Dear Belly & Abdul J.
I agree with you Belly, that a lot of Australian people fear change, but how easy it is the change that fear into understanding, of course, there will always be radicals in all walks of life, most of us fear that which we don't understand, it is a natural instinct found in all human beings., it takes so little to find out about different things, and in the process we can all be enlightened. The main focus in life is to be law abiding, and if we can subscribe to that, and intolerance, I am sure that further down the track we can feel easier about things we have been 'taught' to fear by much scare mongering by the powerful few.
Thanks Belly for your kind comment at the beginning of your post,
Kind Regards to you and Abdul J.
Noisy Scrub Bird :)

Dear Abdul J.
I immigrated with my sister and parents from U.K. in 1959. We loved this country right from the beginning, and as a family we all worked and did well to establish a home and work in this great Country.
I have never forgotten how easy it was to fit in with Australian people, and I always welcome people coming from other places in the world, and hope that they enjoy Australia and do well at everything they try to do, that includes you Abdul. I wish you a happy life here.
Kind Regards,
Noisy Scrub Bird.

Good Afternoon Abdul. J.,

Dr Eva Sallis wrote an interesting article called,
"Australia's Dangerous Fantasy," which was first
published in "The New York Times, " December 2005,
updated Nov. 2006.

In it she points out that newcomers, especially if they
have come to Australia in linguistic or ethnically
distinct groups have always had a hardtime at first.
But past streams of migration gave Australia its
reputation as a country of diverse peoples that is all
the better for it.

Like America, Australia has new anti-terrorism legilsation,
first passed in 2002, then significantly strengthened in 2003.
It is legislation that inevitably validates the broader
community mistrust of Muslim Australians. Australians are
often fearful of terrorism and terrorists, and fearful of
the threat of invasion from the north. Yet the government
has done nothing substantive to allay these fears and to
increase knowledge and appreciation of Muslim Australians.

As Dr Sallis tell us -
In the last few years there has also been documented and
anecdotal evidence of a mass increase in harassment, vilification
and violence toward Australians of Arab appearance both in
the media and in popular imagination. There have been media
storms and unchecked racial religious vilification on
talkback radio.

All this has been unfortunate because prejudice creates what
it fears. Through prejudice young people's prospects are
curtailed. Young Muslims in Sydney struggle to get an
education and jobs and are increasingly ghettoized in
poorer suburbs. Their own families often live defensively
and are highly prejudiced about Australians.

The increasing hostility of the broader community reinforces
this inter-community racism, rather than challenging it.

As Dr Sallis sums up, a volatile part of our community is
living in deep alienation, unable to belong and another volatile
part is living back in the irretrievable past with a fantasy of an
all-white Australia. If we are to live at ease with ourselves,
we need more education, less fear mongering, and more
understanding amongst ourselves.

Dear Noisy,

Always a pleasure to read your posts.
Beautifully put and good advice. If we all
followed your advice - what a great world it
would be.

Well, here I go again! being me!
Saying it like I see it and knowing in doing so I upset some.
Migrants enriched my life, my youth my learning my eating habits.
1961 to 1963 16 to 18 I was the only Australian in crews from Italy and that part of Yugoslavia that once was Italy, or is it the other way around?
I took and refused payment a bloke from that second country from east hills Sydney hostel for migrants to work every day.
We could only say good, in his tongue, but swear well in both.
I never in my life found reason to fear any, 20 year old recently arrived Italians thought the peace sign was in praise of Mussolini ,but we got on, 20 year old Greeks told me our women are s98ts
Fact is, right or wrong, I am far from the only Australian feeling challenged by some Muslims, and by people looking like they dress for a sand storm not Australian streets.
Tell me I am wrong, my country men are wrong, call us bigots, but what other group is so plainly different and proud of it.
Abdul no wish to offend you, but would it be any different for 100 Aussies in shorts and thongs in your country's streets.
Being honest is not saying you are not welcome,not saying less than have a great life here and welcome, but forgive me and my country men and women for,,, being much like every race.

Belly,
Dear Belly, you are entitled to your opinion, thank goodness that we can do that in this country. I admire your forthrightness, being a Pisces, I take a different road to you, and that too is a good thing. Don't ever apologize for who you are, we, all of us,are universally entitled to our opinions, and more power to you for expressing them. My nature typifies softness, care and understanding, it can be a pain at times.
But I would rather enjoy the mixture of characters in this world than for all of us be 'clones'. Be proud of who you are, every one of us has our own little piece of magic, isn't that just great?.
Cheers my good man,
NSB