Dear Joe,

I'm not sure Anne Aly describes herself as a progressive Muslim. I heard her answering something similar and she replied she was not only a Muslim but a mother, a sister, a daughter, a woman, an Australian etc.

Of all the Muslims I know she would be regarded as pretty run of the mill but I do not mix with the more fundamentalist version too often.

My fundy inlaws regard themselves as Christian but not the Catholics.

I asked my father-in-law and my brother-in-law who are Family First supporters that if FF were ever to become the governing party would they expect it to outlaw homosexuality. It was a unanimous yes. I also asked if the expectation extended to capital punishment, again the answer was yes.

I should make myself clear. Some of the mega churches like Hillsong give me great cause for concern. If I had my way they would be stripped of tax exempt status and radicalism from the American ultraconservative Christian Right be closely monitored. I would also ban any Wahabi money entering this country for religious purposes and disallow any Mosque which promoted Wahhabist teachings and was supported by said money.

Other than that I welcome the normal versions of both Christianity and Islam into this country.

If anyone wants to attack either faith by tarring all their followers with the same brush then I will call it out as bigoted behaviour.

Dear SteeleRedux,

Hear! Hear!

Well said - as always!

Bravo!

Steele, I can only concur with Foxy

Hear! Hear!

Well said - as always!

Bravo!

Joe, once again you are at it, trying a backdoor approach to associate The Greens with ISIS.

You claim without evidence;

"that many recruits (to ISIS) are perfectly sane, with above-average education, extremely frustrated, and misguidedly blame the West for all their problems, and not the backwardness of their beliefs. Hmmm, now which Aussie political party would represent such people today?" You answered your own question with your opinion that the party is The Greens.

As you have no personal association with The Greens or its members, and i doubt you ever had. I can only conclude you make such wild unsubstantiated accusations like that, for no other reason than to smear The Greens name by using what is clearly, erroneous nonsense.

Your line is ridiculous. If you said; Anders Breivik the Norweigan mass murderer and right-wing extremist, of those in Australia that supported Breivik's actions, which political party are they also most likely to support Liberal, Labor or The Greens. Should I say Liberal, as they are further right than the other two, Breivik was right wing, his Australian supporter would be right wing so from that I can extrapolate they must be Liberal party supporters. Then you could take it further and claim as you have not heard that much condemnation of Breivik by Liberals, then they must be all supporters. Same as your argument against the Greens. Nonsense.

//I'm betting that many recruits are perfectly sane, with above-average education, extremely frustrated, and misguidedly blame the West for all their problems, and not the backwardness of their beliefs. Hmmm, now which Aussie political party would represent such people today ?//

ALA? One Nation? Rise Up Australia?

//My point is: which party attracts frustrated, professionally-educated, young people ?//

I know this one: it's the Young Liberals.

It can't be the Greens because Paul votes for them and he's old, and my mate Dylan votes for them and he's a scaffolder (i.e. not professionally educated).

Whereas the Young Liberals are exclusively for young people, most of whom are probably professionally educated and all of whom seem to have a massive chip on their shoulder, judging by the Young Liberals I've observed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH_MBwQhGgA

Dear Chaser,

Hear! Hear!

Well said - as always!

Bravo!

Last Saturday at the polling booth I was at, 4 or 5 young "Muslims" turned up, they could have been Hindu but what the heck they are all the same, easy to recognize, brown skin, turbines on their heads. They could have fitted Joe's description "that many recruits (to ISIS) are perfectly sane, with above-average education, extremely frustrated, and misguidedly blame the West for all their problems, and not the backwardness of their beliefs" Naturally thinking of Joe I said "Lads! get your Greens tee shirts on!" In one voice they replied "Goodness gracious me, no mansub, we are for Laborrrrr! I immediately said to the Liberal standing near by, I knew he was a Liberal, because he was wearing a blue tee shirt with a pic of Anders Breivik on the front, and the slogan "Vote For Malcolm" on the back. "bloody terrorists!", the Liberal nodded in agreement.... and The Christian Democrats said a prayer, for God Fred to send them to hell.

I have more concerns. The other evening on the telly I seen Mike Baird (Liberal Party) and Luke Foley (Labor) together at the Lakemba mosque, not a Green in sight, they were with hundreds of Muslims to celebrate the end of 'Ramadan' the polys had little in the way of security to protect them, must be friends. I ask you; What does that tell you about the Liberal and Labor Parties?