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September 25, 2005
Australia: Muslims are Revolting (against new laws)
An article today in News.com.au reports on growing resentment at the proposed new laws on terrorism, with Muslims feeling their rights are being infringed. At Punchbowl in Sydney, hundreds gathered to voice their animosity, complaining that the government's actions were inciting hatred against them.
Prime Minister John Howard had unveiled a new raft of security measures earlier this month, with tighter checks on citizenship applications, jail terms for incitement to violence, and the granting to police of powers allowing them to hold suspects wihout charge. Chief voice among the protesters was Mr Chaaban Omran, president of Federation of Australian Muslim Students and Youth (FAMSY), who claimed recent London bombings, politicians' open contempt for hijab wearing and negative media portrayals were helping prejudices to grow.
"We all moved out to this country because we thought we would be able to carry out our traditions and our cultures, as well as making a good contribution to Australia's society. Now we're starting to find this is no longer the case and that is a tragic thing in a country that purports to value diversity," he said.Nothing about wanting to take part in Australian culture and traditions, then. Omran's comments reflect a growing unease amongst young Muslims, which has been festering long before recent events.
A report from abc.net from Sept 12 describes this alienation, as documented in research carried out over the last year by Dr David Wright-Neville in and around Melbourne. He was interviewing Muslim "leaders" and others about the Government's counter-terrorism policies, carried out for the police by the Global Terrorism Research Unit at Melbourne's Monash University.
The results of his research show that young Muslims do not trust the police, and many ordinary Australians do not trust Muslims. He cited the national terrorist hotline, which had over the past three years received 30,000 calls from callers wishing to report someone suspicious, mostly involving innocent citizens, and said:
" I think as it stands at the moment, it seems to me that the terrorist hotline is very much a sort of taxpayer-funded avenue for vigilantism."Dr Wright-Neville's research will take another two years before completion, and will be investigating the role of the media in fostering the climate of unease between the groups.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 25, 2005 3:56 PM
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