I harbour no ill feelings towards Islam as a religion, and I can even understand how (some!) people get caught up in the romanticism of a global Islamic empire. As somebody who once lived as an ultra-Orthodox Jew, I am no stranger to the excitement and grandeur of fervent religion. Nonetheless, as a non-Muslim, I also find the prospect of living in a theocracy to be a frightening one and the contentions of many on that website only solidified that particular opinion.

But this is almost beside the point: the real issue that drove me away from the forum was the unbridled hatred of Israel. It seemed that no matter how many times I assured people that I was neither an Israeli nor a Zionist, their hearts were set on tarring me with the same brush, for no reason other than the fact that I am a Jew. If anything, they made me want to be a Zionist! I could no longer write anything critical of Israel, as they’d somehow convinced me that I was only providing them with further fodder for hating Australian Jews, and – as a result – was pushed into the position of defending them.

There was a Jewish girl on the website when I was there; she went by the name Yehudit. The two of us became friends and it saddened me to note that, while she did enter very much as herself, she was bombarded with hateful messages to a far greater extent than I was. I don’t think that it would have helped, had I identified myself as a Jew who is not interested in leaving Judaism. I think the fact that I identified myself as a Jew at all was the problem.

You know, I always regretted that you left. You were a nice voice of moderation on the forum. There were and still are some nice people there and in fact, you’re lucky you were on that forum and not others. From my experience, that forum was on the ‘liberal’ side of things. Most Australian Muslims do seem to be pretty chill.

Were those nice comments about Islam a sham? Perhaps you should have entered the forum as just yourself and not as a would-be-convert.

What an unpleasant experience, alas, I do not agree with my esteemed friend and Lady of Two Runes. I believe that there is a culture of rudeness that is rife on the internet. I recall many a long and pleasant evening back in the 90′s calling people all manner of insulting things for kicks on MIRC. It’s fun. And cathartic. I strongly urge everyone to at least once in there lives to get down and dirty and attack someone ad hominem just for the hell of it.

The internet is a Roman arena where the gladiators AND the mob are given masks to hide their identity. And then they get to call each other all sorts of names for the fun of it. Is this an internet only affair. I think so. I think it has to do with the lack of consequences, unlike road rage where the person one hangs the bird to could turn around and threaten your life, thus escalating things towards violence, a good ol’ cyber-barny of the lowest form has no consequences other than higher blood pressure and some lost hours better spent doing well…almost anything really.

What’s truly concerning is, that, while I too hold with the opinion that people are generally nicer to others that they meet on the street, I don’t necessarily think it has anything to do with empathy towards suddenly recognizing a fellow human. Alas, I really think that their thoughts are not curbed at all, just their words so as not to spend every moment of their lives fighting with people.

I do believe that if thoughts were audible, you’d be hearing conversations like the ones you just had on the net repeated on the strett, except it would not just be about race religion or territory. It would include heated violent exchanges about Holden’s and Fords, NRL versus AFL, post-modernism versus Romanticism, who should rightfully have this car parking space, and whether Tracy Grimshaw should be kicked in the groin and set on fire or set on fire and THEN kicked in the groin. Utter anarchy would break out over little things AND big things alike. But we avoid this sort of mess by restraining ourselves on a regular basis.

I guess the real question then is, what’s more important, that people’s actions are civil when their thoughts are not, or that their actions are uncivil but honestly so?

The other real question is who has Tracy Grimshaw’s address and does anyone have some methylated spirits…

Your experience in the forum you mentioned I don’t really believe is unique at all. Pick one, any one, and I am certain that you find the ignorant and loud making outrageous statements that cannot be taken seriously! It is not even particular to religious or race related forums, and I bet you could find similarly stupid and insupportable rantings in a conversation between a Ford devotee and a Holden lover. Although more likely in reference to masculinity and not genocide. But no less ignorant.

From my own experience in forums, I have to agree with you that like attracts like. One nut job gabbering about anything will invariably attract like minded nut jobs and amplify the rant. It does tend to scare people off. However I disagree that it is a problem, or characteristic particular to the internet. The internet has probably given many faceless a voice when there was no other accessable forum. It has as much potential as the combined input of individual use allows it to have, and I like to think that here, we counteract the blatantly ignorant with a different voice.

You have more patience and faith than I do. Comments liking Israelis to Nazis is telling of the overall level of stupidity you were dealing with in that forum, and I would not be likely to return it! I know little of the situation in Palestine, but the comment smacks of a desperate need to offend and insult, as you suggest. I say go with the more hopeful option, they are out there…