Misreported, misconstrued, mistranslated, misunderstood

Israeli went onto castigate US and Western opposition to the genocide of Bosnian and Albanian Muslims in the Balkans.

He repeats similar themes in a chapter he has contributed to a book called Muhammad's Monsters. As a visiting historian, Israeli is entitled to interpret the history of Muslim civilisations and peoples in any manner he chooses. If he chooses to defend genocide and ethnic cleansing, that is his prerogative. It is also our prerogative as Australians to expect that visitors to our country not make public statements which cause division and incite hatred.

We're also entitled to expect that influential persons in media and politics lead by example in identifying and condemning divisive and hateful remarks directed at a section of the Australian community. One can only wonder at the deafening silence of the Prime Minister, the Treasurer and other senior ministers (not to mention the federal and New South Wales Opposition leaders and the NSW Premier).

It is, of course, pleasing that the Prime Minister will not repeatedly comment on a small minority of Jewish immigrants who refuse to integrate, to learn English, to adopt Australian values and to treat others with respect. We also don't hear Mr Costello holding all Jews collectively responsible for Israeli's remarks.

At the same time, the fact that they refuse to openly condemn these remarks makes one wonder whether our political leadership share Israeli's views. One wonders whether Kevin Andrews plans to introduce legislation limiting Muslim migration to a level below Israeli's critical mass. Does Morris Iemma believe Muslims have a reputation for using violence to get their way?

And will we be seeing one newspaper devote seven whole broadsheet pages to Israeli's remarks as it did to those of Hilali? Will columnists attribute Israeli's remarks to Jews as a whole or to Jewish cultures? Will newspaper editors be addressing conferences about the need for Australia to address its Jewish question?

In other words, will we see the sentiments of one man (and less than a handful of his defenders) be attributed to thousands of Australians who happen to share a religious or ethno-religious background as him?

Allah forbid! Such a dubious honour only generates ratings and votes when reserved only for one group. Waleed Aly summed up this state of affairs when he told the Australian Jewish News: "It is clearly possible in the current environment to say things about Muslims that you simply cannot say about anyone else."