From a few ‘Net friends:

Yes, I agree with <>, in so far as he is reporting why people are against a more compassionate response to asylum seekers.

Even though I believe we should be compassionate to the boat people and that our present position is morally debased I also recognise that it is a complex issue where every response will be filled with difficulties.

In the church life survey, a number of years ago, there was a question that said something like, “Would you be concerned if your son or daughter chose to be married to someone of another race.” I wondered what they thought they were asking here. I thought that I was caught in a catch-22. Yes I would be concerned if my son or daughter were to marry somebody from another race, and the greater the difference between the races the greater my concern.

The reason for this is simple. If my son or daughter married someone from a different race that would present them with all sorts of challenges … social acceptance from others, different expectations in their relationship, and ways of bringing up children … and so on and so on.

I had to say that it would cause me concern. Does that mean my answer made me a racist? Would that mean that I thought the marriage was wrong? Certainly I would warn the couple that while I will support them in whatever they choose that together they will potentially face some difficult issues.

This is true for the asylum seekers. Perhaps there is a perception that those people saying we should not confine the asylum seekers have not fully perceived the great difficulties of an alternative policy. If that is the case then we could be rightly ignore and even considered dangerous. Maybe we should be very deliberate in listing the potential dangers and challenges of an alternative policy so people don’t think we have a naïve belief that welcoming the asylum seekers into our society will create a new utopia.

We could then compare the two possible futures and help people make an intelligent, considered, compassionate, choice.

From another:

You wonder why australians are 70% against the boat people. This isnt nothing new when 20 years ago there were lots of vietnamese boat people coming to australia nobody in australia was happy about it. What were they scared of then and now. I think its they have a fear of invasion because

thats what it seemed like with all the boats of vietnamese boat people and that’s what it is now with the moslems. If the goverment do nothing then

australians are scared that this will encourage the boat people and huge

amounts will come and the country will be overrun. These boats land illegally and secretly on remote parts of Australia and aussies are powerless to stop them and will all wake up to find the country over run. Fear of invasion, in other words.

Is this fear justified. Well if you take a walk in the sydney area of cabramatta whre the vietmanese community is and see the out of control drug crime and violence the police powerless then you have to say those who were scared of vietnamese boat people can easily say they were proven that they were right about that. Will the moslems run riot here. Moslems are were responsible for september 11 and so people cant help be scared of them.

Well all the stuff about violent riots in the detention centres reminds aussies that they are dangerous and shouldn’t be let loose.

So its surprises me that only 70% of aussies are scared of being overrun

with boat people. Sure everyone on insights will disagree with me for saying this but just shot the messenger.

From another:

Not that many Australians have met present-wave refugees and asylum-seekers. If they had, they would have found that they have more in common with them, through their shared humanity, than they have differences. The Government, through its claims about ‘these people’ ['throw their children overboard' etc] have fostered the ‘them and us’ mentality. No doubt September 11 and the recent gang rape cases in Sydney have bred fear, some of it justified. Ignorance added to misinformation has fuelled prejudice. Sections of the media have added their bit. Solutions: Contact with refugees on TPVs, as well as those still in detention. There are many ways of helping those for whom govt assistance is minimal. In NSW, eg, TPV-holders can’t access free English lessons, so offering English lessons is obviously appreciated. Listening to their stories is important. Good news stories in the media about positive relation-building, eg The 7.30 Report story about the Hazara soccer team that was formed in Brisbane, the Iraqi community in Corowa, etc. Particularly important for Christians: good education about Islam. ‘Salom’

And someone else wrote: I was talking with some people last night about the need to break down the walls which encourage fear and hatred toward refugees. We were attempting to identify what it is that generates such a reaction. Is it the fact that the people are refugees, or is it that they are Muslims? What do list members think? If there is a straight answer to this question it may be possible to target bridge-building exercises more eaily.

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