Kurds come from Kurdistan
Dem damn Kurds. 'Tis a terrible thing what they done. 'Tis gettin' so you can't trust any of 'em. You let 'em in and they go bite the hand that feeds. Don't they know they're guests here? Obviously not.
— We expect a certain level of propriety from our migrant brothers and sisters.
That we do. They should leave all that stuff behind them once they're over here. Forget all about it, I say. Become Australians.
— And participate in the spirit of multiculturalism.
Yeah, that. They go actin' up like that and then wonder why people become resentful.
— Racist?
No. I didn't say that. I'm no racist, not me. Some of my best friends are, you know, like them Kurds. Came out here without a cracker. Worked hard. Made something out of their lives. But all this business at the embassies ... it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. What are they? A bunch of hotheads? If they're gonna act up like that, then maybe they should go back home to their own country.
— They haven't got one.
Sure they have. They've got a home. Everyone's got a home.
— Not the Kurds.
No, that's where you're wrong. I happen to know that Kurds come from Kurdistan.
— It doesn't exist.
Sure it does. It's somewhere between Iraq and that other country.
— Turkey?
Yeah, that's it. Kurdistan is next to Turkey.
— Actually it's in Turkey.
It isn't is it?
— And it's in Iraq, and it's in Iran. That's what all the fuss is about.
Oh. So it's one of those type problems.
— Precisely.
Land rights.
— Sort of.
Couldn't get their own Mabo up? Blocked in the upper house was it?
— Not quite.
Can't say I feel sorry for them. It takes two to tango, you know. You gotta convince the other side that you've got a case. It's give and take. Always has to be that way for minorities.
— There's more than 20 million of them.
Kurds? Phew! You don't say! Twenty million, eh? That's a lot. You could make a nice little community chest with 20 million. Very nice. That's more than what's in Tasmania.
— There's only 600,000 East Timorese.
And they'll be gettin' their own country soon, won't they? I read about it.
— Well, they should, but it's not guaranteed.
Twenty million ... So that explains how they could be everywhere at the same time. There's all these Kurds all over the place.
— Minus a country ...
Itching to get back home.
— Itching to get their home back.
It makes you stop and think.
— What?
That there's an awful lot of problems in this world.
— More for some than others.
By Dave Riley