Australia: Homegrown Jihadists Are an Affront to Our Tolerance
The Australian
June 24, 2014
JUST over a decade ago, helicopters dropped patrols of Australian SAS soldiers into western Iraq. In deadly skirmishes, they captured strategic outposts of Saddam Hussein’s regime and won admiration within the ranks of the Coalition of the Willing.
Whatever views we might have on that war, our soldiers helped overthrow Saddam and install a fragile democracy. Fast-forward to today and as many as 150 young men from some of the same Australian towns and suburbs are back in western Iraq fighting with the bloodthirsty jihadist extremists of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham), whose stated aim is to overthrow the elected Iraqi government and establish a Sunni caliphate in that region. This is a sobering development. Putting to one side the strategic, sectarian and political nightmares and challenges of that conflict, the reality of Australian-born jihadists is one that must be of deep concern to domestic policymakers and citizens concerned about our unifying national values.
Sometimes the daily news contains developments that have been a long time in the making, but provide confronting reality checks about the society in which we live. So it is with what we have learned about some elements of Australia’s Muslim community in recent months. Reports, including in The Australian, have revealed how hundreds of teenage girls have been forcibly married to older men in some Muslim communities. Some of these girls have given birth to their first baby while still children themselves. Many have been brutalised and isolated. This is not a norm we should tolerate or accept.
Our immigrant culture and tolerant society are fundamental Australian strengths that this newspaper has been committed to for 50 years next month. Many mistakes and challenges have emerged in this melting pot of races, cultures and religions as our unfinished business of nation-building has evolved. Our crucial economic and people-to-people links with China and Japan after troubled histories bear testimony to how prejudices and enmities have been overcome, and opportunity has flowed from openness. Indigenous reconciliation remains a national preoccupation and, for all their muddle-headedness, policy debates on issues as diverse as border protection and racial vilification laws at least show the importance our society places on our nation’s status as a beacon of tolerance.
Muslims from Southeast Asia, India and Central Asia have been part of this nation since soon after European settlement. Along with so many other cultures, they form a rich and integral part of our national story. Yet child brides and homegrown jihadists are beyond our cultural tolerance whether we are Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or atheist Australians.
The difficult question for societies based on tolerance is whether it is self-defeating to tolerate subcultures that exhibit extreme intolerance. The way some extreme versions of Islamic tradition are practiced in our country is anathema to our accepted values. We cannot hide from the dilemma this poses. We must ask for a greater public contribution to discussions about these issues from Muslim communities. Too often we are told we hear too much about unrepresentative extremist views within Islamic communities; that we must focus more on the silent majority. Yet it is the silence of the majority that can exacerbate the problem. It will assist our Muslim and non-Muslim communities alike to hear Muslim leaders condemn child marriages and the exporting of our young men to foreign jihadist conflicts. We have struggled with these debates since 9/11 and now we must renew our efforts to have the conversations and combat the problems together.
Tony Abbott has adopted a strong line on the Syria-Iraq jihadists and he is right to be vigilant against the prospect of citizens returning with extremist ideology, intent, training and even experience. The government should not conflate this border-protection challenge with the asylum-seeker issue because that is unfair to those seeking asylum and it risks inflaming the divisiveness that we must strive to avoid. There is a daunting balancing act for politicians, activists, media and the public. We cannot afford to be so shy about the sensitivities of Muslim communities that we avoid important debates and decisions, yet we must confront these issues in a way that engages Muslim Australians rather than marginalises anyone seeking to make a constructive contribution. With lower average incomes and home ownership rates, and higher welfare dependency and unemployment rates, Lebanese Muslims are a disadvantaged group in our society. Disillusioned young men are a happy hunting ground for the preachers of hate.
The latest strife has already triggered calls for a halt to Muslim immigration. This is an affront to our non-discriminatory immigration stance, in place for almost half a century with bipartisan support. This should be immutable. We must uphold and reinforce the responsibilities, as well as the rights, of citizenship.
Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/editorials/homegrown-jihadists-are-an-affront-to-our-tolerance/story-e6frg71x-1226964218360?nk=3d187df4482dfb872e0862b7382c4432
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-tolerance/australia-homegrown-jihadists-affront-our/d/97795