No matter what system we have in place there will always be someone who'll take advantage. I didn't think I was putting words into your mouth at all. That was not my intent. However, before I posted I had just read AGiR's last post on this thread and I am far more afraid of his ilk than I am of an Islamic woman who may have just been having a bad day.

You talk about walking in areas where everyone is 'different' to how they were some years ago. Do you ever travel outside Australia? Try walking down a street in any non-Caucasian country. Being the only white in the village really brings things into perspective. Australia has a wonderful varied mixture of people and I don't want to live in a place where there is only one type of person. Go to various locales in Melbourne and you could be surrounded by Greeks or Orthodox Jews or Vietnamese or indeed Middle Eastern people wearing Middle Eastern clothing; in Brunswick and Coburg not only the women are wearing hijabs (burkas are very rare) but the men are wearing tunics over pants and white skull-caps.

I really don't believe that we are in danger of being overrun by fundy Islamists any time soon. However, I AM looking forward to seeing a non-religious person voted in as PM at the next election. Howard, Rudd and Abbott use(d) religion to their own ends. No politician should have to sit through or sit outside a morning prayer of any religion before parliament starts, I think that it is disgraceful.

Thank you to 'we are unique' for your post.

benq, I've been appreciating the point that you have been making regarding fundamentalism.

The point which I want to highlight and which I suspect drives a lot of the concern is how unwilling most people are to challenge the extremists from their own groups in public (and sometimes in private).

That seems to be a trait with most groupings especially if the group as a whole is being attacked. Extremists on both sides play on it by polarising conflicts so that people feel that they must take sides and often the result will come down to an identity issue more than what's right.

I suspect that most of us have a tendency to notice the extremes of the other side and see them as extreme and excuse those from our own side as passion.

We will tend to ascribe the more extreme positions to an entire group we are suspicious of (or suspect that silence on an issue equates to some sympathy for extreme views) while seeing our own grouping as accommodating a broad range of views but not wanting to give the opposition ammunition by airing differences public.

It's not just the fundamentalists who are a concern, it's how willing the rest are to clearly reject the extreme positions which ferments much of the concern.

R0bert

I can not will not agree with those last two posts.
I am not talking about another country, I am not making my views based on one street encounter.
I am aware some from every religion are bad some are good but WHY ignore those outspoken fools who lead Some Muslim groups in Sydney?
Every word Tradd says insults me, his defense of that meat monster is on record put your heads under the blanket but my concerns are not those of a bigot .
But truly held ones about some who are indeed bigots.