Posted on 08/27/2006 12:45:43 PM PDT by Mount Athos
MOST Australians believe we are locked in a losing war against Islamic terrorists and an attack on our home soil, most likely Sydney, is inevitable.
For the first time, The Daily Telegraph can reveal how ordinary Australians feel about living under the shadow of terrorism – and the results are chilling.
Three quarters of the Australian public believe we are losing the war against terrorists, while more than half believe it is "very likely" or "fairly likely" we will be attacked in the next 12 months.
"We recently had a bomb scare at work and it has made me start to second-guess everything. I've become quite paranoid, especially catching the train to work," said Natasha Collins, 21, who works in retail in Kings Cross.
The majority of people are resigned to the fact Western countries – including Australia – will be at war with terrorists for at least the next 20 years.
Five years after the September 11 attacks on New York and four years after the first Bali bombings killed 88 Australians, most Australians surveyed said they accepted that terrorism was part of their daily lives.
"It's less safe, I wouldn't go overseas now," Newcastle resident John Levett, 57, said.
Far from being optimistic about the future of world stability, more than half believe the threat from terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda will only get worse in the next few years.
The Daily Telegraph's poll, based on face-to-face interviews with 572 people in Sydney, Newcastle, country NSW and the ACT in the past week, also raises concerns among ordinary people about the behaviour of Muslims in Australia.
A majority (52 per cent) said they believed most Muslims living in Australia were moderate.
"I work with some Muslim people and they get so stereotyped. They're nothing like they are shown, they're good people,'' said Isaac Wynyard, 20, a warehouse worker from Parramatta.
But a further 21 per cent said they believed Australian Muslims were not moderate, while the remaining 27 per cent said they did not know either way.
Maureen Stowefern, 62, from Newcastle said: "Not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims.''
The poll dispels the myth among Australians that fears of terrorism are overblown.
In the same week that aspiring terrorist Faheem Lodhi was jailed for 20 years over a series of planned attacks that could have rivalled the London bombings and September 11, Australians called on their political leaders to do more to protect the population from an attack on home soil.
A clear majority called for stricter security at Australian airports in the wake of the British plot to blow up planes over five key US cities.
The controversial idea of "passenger profiling'' at airports was also supported by just over half of those surveyed.
Such a move would see certain stereotypes - such as young Muslim men - singled out for security screening before being allowed to board a plane.
Postal worker Kathy Bennett, 42, from Queanbeyan, doubted whether the war against terror would end.
"I don't think we ever can win it,'' she said. "It will last forever. I think all we can do is take a stand.''
Eyes wide open.
20 years is quite optimistic, considering the rate Muslims (worldwide) are multiplying and indoctrinating their children with Islamist lunacy.
Had you guys heard this? That would really rile up Australia.
Time to beat down the mooselimb population?
Time to take out the garbbage?
Time to not not surrender to the mooselimbs.
Time to stand up for what you believe?
You Aussies have done a good job up to now, don't get cold feet or else your beautiful females will be wearing burqas, and that would be a crime.
"20 years is quite optimistic, considering the rate Muslims (worldwide) are multiplying and indoctrinating their children with Islamist lunacy."
Certain explosive developments could render this statistical trend less important, including:
nuclear anihilation
contaminated food and/or water
induced drought
diseases
internal strife galore
economic isolation
totally barred from travel or migration
islamic peace movement
"Time to take out the garbage" ... and feed them to saltwater crocs.
Here you go, class. What's wrong with this statement?
"The poll dispels the myth among Australians that fears of terrorism are overblown."
Whatever the year count will be we are going to be exterminated unless we discard political correctness and start fighting in earnest.
The "that" should go before "among".
Well, no. The only thing that can dispel the myth of overworrying is to find out of the worry was justified. That requires either an attack to verify the worry, or enough years going by without an attack to dispel the worry.
The poll did not and cannot dispel a belief that people are needlessly worried. Only facts on the ground will collapse the probability wave, not a poll.
Time for the Aussies to take up their arms! Oh, wait, the government confiscated them.
And there I was thinking that all you were interested in had to do with the grammatical errors!
Then, dear lady, I would have asked what was wrong with the sentence, as opposed to the statement.
LOL
I like you.
We had a major alert in the Melbourne underground rail loop last Friday, that exposed some really serious problems with security. And from some things I have heard, Sydney would have an even harder time with its underground.
Of course, more than just underground railways are at risk, but that's a scenario they are worried about - and what happened on Friday showed they are very right to worry.
No, they didn't. I spent part of the weekend cleaning my entirely legal, privately held, firearms.
Second, while watching TV in a common area after a day on the airfield, I was sitting with a group of Aussies and they were glued to war between Hezbolla and Israel.
I think our friends from down under have their antennae up and are more perceptive to what is going on than half the dolts here in the U.S.. Interesting....
Really not much difference between how the "ozzies" think and how we do. The big difference between US and them is that when it comes down to it, we can defend ourselves without the involvement of government. We have the 2ND AMENDMENT!
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