What does the West mean to me?

The phrase "Western civilisation" can at times be a bit obtuse so I'll venture  to provide a definition. Western civilisation is that civilisation originating in Ancient Greece, further developed in Ancient Rome, adopted by the Judeo-Christian religion (Christianity) and refined by the Western and Eastern Roman empires (Byzantine) and their constituent nations, and finally gifted to most of Europe and her colonies. I guess I adhere to a somewhat unorthodox definition because I include the Eastern Roman empire or the Byzantine empire and its associated religion called Eastern orthodox. I believe the countries which formed the Byzantine empire have just as much right to be called Western. 

    

So too of Israel. Christianity shares a common patrimony with Judaism and without the latter there would be no Christianity. Because of this shared patrimony and because Christianity took hold of Western civilisation in Rome and then influenced it heavily and beautifully, I believe the Jews and therefore Israel ought to be included as Westerners. And Israel's opposition to the bloodthirsty Arab states which surround her, ought to be highly valued.

This is what it means to be Western and questions of race are absent.  The Byzantine empire was composed of many ethnicities and what made it work was Christianity. The thread which holds Western civilisation together is Christianity. There has to be a central authority recognised by all citizens if the civilisation is to survive. This is why multiculturalism, that cult of Western self-loathing, means disaster. Multiculturalism means the extinction of Western civilisation, and yet it is a principle of all Australian government departments, and, no doubt, plenty of European governments too. Things are pretty crook.