Jara

Ok , I admit it, you've got me there - I'm not that smart (although, to be fair, I can, at least, spell "you're") Personally, not that anybody cares, I'm an agnostic. I take my creed from that great American moral philosopher, Iris Dement (youtube Let The Mystery Be) People can hold whatever religious beliefs they want. No skin off my nose. But if you look back at my post, I was referring to people who tell other people they are going to hell. If you tell me I'm going to hell, be you Muslim or Christian, then you are, in my humble opinion, a [censored]. Of the first order. I'll defend to the death (hopefully not mine) your right to say it, but I'll also defend my own right to think you're a [censored]. By the way, Emblem, who are you? I haven't noticed you before. Have you been here in another guise?

Er - what? That doesn't make sense. What cheque?

Who said i was an atheist? (Im not fwiw - im an agnostic)

Oh the wit.? Oscar Wilde's got nothing on you.

"This is why I have zero respect for the disingenuous Left. And you." OMG! I never would have guessed.

Thanks for that, Ethan. You've obviously got great research skills and a lot of time on your hands. Here's a job for you. Would you mind telling me how many children we killed in our illegal invasion of Iraq? (in case you've forgotten, that was the war we launched in response to September 11, despite the fact that Iraq wasn't responsible) No editorializing. Just a number will do. Thanks.

The same thing Christian wankers say. If you don't follow my faith you'll go to hell.

Oh and you still haven't answered my question. When was the last time you saw somebody other than Poorline Hanson wearing a burqa? And while we're at it, where are the "no-go" areas in Melbourne (I admit, Broady's pretty dangerous - last time I was there I was under threat - from barbers who wanted to cut my hair)?

Not sure what you mean. Why does it take guts to watch a video (Bit strange coming from somebody who's apparently too scared to actually go and talk to people about their faith, preferring to get his info from the Net)? Anyway, I wasted a few minutes watching it (and yes, you have shown it before, I'm sure) Big deal. Bunch of Muslim wankers saying the same crap that a lot of Christian wankers believe. If you don't follow our religion you'll go to hell. Our country is gradually becoming secular. Good.

Come on Biff he hasn'tbeen that polite. He said we had a mental disease.

Ah right . And here's me thinking it was because his audience is made up of insecure old men.

I know it's real - I was just asking - haven't you given it to us before? (Must admit, I haven't looked at it yet - I'm a bit suspicious of your posts - the other week I had a look at that fake university thing you posted (what was it? Prager university, or something) Ever since then I've been getting bombarded with ads for Asian dating sites and - er - how can I put this? ads from people who want to enhance my private parts. What's going on?

Sorry i won't have time - I've just set the next six months aside to try to read that enormous post you just wrote Hey hang on - that video from Luton - haven't we seen that before? It looks familiar.

You're serious? You have all these radical opinions on Islam and you've never actually spoken to a Muslim about them? You should try it. You might get a little more generous in your views, develop more empathy. I'm not going to give you a list of questions, but I'll give you a story. I share an office with a Muslim guy - fully practising - fasts at Ramadam, goes to mosque, etc. We've been friends for fifteen years. I was with him when we first saw the news of that horrible murder mentioned above. I was horrified, but you should have seen my friend: he had tears in his eyes. "And they do this in our name?" he muttered. But his response? To spend more and more time working with the young men of his community, doing his best to ensure that such extremist views gain little acceptance in our country. If you'd actually met people and got to know them, you may be a little less inclined to post those unpleasant, highly-selective film clips, and realise that in doing so you're stirring up hate and doing the radicals' work for them.

Oh and re your comment on the burqa. See my earlier post. The women i meet who come here from Saudi Arabia are definitely leading the push for change in their own country. Ive heard hundreds of examples over the years - women pushing for (and winning ) the right to drive, to vote; to have fulfilling careers I know they've got a long way to go but you have to start somewhere ☺. (Oh and they don't wear burqas)

Hey Pro the other thing I was wondering - have you ever discussed your views of Islam with a practicing Muslim?

Not sure what you're getting at. The ones i meet are the ones fighting for change. Have you ever actually spoken to someone wearing a burqa or even a niqab?

Maybe I come from the wrong side of town, but I can't remember when I last saw somebody wearing a burqa (except for that neurotic goose Poorline Hanson - what a train wreck she's turning into - you acolytes must be so proud) Plenty of niqabs, of course - almost all worn by international students pumping millions of dollars into our economy. I like them - they're interesting - you learn to read people by the expression in their eyes.

Hi Trisul - that was an interesting interview. Ferguson's an eloquent speaker (and writer), for sure. What are the main points you got from it that you think are relevant to our topic?

This is the new, mature Pro, with the rational conversations he promised us. Don't worry about him, Daisy - he's a weird little guy who lives in a dark room jumping at shadows. His only communication is with a monitor. Good for a laugh sometimes.

What religion do you follow?

I don't like cutting and posting entire articles, so I'll just give a link. https://theconversation.com/australia-is-in-danger-of-being-swamped-by-muslims-the-numbers-tell-a-different-story-65477 This article is pointing out that the Muslim population of Australia is about 2% and growing no faster than other religions.

Pro - you appear to be functionally literate - would you be a good boy and pop back and check what I actually said before you accuse me of "fessing up" - I said I've had dozens of "friends and colleagues" - which is true. Just because you have a problem with cross-cultural communication, don't assume that others do. As for your "strategy" for ensuring smooth relations between Muslims and the wider community: risible. You boast about being some kind of "expert". What a joke. You're an expert at nothing other than sitting in a dark and lonely room dragging hate-speech in off the net and dumping it on the only website liberal enough to give you an outlet: a football supporters' site (to be fair, you do seem pretty knowledgeable about footy). If you really want to be an "expert" at something, I'd suggest you look up the Dunning-Kruger effect: you could be a poster-boy for it.

Oh and by the way, I was disappointed with your saying you doubt that I've got dozens of Muslim friends and colleagues. You may live in a world where lying is the norm, but I don't. I work in international education in a major Victorian university. Hundreds of employees from a very culturally diverse backgrounds - lots of Muslims - we all get on fine. As a family we've got four or five good Muslim friends, and I do volunteer work with refugees. And also, as I said, I've had hundreds of Muslim students over the years, starting with Bosnians back in the mid-90s.

Got it. Thanks Pro. I'll tell the guys at work when I get there. They'll be thrilled to hear that 1) They're not real Muslims 2) Even if they are, it's not a religion, it's a cult Now, my question remains. You say you are such an "expert" on the Muslim faith, and that there is a growing danger of radicalisation. What is your strategy for dealing with this problem in Australia? How do we ensure that our community continues to be a relatively harmonious one (which, by any criteria, it is)? How do we keep the communication lines open with the 2% of our compatriots who call themselves Muslim?