Don't Hate other Races, Hate the Extremists

So I was on Facebook a couple of months ago when I was invited to join a group called, "If we are more than 1,000,000, then the group "f*** Islam" must be deleted". Curious about the "f*** Islam" group, I searched for it online and found that it did exist. It is unbelievable how these hate groups are formed, and absurd to see the negative comments written by the people in these pages. Since the event of 9/11 in 2001, and the more recent London Bombings July 7, 2005, Islam has been stereotyped as terrorists all over the world. Now, no matter who you are, whether a student or even a tourist on holiday, if you are a Muslim, people would label you as a terrorist.

Islam4UK is a web-based organisation that describes itself as "a platform" for the extremist group Al Muhajiroun that does give a negative image for all Muslims. Islam4UK is an important part of the story of Islamist anger and the line between politics, protest and national security. The organisation, originally formed by Omar Bakri Mohammed is made up of a small band of young men who advocate a worldwide Islamist system of government and, at the same time, vehemently denounce the foreign policies of the US and UK. (Casciani, D, 2010) This site has been closed down and is banned in Britain, but it demonstrates how extremists utilise the Internet to spread their message.

Extremists, is a term that refers to the propagation of extreme views, advocating the use of violence in promoting political, religious, or social causes. (Darlington, R, 2007) Such views would encompass political fascism, skinhead fascism, white power, white supremacy, militia groups, race hate, anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, world conspiracy, religious cults, Islamist militancy, virulent anti-homosexuality, pro-anorexia/bulimia, virulent anti-abortionism, violent propagation of animal rights, sports hooliganism, violent political activism, bomb making information, and suicide assistance. A majority of extremist sites contain external links to other extremist sites, and also includes multimedia content, racist symbols, racism and hatred, and material from supremacist literature. (Gerstenfeld, P.B, 2003) Although, not many of these sites may urge violence, this shows that the Internet may be an especially powerful tool for extremists as a means of reaching an international audience, recruiting members, linking diverse extremist groups, and allowing maximum image control.

Australian First Party (AFP) may not appear to be as agressive as the other extemists mentioned above, but it does bear similar characteristics with them. They aim to ensure Australia's full independence and at the same time, are against multiculturism and immigrants. Furthermore, they have utilised the Internet to present their conceptions and to get other people to join this party, forgetting the fact that Australia's heritage does not belong to one individual, group or faith. Australia is a land of many cultures and apart from the Indigenous Australian, many of them can trace their roots to somewhere else. Every Australian, whether born or even migrated here, have equal rights and responsibilities.

In my opinion, we shouldn't hate other races and religions. In fact, we should hate the extremists and ban other sites for promoting hatred towards religion and race. We should maybe; even form our own hate group against these extremists. What do you think?