Individual wrote:

>>in a few years it'll be too late. People just refuse to wake up.>>

Too late for what?

What do you suggest Australia does?

Is there anything Australians can do?

@Steven,

>>One man described how he was stripped naked and beaten severely and a machete was held at his throat. He was dragged through the village and dumped in a truck like a corpse. Another man fled into a fast-flowing river, pursued by attackers throwing rocks and shouting “kill, kill, kill.”>>

You don’t have to go to Indonesia to see such things--look here:

"The 31-year-old was allegedly lashed with electrical cable by four heavily bearded men who broke into his bedroom in Menton St, Silverwater, about 1am on Sunday, reported The Daily Telegraph.
Three of the men, in their late teens or early 20s, allegedly held him down on his bed while a fourth, aged between 40 and 50, allegedly lashed him about 40 times over half an hour.
The victim, a recent Islamic convert known only as Christian, told police he recognised the men from his local mosque who were punishing him for having a few drinks with friends, Seven News reported last night."

http://www.news.com.au/national/men-charged-over-sharia-law-lashing-during-sydney-home-invasion/story-e6frfkvr-1226097250289#ixzz1vg5bPWVs

SPQR

I am sure such criminal acts occur in Australia and in every other country on Earth.

In Australia these are fortunately rare though even one such event is too much. When they happen the police hunt them down.

In Indonesia mob violence against non-Muslims and the wrong kind of Muslim is endemic. The perpetrators are rarely punished.

Frankly only the willfully blind cannot see the difference between Australia and Indonesia in these cases.

Get real.

In Australia these are fortunately rare
Stenlmeyer,
yes but increasingly so. When I worked in Peakhurst & living in Cabramatta 5 houses down from big Goaf there were no drugs, no violence no nothing. I could walk home at 2 in the morning without a hitch. A few years later, some concerns arose re the influx of a quite many refugees. I trust you know the rest is history.

Dear Steven,

Definition of theocracy; A government ruled by or subject to religious authority.

Let me see. Which country has the religious head wielding the ultimate power over the government with the ability to sack the government of the day, whose representative/s preside over approvals for elections and ministerial appointments and who constitutionally has the ultimate power over the armed forces?

Sounds like it could be a theocracy to me.

Indonesia? No. A little closer to home me thinks.

From Huffington Post;

“Filipino Christian youths flash the thumbs-down signs as they chant "Stop the Lady Gaga concerts" during a rally, calling for the cancellation of the singer's May 21-22 concerts, outside the Pasay City Hall in Pasay, south of Manila, Philippines, Friday, May 18, 2012. The youths said they are offended by Lady Gaga's music and videos, in particular her song "Judas" which they say mocks Jesus Christ. Lady Gaga's concert was marked also by protest from evangelical groups in South Korea and the singer scrapped an Indonesia concert following protests from conservative Muslims.”

So if the South Koreans of the Filipinos had managed to get Lady Gaga to cancel her concerts would the same charges be laid by you?

stevenlmeyer,

Having done a lot of work in Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia and have several Indonesian friends and colleagues (of both Christian and Muslim faith), I would suggest that you are being a bit xenophobic in some of your comments. The tiny bit I know about this fascinating country would suggest that it isn’t a theocracy but there is, of course, always influence in government from all sorts of lobby groups.

There are religious radicals, fundamentalists and rednecks in all cultures. And to suggest that d--kheads are tolerated more in Indo than here is an opinion but please don't suggest some sort of moral blindness or naivety on the part of those that don't share you fervour. It’s a long bow to draw if you extrapolate a couple of examples and come up with the conclusion that mob violence is common and/or tolerated.

In Australia, we consider ourselves fiercely secular. However, if you scratch the surface a bit, you find that our fundamental laws are roughly based on the ten commandments, we swear on a Bible before testifying in court and until recently were required to sing “God Save the Queen”. Hmmm. It’s all a matter of degrees.

From the “regional influence” angle, I think you’re onto something. Their overall wealth (and hence the ability to influence) is increasing and we should take this on-board. Maybe it’s more important for Bob & Julia to be spending time chatting with SBY rather than telling NATO nations how much funding they should be directing to Afghanistan.