KKKamden put on their white hoods

Camden residents protest new islamic school.

Speaking of wankery, how's this for a blatant display of Australia's patented brand of racism?

More than 2000 people have protested the building of a private Islamic school in Sydney's south-west as the backlash against the project - including a text message campaign - builds.

The proposed Islamic school for Camden has outraged thousands of residents, some of whom say it would bring violence to the suburb and turn it into a "dirty looking town like Lakemba".

Camden Mayor Chris Patterson said most of the 270 responses received so far opposed the plan on "perceived problems with traffic, rural lifestyle and amenities" but concerns aired in posts on the local newspaper's website were more blunt.

A Camden Advertiser reader who identified only as Hayley said she felt sick. "The thought of our beautiful Camden accommodating to this religion is a disgrace ... This Islamic school will change the town forever," she said.

A resident of 14 years, Gary Wright, said if Camden Council wished to bring crime and corruption to Camden and make it a "dirty looking town like Lakemba I supose (sic) they will go ahead anyhow".

In the 2006 Census, the suburb of Camden had 3,166 residents of which 69 per cent identified as Christian and another 13 per cent, of no religion.

The spokesman for the Quranic Society, Jeremy Bingham, said he had anticipated the religious backlash.

"People fear what they don't yet understand," he said. "There's nothing at all for people to be afraid of any more than they need to be afraid of Catholics or Jews or Protestants."

Kindergarten to year three pupils would be enrolled first to the school, which could open for the 2009 school year. New grades would be added each year and children would not have to be Muslim to enrol, Mr Bingham said.

Students would be taught subjects in line with the government syllabus in a structure that allows for prayer and time dedicated to religious instruction - just like in other church schools, he said.

"It's just a school for little kiddies who want to learn to be good Australians and they will be taught to be good Australians. Their religious faith happens to be the Muslim faith, that's all," Mr Bingham said.

Yep, just like other church schools. Except the fuckwits protesting this school wouldn't blink an eyelid at the prospect of a catholic or anglican-run school starting up. In fact, they'd probably be keen to enrol their kids there. Racists.

And here's another great example of how "we're not racist, we just hate people who aren't exactly like us" Australia is portrayed overseas (and deservedly so) from the weddings section of the New York Times:

Part of her problem was that she did not completely fit in anywhere: In New York, she was an Australian immigrant. In Australia, she was an ethnic Chinese refugee from Malaysia. “I never really felt accepted,” she said, referring to growing up near Sydney, where strangers told her to “go back where you came from.”

Yeah... we don't have a problem with racism...