Support in Australia for Muslim immigration ban

Stuff reports:

US President Barack Obama has hit back strongly at rising anti-immigration sentiment across America, Europe, and Australia, as a new poll found half of all Australians want to ban Muslim immigration.

“This crisis is a test of our common humanity – whether we give in to suspicion and fear and build walls, or whether we see ourselves in another,” he said.

It came as an Essential Research poll released on Wednesday found 49 per cent of Australians support a ban on Muslim immigration, including 60 per cent of Coalition voters, 40 per cent of Labor voters and 34 per cent of Greens voters.

That’s sad but not surprising. As Islamic terrorist attacks become more and more regular, people become more and more scared.

The most common reasons for wanting a ban were fears over terrorism, and a belief that Muslim migrants do not integrate into society or share Australian values. The poll was first conducted in early August and then repeated to ensure it was not a rogue.

Some Muslim migrants do not integrate, while some do. The best policy would to focus more strongly on prospective migrants as individuals and judging them on their ability to integrate – which is more than just religion.

The Essential poll, with a typical sample size of more than 1000, came a week after Senator Hanson’s incendiary first speech in the Senate in which she proposed that Australia halt Muslim immigration and stop building mosques and Islamic schools.

The poll found a high level of support for the One Nation firebrand, with two-thirds of voters agreeing she talks about issues other politicians are afraid of tackling, and 48 per cent endorsing a national debate about Muslim immigration.

 Lewis said the results showed mainstream political parties needed to re-engage with “outsider politics” as disenfranchised voters flocked to the fringes.

Yep, Hansen ig going nowhere but up.