Being Australian

Love It Or Leave It.

I believe that in Australia today, among the vast majority of us, there is a growing fear that we are in danger of loosing our  identity, our culture and a life style that we love and will angrily fight to maintain.
There is no doubt that immigration is a must for our economy, our social growth, and our interaction with the rest of the world. However the bottom line is that when people come to Australia, it should be stipulated that they must become Australian, must adhere to our laws and customs and adjust to our cultural direction. Stiff penalties including deportation should be strictly handed out to people who do not adhere to these rules.
We are quite willing to sample and try their cultural differences but if we don't like them or they don't fit into our system, then we reserve the right reject them.

For hundreds of years now people from different cultures have come to our country and have adapted to and enriched our Australian way of life without changing it. The Irish, English, New Zealanders, Chinese, Greeks, Italians, Germans and Vietnamese, to mention the major groups of the earlier migrations.

There were always racist tensions and minor adjustments to be made, however fundamentally Australia remained Australia, absorbing the mixing cultures without losing our unique identity or freedoms.
Now however after major terrorist attacks and plots around the world. With riots on our own streets, stores refusing to play Christmas Carols at Christmas, Schools tippy-toeing around religion in their actions and language, and some religious groups demanding to be allowed to wear their cultural garb where ever they please, even against legal precedence; it is no wonder people are getting anxious and angry.
I don't say this to be alarmist, it is a statement of fact. Our easy going, unique and sacred way of life in Australia, is under stress and seems threatened, as we increasingly pander to the demands of interlopers voicing there dislike for our way of life and openly trying to change it, simply because their religion doesn't accommodate it.
When I look back over history, through many decades of many differing cultures mixing easily into our Australian way of life, I try to understand why we are having the unprecedented troubles we are experiencing today. One glaring difference stands out.
Religion.
Most of the earlier cultures were Christian cultures apart from the Chinese and Vietnamese, who have Buddhism and Taoism, which are benign cultural and thought systems, rather than religions, and they are very tolerant of other's beliefs.
However, and I am only stating fact, the fear and mistrust we feel now is not cultural but religious, and is confined to one religion.
The Muslim religion.

Because of the freedoms afforded them in our tolerant country, their loudest proclaimers are free to stand among us and inhabit our TV screens, demanding to be allowed to alter our way of life. They insist on having the right to ignore our laws and customs on religious grounds. They raise money in our communities to feed their militant brothers who inflict atrocities on the rest of society in the name of their warped religious interpretations, and their more militant leaders are allowed to spit their hatred and intolerance into the ears of their children and anyone else gullible enough to listen.
Their holy book tells them to convert or shun the infidel (Ones without faith ... Their faith) or in some militant interpretations, the infidel must die.
The so called moderate Muslims cry and complain about our intolerance and suspicion of their religion and profess it is a tolerant and loving religion. However, most of the trouble spots in the world have one thing in common. The Muslim religion.
All we hear from the "Moderates" is complaints about being tarred with the militant brush. I don't hear any solutions from them and I certainly don't see any of their leaders standing on the pulpit denouncing their militant brothers loudly and at length to the rest of the world. You would think that with all of the troubles around the world involving their religion, some of their major leaders would be touring the world (Like the Christian Pope) extolling the virtues of peace, love and freedom. All I hear is how badly we treat Muslims, and "you deserve everything you get". But what did we do? Drink beer? Eat Pork? Wear a bikini?
Sorry, we are not the ones planning to bomb innocent civilians then running to hide in schools and Mosques behind women and children.
If someone somewhere in the world burns a bible we never hear of it. But if someone burns a Koran or even speaks against the Muslim religion, there is riot and death on the streets and Fatwahs thrown around everywhere.

I conclude with two questions.

1. Why must we respect their religion while they don't respect ours (In our own country)
2. Why do people come to our country and try to change it. Why don't they stay in their's and try to change it.

If you don't like our Australian way of life, please take your hatred and malice and go live somewhere else.