Quote:I agree. But how much significance you want to attach to this particular attack is up to you I guess. Personally, I consider a few dozen (and no FD, even amongst the tiny number of protestors in total, only a small fraction of those were behaving violently) - bigots carrying out the only protest of its kind in the history of muslim settlement in Australia - and which was immediately condemned by mainstream islamic bodies all over the country, to be less significant in the context of the survival of our democracy than you are making it out to be.
I did not actually criticise them for their violence. The attack on freedom of speech and the message that was sent to the Australian community is far more significant than the violence involved in the protest. I think you should figure out what I am criticising them for before you tell me I am overstating its significance.
Quote:I think this raises an interesting perspective in relation to who is under threat by whom in our democratic society. Evidently many non-muslim Australians see a great threat to our democracy by this single incident
I explained it quite clearly in the opening post. Do you ever tire of creating these silly strawmen?
Quote:Yet I would suspect that many other Australians would see a greater threat in the vilification of an entire minority
No they wouldn't. Our society mocks religions and religious people. Constantly. Mercilessly. Except Muslims of course. You can't wind them up because they are crazy and will kill you. 30 years after the release of the life of Brian, and Muslims take to the streets over a dodgy internet video, and you expect the Australian community to back you?
Quote:through baselessly attributing motives to their behaviour (ie they merely "self censor" instead of genuinely being opposed to extremism)
That is not what I said. I am genuinely interested in the internal reasonings they used to stop the protest. Again, read the opening post. i specifically pointed out that it is nothing to do with classical terrorism.
Quote:not to mention simply making stuff up about what happened (eg an imaginary riot in Melbourne)
Who is making stuff up now?
Quote:Such vilification either ignores the constant overtures and messages of harmonious coexistence and non-violence
This mindless propaganda constantly from you constantly ignores the issues I have raised. I notice you did not respond to my questions about support for freedom, democracy and human rights and you instead stuck to the same meaningless but media-friendly one-liners we see all the time. Why is that?
Quote:or make up creative sinnister explanations for these overtures
It was a question. I am genuinely interested to know the answer.
Quote:I would suspect a great number of Australians would see this sort of vilification a far greater threat to our freedom and democracy - not just for the muslim community, but for everyone.
I suspect you don't have a clue. Muslims march through the streets with banners calling for people to be beheaded over a video, and you think criticising them for that is the threat to freedom. That is how you protect freedom. You seem more like Abu every day.
Quote:Really FD, you are getting into Yadda territory - where you set your argument up to be unfalsifiable - by firstly claiming muslims never do anything about extremism
Again Gandalf, I raised some very specific issues in my opening post. Why do you insist on making things up rather than addressing what I actually say?
Quote:I get sick of asking for evidence that mainstream muslims are simply 'biding their time'
So why are you afraid to address the issues of freedom, democracy, and human rights?
Quote:No, the problem is that you lot can't define your own claims.
I made my claims very clear in the opening post. All you have to do is read it. It was you who invented those nebulous claims, then demanded everyone provide evidence for them. That is not how it works Gandalf.