It is correct and necessary for politicians to say that only a small minority of Muslims resorted to violence. In fact, this phenomenon has two generic dimensions. First, agitators who preach, sanction or engage in violence should face the full force of the law in a "no tolerance" policy enforced by politicians and police and, in the case of non-citizens, possible visa cancellation and deportation.
The second dimension is more subtle -- it concerns the successful integration of Muslims into Western society on the foundation of the secular state. While the West's evolution is based built upon Church-state separation, Islam is accustomed to the state as upholder and champion of religion. These competing ideas are incompatible.
Since Australia cannot compromise its secular state the adjustments required by Muslims to non-negotiable Australian norms are substantial, difficult and will take time. It is the price required to join this society.
There is a related political dimension -- the foundation of multiculturalism is respect for cultural origins but loyalty to the norms of Australia. This means finding a reconciliation between respect for Islam and respect for Australia.
It goes to the responsibility on Muslim leaders -- but there is a matching responsibility on Australia's political, social and religious leaders to reach out and to assist Islam in this journey.
It was impossible to listen to the statement yesterday from Islamic leaders at Lakemba without feeling that progress is being made.
The Lebanese Muslim Association's Samier Dandan said his community valued religious freedom in Australia, rejected extremism, called for no further rallies and wanted a new focus on disaffected youth.
It is equally important, however, to acknowledge the secular state is under assault not just from religious crusaders but from secularists. In Australia today racist language is a taboo, yet attacks on religious belief are frequent and almost fashionable.
The sanction extended to media displays of contempt for people with religious belief, notably Christianity, seems to reflect a new prejudice by people many of whom aspire to drive religion from the public square into the exclusively private realm.
Perhaps they do not comprehend, but this is a direct assault upon the secular state and the terms of peaceful co-existence between the state and religion. In this concept, the state became neutral between believers and non-believers and neutral among different types of believers. The reason for such neutrality was to allow all types of faith to flourish without war.
Any proposal to move the state from being neutral to being actively anti-religious would constitute a betrayal of this mission and guarantee new and bitter divisions throughout the community.
So great principles are at stake in the integration of Islam into Western democracy. In Australia, political extremism promoting violence is contrary to our democracy and the compact that underwrote our mass immigration program. The message for Islam and other religions is the need to uphold Australia's secular state and, in so doing, find a common cause in all faiths against the approaching assault on the secular state from non-believers.
