You think it absurd, merely because it is ambitious. But in practice, nothing is so weak, so cowardly, so defeatist, as not even trying because the task looks hard.
But first a dash of ice water in the face: Islam teaches that to lie to infidels to further the faith is OK. In fact, in Islam lying to infidels is a good thing. An untruth is the truth.
It is splendid that the Sheik should publish his views at all, but why in an Australian Jewish Community publication? Why not put it on TV in Riyadh, or Teheran, or Cairo? Publish a series of articles in the Amman News. To place his choice of venues in context, I suggest you research other Aussie media. The Muslim community in Australia has been behaving very badly lately, with gang rapes, etc. Maybe that's why our Sheik (Palazzi? I'm suspicious already) is publishing in Australia!
I am bored with Muslims giving us a blinding glimpse of the obvious. Western Logic tells us what we need to know about Muslims, with whom we have dealt for 14 centuries.
Allow me Jason, to suggest a bit of Western technique: the Pareto Paradigm, or the 80/20 rule, which seems to be passably accurate in describing all human interaction.
E.G., 20% of your customers give you 80% of your business. 20% of Muslims are giving us 80% of the problem. Most humans are somewhat peaceable. Muslims ARE human. Therefore most Muslims are peaceable
How many are potential terrorists? Apply the Paradigm, dude. Out of the 20% who are potentially troublesome, 80% will never do anything, except maybe put money in the basket.
That leaves a mere 20% of the 20% who MAY have the potential to strap on the dynamite, pick up the AK, and go on active Jihad. That's 4% of all Muslims, or .04 X 1.5 Billion People.
So, all we (and apparently Sheik Palazzi) have to do is keep surveillance on those 60 Million Muslims, and their supporters, world wide. Piece of Cake.
Jason, Western Logic tells us that we should be prepared to deal with 60 Million terrorists in the available pool, with 300 Million more who are supporting the effort, some more, some less. Assume the other 80% of Islam, let's call it "Peaceable Islam," does nothing. Hey, they're human, maybe their just as terrified of terrorists as we of the Christian West. (Somehow I doubt it, religiously bigotted dog that I am.)
It makes no sense to allow any Muslim into the country, because despite what they say, we have no way of knowing what's on their minds. We have no way of knowing what side of the Paradigm they are on. Are we therefore, going to be excluding some wonderful people, who would make excellent, Allah-fearing US citizens and be worthwhile contributors to this great land? You bet, Pal. Not a Christian's job to sort good Islam from bad Islam. We could do it, but no Muslim would like the results. There wouldn't be a whole hell of a lot of them left to complain, either.
Islam is a militaristic movement without a Renaissance, without an Enlightenment, Without an Age of Reason, without a Reformation, without a Counter Reformation, with no art, no music, no literature, and no science. Oh yes, they flowered briefly on the spoils of the Byzantine, Roman and Persian Empires, but look where it took them. This is a civilization in the saddle that has been at war with the Christian West for 14 centuries.
What Sheik Palazzi really wants is a corps of "Good Muslims" living in the West. These "Good Muslims" will then presumably lead their benighted brothers toward a new, improved, reformed, sanitized Islam that draws on what he calls the "real beliefs of Islam."
Hold that thought, Sheik. I say Islam needs another 1,000 years in the desert before it is ready for life in open societies based on the Christian Civilization of the West.