The victims of this abuse never retaliate, nor do they ever say or imply that they are going to become drug addicts or are on the edge of exploding into violence. It is almost never the case that the victims of violence of this nature will become violent themselves.

The people who are making these claims are rarely or never subject to abuse. On what basis do they say that the Muslim community is ready to explode, do they have some sort of early warning community “combustibility” device?

My impression is that they are projecting their own sentiments into the community, or that they have spent to much time watching television drama rather than in self rectification and prayer.

You are most welcome

Jazak Allah Khair.

The other message delivered by Sheikh Omran was that Australia was not welcoming enough and that Australians are obliged to make visitors feel welcome. Wider Australia may reasonably ask if giving someone welfare for a decade, free medical care for them and their family, funding their places of worship, celebrating their religious festivals with them and allowing ones own children to convert to the new religion, is not being welcome enough.

Hmmm … maybe you’d agree a little more with the Sheikh if you wife were to get the living daylights frightened out of her on one day by crazed screaming Austraaayan hoons, and spat on by a random individual Austraaayan while walking down the street a few days later.

It’s experiences like these that first shock and then, on extended contemplation, alienate Muslims; and it is these experiences that give a resonance to the Sheikh’s words.

Hayekian observations on the welfare state have nothing to do with it. To think that they do indicates a lack of first-hand knowledge of the frightening and shaming experiences that scar some – perhaps many – Australian Muslims for a very long time.

I have to say when I initially read the program I was highly sceptical. Having Pell and Omran on the same panel, or Albrechtson and Dourehi? Sheesh what were they thinking?

I got up there on the Saturday morning, and I observed the panels and gave some ‘informed’ views for a couple of the break-out groups on the Sunday. They had polled the participants before the forum and then after the forum to ascertain the change in perceptions. Some of the breakout groups did not have any Muslims at all, by design, ostensibly to allow the participants the freedom to be critical, but one participant in one of those groups mentioned a high level of fear of Muslims in the consultations.

What happened, is that the breakout groups came up with one question each (there were about 24 or so groups) that would be asked of the following panel of experts. Consequently, the tenor of the questions was very much a product of the level of knowledge of the group asking them. As such, there were quite a few questions about the level of terrorism, problems between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims, whether Muslims are able to integrate etc. This is because that is what the average Joe in the street is fed constantly in the media they consume.

The problem with the panels, is that with so many groups and questions to get through, nothing more than a ’sound-bite’ was really possible, no really deep and considered opinions to the issues. But that is simply a design flaw – a pity really, given the possibility for something better.

One of the positive things about the forum, was that it really did allow ordinary Australians to come into contact with Muslims, and it was evident in the change in perceptions that this appears to be a way of facilitating a real change of attitudes towards and about Muslims amongst wider Australia.

I did think it was interesting that the Federal govt. chose not to send any pollies along. It just shows to me they’re not really interested in promoting social cohesion and harmony, despite the rhetoric.

Maryam,
I would be very interested to know your views from inside the event, Obviously its important. There is another reality, and that is what was transmitted and written about it. The channel 9 piece that I linked to is the only window that most people will see of the meeting, and it obviously has an agenda. the point is that Muslims are happy to feed that agenda unthinkingly.

Ned Kelly
I agree with many of your sentiments, but your whole comment is filled with irony (?unintended). You chose the name of a criminal who killed police in order to castigate Lebanese Muslims for being criminally violent. I do agree that Lebanese Muslims have a social problem that they need to address, but as the gang rapes in Weribee have shown that this type of behaviour is not limited to Lebanese or Muslims. Lebanese Christians have been held as an example of a community that has done well, as opposed to Muslims from the same area. There is no data to back this up, if you have any I would be interested to see it.

You are right to say that Muslim migrants have been generally treated very well by Australia as they have arrived.

If the Muslim community is serious about being taken seriously, it might have to marginalise the Lebanese Muslim community and start promoting some half decent alternative faces and voices. I know there are plenty of educated Muslims but we never see them in the media or in these public forums. It’s usually the guy who looks like he just traded his gun for his prayer beads telling the infidels that unless we do something there will be rivers of blood or something. That’s not reassuring, it’s threatening and your community needs to do something about it quick smart.