Legend, I am aware of the fact that you'd probably cop shit for wearing a "catholic warrior" t-shirt in Auburn.But that wouldn't make wearing the t-shirt wrong. I am also aware that much of the muslim world would not extend the sort of tolerance that Australia extends towardsthe australian muslim community toward christian/jewish communities in their countries. However that that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be tolerant. Should we not lead by example and treat people the way we want to be treated? As for kosher Macdonalds, well if there were enough Jews in Auburn you'd probably see it, although as far as I am aware Kosher is a bit more complex to implement that Halal so it might not catch on as quickly!
I realise that there is a serious problem with a certain element of the Lebanese muslim community in Australia, and I believe that the Lebanese community also needs to acknowledge this and take steps to deal with it themselves.If you read my post carefully I did acknowledge that fact. However I still believe it is wrong (however tempting/convenient it may be) to pre-judge people based on theirethnicity. If wekeep doing that then we only give those people more reason to have a chip on their shoulder against the rest of australian society. Youngie makes this point particularly well in his post.
In the case of the woman in Nigeria getting stoned to death, no I don't agree with it, and I've already had a row with someone on another forum who questioned our right to condemn that inhumane action.
As for the countries you mention as having problems with mulsim extremists, that is a rather one sided view as in almost all of them there are wider issues involved that simply a group of muslims causing "trouble" . If you remember in Yugoslavia it was the muslims who were the victims of ethnic cleansing at the hands of Serbs. In Lebanon there was the small matter of a massive US backed Israeli invasion. In the Phillippines the main issue is that mainly muslim southern island of Mindanao wanting to obtain independence from the predominantly catholic north. And Russia also has massive social problems with racist "nationalist" white extremists.
I was referring more to the sort of social problems faced in Australia, NZ, the US and other western nations where a particular group are regarded as "troublemakers" and this is NOT confined to muslims. As Willow says, its basically to do with people acting like arseholes, and fear of the unknown/unfamiliar. Whoever the main group of most recent immigrants is, there will almost inevitably be friction between them and the rest of the community. As he said it was the italians, then the greeks, now the lebanese muslims. However in time they will become part of the community just like anyone else, and theless predjudiced we are to their culture in general (as oppsed to the troublemakers who deserve pretty much whatever they get) the quicker it will happen.
And like Willow, I may live in a gentrified area but haven't done so for my entire life and I'm not isolated from the rest of the world!
