Have our dear neighbours, the Australians, lost the plot?
Remember they are not asking migrants to abide by the law which is
perfectly reasonable, but also by Australian culture and
values.
According to the newspaper's online poll 3 out of 4 australians
support John Howard's view.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/live-here-be-australian/2006/02/24/1140670269194.html
Live here, be Australian
MIGRANTS are obliged to "be Australian" and social integration must
be pushed harder, John Howard has declared.
In an interview marking his 10th anniversary as Prime Minister, Mr
Howard also describes the burqa, the full head covering worn by
some Muslim women, as "confronting".
Mr Howard yesterday defended as "fundamentally accurate" a
controversial speech by his Treasurer, Peter Costello, on core
Australian values.
But Mr Howard's interview with the Herald, conducted before the
Costello speech, confirmed that the two men are singing from the
same song sheet in expressing trepidation about a divide between
some Muslims and mainstream Australia.
It also illustrates the futility of some Muslim leaders appealing
to Mr Howard yesterday to censure Mr Costello for the speech on
Thursday.
Mr Howard told the Herald, "when you come to this country, you
become Australian". Similarly, Mr Costello had said: "Before
becoming an Australian, you will be asked to subscribe to certain
values. If you have strong objections to those values, don't come
to Australia."
In the interview, Mr Howard said multiculturalism had become
distorted and too often stupidly meant "a federation of cultures".
And he said Muslims must work at avoiding their alienation. Mr
Costello condemned "confused, mushy, misguided
multiculturalism".
Initially, the Costello comments - including stripping citizenship
from people who advocate Islamic law over Australian law - were
judged to be at odds with Mr Howard. On the same day, Mr Howard had
spoken of the contribution of "all of those who weren't born in
this country" and extolled Australia as the least discriminatory
country. In the interview, however, Mr Howard said integration was
underdone, even though Australia was "very socially cohesive".
Yesterday Mr Howard said Australia's core set of values flowed from
its Anglo-Saxon identity and the Treasurer's essential point - that
people should not migrate to countries they do not appreciate - was
unexceptional.
Mr Howard said Australian Muslims overhwelmingly were committed to
Australia, and terrorism was based "upon an evil, distorted
interpretation of Islam
But that doesn't mean you can't identify
areas of concern, and I think the reaction of some in the Islamic
community
is quite unreasonable."
Costello backers said his remarks were intended to brand him as
conservative enough for a legitimate shot at the Liberal
leadership. Yesterday Mr Costello continued to promote the cause
for a more demanding citizenship test. On Sydney radio he brushed
aside the leadership question when asked if he was positioning
himself by making remarks that some would consider to be
racist.
Despite a chorus of protest at the Costello speech, NSW's Labor
Premier, Morris Iemma, called it reasonable and practical and said
immigrants should "leave the disputes, leave the extremism and
leave the fights behind". This endorsement is a sure sign that
Labor polling identifies the Muslim divide as a potent electoral
issue.
Pauline Hanson, the former One Nation leader, said she was
vindicated by Mr Costello. She added that "he needs to throw these
people out of this country who do not embrace Australia".[/b]
