Sonia Kruger branded a racist

In an interview on morning television yesterday, Sonia Kruger said the unthinkable - she would like to stop Muslim immigration into Australia.

"I want to feel safe" she said and "You're not allowed to talk about it."

No, it's true, we are not allowed to talk about it.  Any anti-Muslim criticism is not tolerated, even when it's warranted.

In light of the recent murders of innocents in Europe, Kruger made a sensible, honest statement when she said "As a mother, I believe it's vital in a democratic society to be able to discuss these issues without being labelled racist."

The same old rhetoric is trotted out time after time - 99 per cent of Muslims living in Australia are peace-loving people and any questions about their unwillingness to integrate into our society are immediately shut down.

Among the damning comments made on her Facebook page, she also had a lot of support.  Among other positive comments, Jennie Lynne said "Thanks for being a voice for so many of us Aussies wanting our country to be safe - we are judged and condemned by those who are blind to see what is obvious."

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton told The Australian yesterday that he could certainly understand why Australians might be concerned about national security in the wake of terror attacks in Belgium and France, who have high levels of Muslim immigration. "I want to assure Australians that we do consider whether a person poses a risk to Australia" he said.

"We don't look at religion but we do ask:  is that person going to make the most of the opportunity to come to Australia?  Are they seeking to do harm?"

More than 65 per cent of immigrants who arrived in Australia in 2014-15 for example came in under the skilled migrants program, with 38 per cent of them employer-sponsored.

"It's not about race or religion, but if there is any inkling at all that the person may pose a threat to Australia, they won't be coming, because as we've seen in Europe, we do have to make sure our system is the toughest in the world" Mr Dutton said.

Although the votes are still being counted from the recent election, anti-Muslim Paul Hansen's party is likely to get three seats in the Senate and a fourth seat is still possible.  Surely this is an indication of what the silent majority are thinking.

Keysar Trad

Islamic Friendship Association founder Keysar Trad told The Australian he was "heartbroken" by Kruger's comments, saying she had been in his home and met his family.

"She could see we were everyday Australians, just like everyone else, trying to raise our kids and do the right thing - I thought she was better informed" he said.