And Yes, Australia Is Racist

Racism in Australia: Awesome post by Sakshi about racism in Australia at Desicritics - Desicritics.org: And Yes, Australia Is Racist. My sister lives in Melbourne and I have spoken to her multiple times about this issue and not too surprisingly, she feels the same way as Sakshi. Gangraping 13-year-old white girls just because...

good post... and its a quite good expose of what is happening..

I have the same opinion about racism. Infact if u apply the definition here u will find that most of india is racist.

More than racism ur article hass focussed on the ethical issues or the reasons for the increase of it.

Comparing communal violence with racial violence doesnt hold much water whereas demanding that a prospective bride be tall fair skinned and convent educated, now that is inherent racism that most Indians suffer from.

Another excellent article on Desicritics. This piece appears to clear up many misunderstandings about recent events in Sydney.

It makes clear to all and sundry that Australia has probems with racism - as all countries do. but in this instance the racism appears to come from the immigrants rather than the natives.

An interesting reversal indeed.

I agree on some of the points that you've stated. It's a good piece of writing. It's not only the middle-eastern muslims that are racist. They are not the only ones that need to blend in for Australia not to be racist. It's comments like those that aggravate the middle-eastern boys. Why target them like that? The media does it, and you did it in your article. Some of them may contribute, but there are many other different types of Australian who contribute to racism in Australia. Many of the white Australians do it. Look at the cronulla riots. You can't just blame all of it on the middle-eastern people. Yes, they did attack a life guard, but a riot from the white people attacking anyonr who looked ethnic was the right response? I don't think so.

You also mention gang rapes and violence, it's not only the middle-eastern men that do it. But they are the only ones that make headlines on the news, because that's how the media does it. Chinese gangs and Phillipino gangs, and a lot of other gangs out there do it too. But you never hear about that that much.

Racism is spread far and wide in Australia, just as in any country. I doubt that there is single country in this world that does not harbour racism. It's really not possible. But Australia is a very multicultural country, and it's a great country in my opinion. I've lived here the most of my life, and I've never experienced any racism myself.

Hello Sakshi, well you again touched upon this favourite topic of mine :) Anyhow, I think when you talk about racism in Australia you cannot overlook (agree that this post is in a particular context) the atrocities perpetrated against the native people.

Yes, people do tend to loosely generalise when talking about a country being racist or not. When I decided to take up employment here, many of my Indian friends asked me "Isn't Australia racist?". Some of those perceptions were also shaped by the boorish behaviour of Aussie cricketers, I suspect. But one cannot just ignore a century and a half of persecution and discrimination - until the native people are fully accepted by Australia, it has to bear the burden of the past and work to establish a more just society. Just as India has to make amends for institutionalised discrimination against certain sections of the society.

My limited knowledge of history suggests that a majority of institutionalised racism has been perpetrated by white people against non-white people, not the other way round. So everytime there is some kind of ethnic/racial tension involving white people, naturally it is the white people that are asked more questions. Not always fair, perhaps, as you suggest may have been the case in Cronulla. After all, there still are organisations like the BNP; there are still neo-nazi outfits in Europe; black football players are called monkeys at games in Spain, Italy and elsewhere in Europe and South African cricketers have complained this month that they were the subject of racist abuse in Australia. Things have certainly changed over the last three to four decades, but these are things that take a long time to heal, if ever they do.

Very interesting article and comments. I was reminded of a conversation many years ago with an Indian fellow-student at Sydney University. He said he was an office bearer at - from memory (it was many years ago, as I say) - the International Club in Sydney. He said they asked every prospective member "are you racially prejudiced?' and if they said no "we don't let them in" (and I remember his smile in saying this, to this day). It was one of the best lessons I ever had about racial prejudice.

lousy article. typical desi thing to be biased against people from the middle east. we are good, we are model minority and black and muslimsar bad. Thats is typical desi speak.
Its difficult to get jobs in sydney if you are an arab and a muslim. especially if u have had little education. But trust typical Indian immigrants who are nothing more than glorified servants for white people to understans that.

Brown is the new black, really

Sash - Once again you just ask for sympathy and nothing more. I have lived in Sydney for 8 years and never did I experience any sort of discrimination from the Australians. What I talk about the lebanease mulsim youth...is what I have seen and experienced. I use to work in Greenacre...a complete Lebanease dominated area. I am not trying to say that the entire Lebanease community is shameless...but you cannot deny their criminal activities.

If you have lived in Sydney or in Australia, you should be aware of this fact. If you have problems, then go back to where you came from...thats the ONLY logical solution.

Hi Sakshi,
Everybody agrees about the Lebanese youth. I've often wondered (being ignorant about hte Lebanese culture) - what makes them like that? Surely it's not the Australian way of life. Other youths are mostly ok. Even little boys are like that. My son was terrorised by his playmates in preschool. Nice post though. I've been in Sydney for 6-7 years myself and no, no signs of racism. I wasn't in Sydney when it happened and was really sad to read about it. Hope to connect with you.
Catch you later.

Latha - My point is the same. These very guys have the same benefits from the legal system as any other Australian citizen, then what are they cribbing about ?? These very youths have taken over many subrubs in Sydney city....and these very locations are where most corrupt and criminal activities take place.

Instead of correcting their own behaviour, they prefer playing the 'blame games'...which is even more pathetic.

Racism is a very relative term. Can you imagine a lot of north indians (Especially the punjabis) use racial terms for the COMPARATIVELY darker south indians. I hope they come across a group of rednecks for whom even some of these self confessed light skinned individuals are just blacks or brownies.Not denying even the south indians resort to racism. ( u need to go to chennai to find that)

I believe not many indians should talk about racism as there is a good percentage of them who follow it religiously.

Kindly follow this link:
This link contains a letter posted by a fellow Indian:
http://www.vdare.com/letters/tl_050606.htm

Look for "Jishnu" in that page


I am a bengali and i am ashamed that another bengali (not sure though) has written this. You would be amazed.

This bugger (Jishnu Acharya) talks about himself belonging to the much superior Aryan ancestry as he has a much lighter skin color (am guessing that).
He also talks about why US should not let the OTHER Indians in through H1B visas as they are nothing but menial sweat shop workers :-) and that their work requires less intelligence.
I guess that makes Bill Gates , Steve Jobs, Shiv Nadar, Narayan Krishnamurthy and co. a little above average.

He says if the americans continue doing this (i.e. Letting the indians & other asians in) there would be a decrease in the % of whites in the American population.

Can you imagine an indian saying this for their own kind? Though i agree there is a reasonable percentage of the H1B visa holders who dont deserve going to US but i guess this is life. As they say, Life is not fair to all.


PS. The guys email id is in that same page so you can send in ur rants to his mail id. Only if you wish ;-)

I dont think Sakshi was advocating that Arabs and blacks are bad compared to indians. Atleast I think so. She was just referring to a section of the lebanese population in Sydney who resort to crimes. I have been in Australia for a while (almost 3 months) but havent actually been subjected to racial slurs. However, i had an incident with a group of rednecks calling me "brownie" but there were just pissed (drunk) uneducated aussies. These one-off incidents happen and u should not let it hurt you until it gets ugly or physical.

hi sakshi,
nice article..i am about to go to australia for further studies and was just blogging when i found this article of yours.i dont know much about the pshyche of these lebanese youths but by what i have read they r in a sort of inferiority complex.

Austrailia - Welcome to Islam.

Australia is racist without any doubts, more racist than the United States or even Germany. The only problem is that Australia is in Asia, so eventually white Aussies are going to be asked to go back to the UK, Ireland, or wherever else in Europe they came from. China and Indonesia have their eye on Oz. I am not surprised that an Indian would defend Australian bigotry, but you Indians are known for kissing your British master's feet.

Re #17: Perhaps you are forgetting what the Germans did to the Jews? Wholesale genocide is not to be condoned or diluted.

"The only problem is that Australia is in Asia, so eventually white Aussies are going to be asked to go back to the UK, Ireland, or wherever else in Europe they came from."

Err..I trust it's not going to be you doing the asking. I would hate to see your ass getting kicked. Given the levels of corruption and disunity among the Asians i don't think the aussies are going to be leaving any time soon. I can't speak on the behalf of my nation, but i'd like to point out that the British were very kind and reasonably just masters, given that they came as conquerers. Can the same be said about any Asian nation? The aussies may be racist but are we any better? Are you any better? You talk like a arrogant and greedy fool who counts his eggs well before they are hatched.

Funny, you stupid Hindoo, I am German, we are going to give the British and Americans a kick on the ass real soon. Look at how our Euro pummels the American dollar, the Americans need US Dollars as the world reserve currency to thrive. Now Iran is going to buy and sell oil with our Euros, just so it could destroy the US. Once the US is gone, Australia is going to be a target, most likely Japan, China, or Indonesia. Australia has 45 percent of the world's uranium and China can put it to good US. Thanks Vivek for proving that Indians are slave to whites. I admire East Asians and Arabs, they have fought whites in their history and continue to do so.

Great Post Sakshi ,now there's no stopping you from winning Australia's "MODEL IMMIGRANT CITIZEN AWARD"

1.White Australians are racist terrorists who have not taken a shower from their racism for the past 400 years.
2. If your a White Australian, you love white racism.
3. Not one White Australian condems white racism.
4. White Australians do not accept other nationalities as Australians even if they are born in Australia.
5. White Australians always lie about their racism.
6. White Australians are a lot more racist towards other nationalities than they are to them.
7.Australia is a country that embraces racism. How are the Lebanese Gangs not following the Australian way of life?
8. White Australians treat the Aboriginals like garbage. What goes around comes around.
9. The Lebanese Gangs are only following your example of what you are doing to Aboriginals.
10.Australia is the most racist nation
11. A hate crime committed by a white in Australia is not an offence.
12.All hate crimes committed by whites in Australia are never treated as hate crimes or go unreported.
13. Many Middle Eastern rioters said they were victims of racism too and felt angry at Australian society for not accepting them.
14. Australia has a long way to go before it can become a peaceful nation.

The truth about Australia falls somewhere in between Sakshi's article and #21. Having studied in a university and lived there for a few years, my assessment of white australian society is -

one third are closet racists (you can never tell until the occassion arises)
one third are overtly racist (they walk around with the badge)
and the remaining one third, all others.

All others include those who are extremely tolerant and nice; and those that dont care about anything in the world. But, one thing I can say about the australians - they are mostly honest.

One's perceptions are always colored by one's own experiences.

White Australians are the biggest liars. They deny there is no racism in Australia yet White Australians harass more people of other nationalities than anybody in the world. Look at how many racist attacks have occured by White Australians and for them to constantly deny their racism is pathetic. If White Australians are so honest why do they always say they are not racist or say they are the most tolerant nation. They are far from a tolerant nation. In fact they are the worst nation for racism. If White Australians hate all other nationalities, Why do they visit our/other countries?

Wow, all these broad generalizations are soooo helpful. I think we're all learning as much here as we would from your typical Polish, Sardar, or (insert any group here) joke.

Come on guys. I don't disagree that there is a problem. But give some real examples. Something. It is totally impossible that all Australians are bigots. I don't buy it. You're over-exaggerating and that doesn't help your cause.

Until 1975, Australia's immigration policy was "whites only". It was only in 1975 that the Australian Government passed the 1975 Racial Discrimination Act which made racially-based selection criteria illegal. The last vestiges of the selective immigration policy, offering relocation assistance only to British nationals, was removed as recently as 1982. It was not too long ago that the Australian govt - effectively, the australian people - practised racial apartheid at its border, perhaps as a pre-emptive measure of not having to practise it later on the inside.

Those australians who were born in the 50s, 60s and who therefore came of age in a "whites only" milieu, comprise 60%+ of the current population. The breakdown from Kris#22 seems reasonable to me.

White Australians want it both ways. Accept immigrants into your Australian society or they will create their own. White Australians travelled in packs and harassed the Lebanese People for 30 years and now the Lebanese Gangs are doing the same thing to you White Australians. White Australians created the Labanese Gangs in a way. A White Australian has never been charged for a hate crime. Australia is a country that embraces racism like a said in Post 21. 10 million White Australians love and support White racism and there is enough evidence to support that. Majority of Middle Eastern People were born in Australia, yet they are not accepted into Australian society or are not even classified as Australian. If White Australians tell Middle Eastern Youths to leave Australia, White Australians should be leaving as well. If White Australians treated the Lebanese Australians with respect, they would treat you White Australians with respect. Another thing, show me evidence that White Australians condemn White racism because Lebanese Australian Leaders condemn racism within their society at least.

no hate... I think my problem with your arguments is that you're making "absolute" statements. My reaction to that is to say "impossible!" rather than want to hear more, because saying *all* people are one way is simply not possible.Your comment in #21 makes no sense to me and logically speaking, those items cannot be true except maybe 8, 13 and 14.

I am sure there is a race problem in Australia. There is a race problem in every country I can think of. But look at Kris' argument in #22 and Sanjay's argument in #25.. those are a bit more rational. I can look at that information and say "hunh, I never knew that!" and look it up. From there I can make my own decisions.

You also seem to have lost track of what the author has said. It seems to me from what was written that the issue goes both ways. That some groups of immigrants are not behaving well.

My question to you, No Hate, is... where do you live? Is where you live free of this problem? What solutions do you have?

This is one of the worst articles I have read in a long time on racism. I can't quite believe that you thought it fit to appear in this site and I certainly can't believe that it was accepted by this site.

I live in Canada where White Canadians have the brains to realize people of all nationalities are Canadian not just Whites in Canada. Yes we have racism but not remotely like Australia. Canada is the only country in the world where all nationalities integrete well with one another for the most part. In fact there is 800,000 Muslim Canadians living in Canada and contribute to our society very well except for the odd incident because we treat them with repect. I have met some Muslims in my day and were very nice. Muslim Australians are the most racially badly treated people in Australia and you wonder why many of them have no respect for you White Australians. Canada seems for the most part to be the only place in the world that welcomes immigrants. If White Australians welcomed newcomers and accepted them as Australians mabye they would not have so much hatred towards to you. John Howard keeps winning elections and that shows that White Australians are racist. Australia has had so many race riots. In Canada the last race riot I recall was in 1938 which was the Christie Pits riot when Nazis fought against The Jewish and Italians. Many Newcomers can't get jobs in Australia beacuse of their nationality. Most of White Canadians do not discriminate against other cultures. We do not have Aboriginals rioting in Canada. There is racism towards Aboriginals in Canada, but not much. I am not saying we are perfect. We have racial profilling, mistreatment of Aboriginals, etc. but we also have an estimated 35 million people. Why are White Australians classified as Australian but not other nationalities. In Canada we have hate groups, white gangs, black gangs, asian gangs, ghettoes, etc. but for the most part there does not seem to be much hatred towards one another. I never heard of racist gang rapes commited by Muslim Canadians against any White Canadians. Our Canadian government and so many organizations in Canada are working hard to fight against hate. Majority of White Canadians are not racist. I am basing what I am saying on what I have read or have seen. As a White Canadian I am not going to say to another Canadian "I am Canadian and your not". I am smarter than that because everyone living in Canada no matter what nationality they are is Canadaian. White Australians just seem to support White racism and like I said there is enough evidence to support that. Also, how many of the Cronulla Rioters were charged for a hate crime? None I bet.

no hate... first of all, I am not a white australian. I have never even set foot in australia. I just objected to your style of argument, because it relies heavily on statements that contain absolutes. You've done it again here when you say that Canada is the ONLY country where all nationalities integrate well, which I am sure is not correct.

You have identified yourself as white, so I think your perspective, while valid, might be skewed. I wonder what people of color think about living in Canada. And while I appreciate your account of what it feels like to live in Canada from your perspective, it lacks any kind of data to back it up. You are not even sure if the Cronulla rioters were charged with a hate crime or not, but earlier you stated that no one white person has ever been charged with a hate crime in australia.

I would encourage you to start looking into the realities... facts figures and numbers of what it is like to be a minority or an immigrant in Canada. And what is happening in Australia.

What country are you from? We do not have race riots first of all. I am not saying Canada is a perfect place. Some of the racial problems countries like Australia have we do not have in Canada. I have read many hate crimes committed in Australia by White people and they are never treated as hate crimes. When White Australians talk they always define themselves as Australian and people of other nationalities as not. When I go out in public I have never personally witnessed any racism. When I go out in public I always see so many people of other nationalities hanging out with one another. Also, the United Nations said themselves that Australia is the only Developed Country in the world with racist governments. When was the last race riot you have heard of in Canada? Toronto, Ontario is the most multicultural city in the world. I hear about hate crimes in Toronto but not much. Canadian cities are extremely multicultural. Many immigrants to Australia have said it has a massive problem with racism. I never hear of cultures clash in Canada. Yes there is gangs here that fight with one another. Many Immigrants to Canada have had positive things to say about this country. I have many friends who are from all different nationalites and have known and talked to people of all different nationalites. In Australia, White Australians turn you away just because of your colour. I am once again not saying Canada is perfect. Yes there are racists here and racism is here, but not to the degree like Australia

To smallsquirrel. Read the above post.
You have not replied back. Perhaphs I went overboard.
Have you been to Canada?
Have you been to Australia?
How do you know I am not telling the truth?
Also I did not say Canada is the only country in the world where all nationalities integrete well. I said for the MOST PART they do, but that does not mean they do perfectly beacause their is disagreements and incidents. Like I said in Post 31, their is racists and racism here. Things are improving in Canadan to make racial harmony better than it is now. But Australia is not improving. Here are examples:
1.Tampa Boat Crisis
2. Children Overboard
3. Mandatory Detention
4. Needle Shots mandatory for all refugees and immigrants
5. Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
6. Many White Australians and their Media consider White Australians Australian and not people of the other nationalities
7. United Nations says Australia is the only Developed Country in the world with racist governments
8. 30,000 racists participated in the Cronulla Race Riots
9. Only 2,000 people in Sydney participated in anti-racism protest after the riots
10. Many White Australians have said the riots were not a racist protest. Writting racist slogans and beating up people because of their race. How is that not racist.
11. 200 police against 30,000 Rioters. 2,000 police against 1,000 Middle Eastern Rioters
12. Lebanese Gang rapist gets 55 years for gang raping white girls. Man gets 7 and half years for killing an Aboriginal man in Port Hedland, Australia.
12. White Australia Policy was only abolished in 1975 which means Australia is still a young nation.
Do not dare tell me Australia is not a racist nation. I want to apoligize for saying all White Australians are racist. I met 3 White Australians and were very nice. But Many White Australians are racist and I mean many.

No Hate... I think it is your writing. No offense, but it is not good. What you said is this: Canada is the only country in the world where all nationalities integrete well with one another for the most part. That sentence makes no sense... it is an absolute (canada is the ONLY country) statement with a modifier at the end (for the most part). You need to choose your words more carefully.

Anyway, read what I had said. No I have not been to Australia. Yes I have been to Canada.

I have never said you are not telling the truth. What I said is that you seem to be telling these things simply from a narrative position rather than based on solid facts. And since you are white, your perceptions of Canada as a some kind of utopia for minorities might be skewed. I only encouraged you to look into the numbers more to back up what you are saying. We can *all* have opinions, but you really make a stronger argument when you can use official facts and figures to back up what you are saying. You have started to do that in the list above, but it is mixed in with narrative, which clouds the issue.

Look, I have never said Australia is not racist, so don't take a nasty tone with me. I am helping you to shape a coherent argument, which quite frankly you have yet to do.

I am not taking a nasty tone with you. My Post in 32 are 12 actual facts about some of Australia's racism that have happened and still happen.

you said "don't dare tell you...." and that's not friendly-like, ya! :)

To small Squirrel. If that offended you, I apoligize. 2 questions for you. What country are you from? Have you personally experienced racism on your visit to Canada? I am a Canadian of many different backrounds. I am a Canadian of Polish, Irish, British, and Romanian backround. I welcome all people of different nationalities to Canada and even though I was born here, the immigrants to Canada have just as much all the rights to Canada as I do. You have asked me about what it is like to live in Canada from a person of colour or immigrants point of view. Although many have said they are overall happy with Canada, their are others that are not. Yes their are definately ones that are racially discriminated against. Not all White Canadians are racist. In a recent poll, 25% percent said there is a lot of racism here, 61% said there is some, 12% said not very much, and 3% said there is none at all in Canada. Like you said, I am not an immigrant to Canada so I cannot talk on behalf of a newcomers view of Canada. Racism is defenitely here. Anti-White Racism, anti-black racism, anti-asian racism, racial profilling, mistreatment of Aboriginals hate groups, etc. 59% of people from Quebec say they are racist to some degree in a poll. There was an increase in Anti-Muslim incidents around the time of Sept.11. Not sure if it has died down now though. Do not get me wrong, Canada is not perfect. Also, What do you mean when you say " I would like you to look into the Numbers"?

no hate... I am a conglomerate. I am an italian jew who is basically from the US, but lives in India with my Indian husband.

I have experienced racism when I went to Canada. In Vancouver, about 8 years ago, when I went with my boyfriend at the time who was black. He felt very uncomfortable in most high-end shops there. Shopkeepers in expensive parts of town followed him about like he was some kind of criminal and acted surprised when he purchased expensive items rather than stealing them. However most people on the streets were perfectly lovely and very very warm.

When I said look into the numbers, I meant that when you say that no white person has been prosecuted for a hate crime in Australia... does that mean literally NO ONE? Take a look at incarceration numbers and the break down of who is locked up by race and crime committed. that should tell you something. Research if your supposition that no white person HAS been arrested for a hate crime. That kind of thing. Back up your argument with numbers and links to where you got them. I myself would be very interested in what the numbers tell!

51 Cronulla Rioters and 54 Revenge Attackers have been charged. I have not heard about the Cronulla Rioters being charged with a hate crime considering thousands chanting racial slurs and writting racist slogans. Charges included affray, rioting, threatening with violence, and possession or use of prohibited weapons but no hate crime. Also, Police Minister Carl Scully blamed too much alcohol which I can understand and TOO MUCH SUN for the cause of the Cronulla Rioters. TOO MUCH SUN. What a lame excuse dont you think.

no hate... hate crimes are very specific things, so it could be that you you think is a hate crime and the legal definition of hate crime is different. you should know that also.

yes, blaming sun exposure is a lame excuse.

no hate... hate crimes are very specific things, so it could be that what you think is a hate crime and the legal definition of hate crime is different. you should know that also.

yes, blaming sun exposure is a lame excuse.

That's weird. In Canada and the United States, people who commit hate crimes are charged under hate crime laws. When they do commit hate crimes they are usually charged for various other offences and a hate crime. A hate crime is another offence. I also read that the police stated that the Revenge Attackers were more likely to be targeted for a hate crime.

Any of you racist terrorist White Australians have the guts to respond?

wow, that's a great way to start a dialog~! (not) and then why is your ID "no hate"?!?!?!?

Anyway. smallsquirrel forget what I said in post 42. It was wrong of me to post that as a couple of my other posts were. How do you like living in India? Is there a lot of racial discrimination there? I work with a guy who is Indian and is a very nice guy. He is very strict though with his kids. My name is No Hate because I am not racist. I did go overboard by saying all White Australians are racist.

No hate... Living in India is a mixed bag. It is an amazing place. Absolutely amazing. But life here is not easy, especially if you have come from the US or Europe. Things move at a different pace, and you must take your expectations for how things work and recalibrate them for how they work here. Is there racial discrimination here? Short answer is yes.. on so many different levels... caste, socioeconomic, religious... you name it! it is a society and I do not think there is a society on the planet that does not suffer from this blight. So India is the same in this regard.

I think you should keep in mind that every person has prejudices. you are no different, I am no different. so you should see the contradiction in saying that you are not racist, yet you were racist against white australians. In the end that should get you closer to understanding how misunderstandings occur between groups.

Let me say at the outset that I am no fan of middle-eastern attitudes towards women and the "uncovered meat" referenc to Australian women made by a mullah a while ago made me sick to my stomach.

But I am also aware of Australia's very racist, not to mention white-is-superior past. And these do not just go away.

There are two (perhaps more than two) truths here. Yes, Muslim men from the middle-east have unhealthy attitudes towards women and yes, they have raped young girls in Australia.

And yes, Australia has a racist past and when something is institutionalized for centuries it does not just disappear overnight. It is naive to think that racism does not exist in Australia just because it has not happened directly to you. I have never experienced racism in the US (where I've lived for 20 years) but I do know that it happens and that it is real.

And racism is also not of the open KKK variety. It can be more subtle, hidden and insidious. How are two people who've committed the same crime treated if one is white and one is not? It can appear in coded terms: communication problems can be code for he has an accent (of course an Indian or Chinese accent is more problematic than a French one).

Also, Sakshi, this was disturbingly reminiscent of the Jim Crow (Birth of a Nation) time in the US: black (in this case brown) men are raping white women. That does not mean that young, white girls are not being raped but that there is some kind of frenzy being whipped up that can never end well. In America's racist past this meant killing 12-year old black boys who tipped their hat to a white lady or lynch mobs killing black men because they were thought to have raped white women.

This making of the other into a villanous, raping beast is scary. And to really solve the issue I think Australians need to look below the surface and really try to understand what's going. And when is say Australians I include all immigrants...including those from whose ranks these rapists emerge.

Those were my very long-winded two cents *plink, plink*

To Jawahara. I am assuming you are talking about the Imam Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly who gave that speech about women.

To Sakshi. Some of my posts above were wrong of me to say. Can you delete them? To smallsquirrel. Have you been racially discriminated against in India?

All western/ised countries are not racist. Only India is the country of racist, castist, intolerant slave traders.

And we all are McCaulay's children.

Hail McCauley!!

No hate... that is a difficult question. I think all people with white skin are treated differently here. I am seen as a tourist, and therefore a "cash cow" if you will... people assume that I am coming over with buckets of money and therefore quote me insane prices everywhere. it takes ages of bargaining for everything to convince them that I live here, have a family here and earn in rupees only. Is that racially motivated? On the surface yes. But will these same shopkeepers and auto drivers also fleece an NRI or a even a tourist from Delhi? Yes.

There are also other forms of discrimination in the form of prejudice. People assume that: I am Christian, that I support Bush, that I am for the war, that I am some mindless American, that all Americans are stupid, that I do not understand the local language, that my husband is my driver and not my husband at all, that I am rich and have 5 servants, that I behave like someone on the OC or some other such show on Star World.. the list goes on. This has much to do with lack of exposure to others than much of anything else, though.

I will tell ya, Australia's handling of the recent terror case has not impressed me. So there is a credit to your argument!

To smallsquirrel. I guess people are more likely to be victims of racism a lot in countries that are not that multicultural and if they are new to the country.

To smallsquirrel. Arabs and Muslims are the most racially discriminated peoples in Australia. Many Arab and Muslim youths say they are racially discriminated under Australia's new anti-terror laws. The Cronulla Riots Revenge Attacks were a reaction to years of harassment from White Australians.

1. Many Anglo Saxons complain about the Lebanese Gangs and their crime and racism. Are Anglo Saxon Australians aware how much crime and racism they brought into Australia because the the majority of crime and racism is committed by Anglo Saxons.
2. Cronulla Race Rioters complain the Lebanese Gangs get away with horrific crimes against them, but look at how many terrible crimes Anglo Saxon Australians got away with against Lebanese and Muslim Australians. Just look at the Cronulla Race Riots for example.
3. There are 2 sides to what lead to the riots because their was racial harassment from both sides.
4. The Lebanese Gangs dislike the Australian flag for a good reason because it symbolizes Anglo Saxons who they have a reason for dislikng.

Anglo Saxon Australians should treat other races with respect if they want to get repect back.

Hi Sakshi,
I have found your article extremely racist when you say "...The big change has been with the arrival of Muslims from the Mid-East, mostly Lebanese..." and extremely biased when you enlighten us with "...In the demonstration a few innocent people of mid-Eastern background were assaulted. But then casualties occur everywhere and in every situation of such magnitude...". I would recommend you to read what Raj Thackeray says about Biharis in his articles. Replace 'Biharis' with 'Lebanese Muslims' and 'Mumbai' with 'Sydney' and you will be able to find what I am trying to say.
Thanx
Gulam Husain