Where Does Australia Stand on Islamisation Threat(s)?

On page 3 of the Weekend Australian the political party of which I have become a member, Australian Liberty Alliance, ran an advertisement titled “We will stop Islamisation”. I became a member some time ago because  I regard the threat of Islamisation as the most seriousness danger facing Australia and the western world – and ALA as the only party prepared to publicly advocate its elimination as a serious priority. I am not referring here to those Muslims who seek and lead a peaceful life but to those who advocate violence and/or who are prepared to commit violent acts. The latter are jihadists who seek the destruction of both western and peaceful Muslim societies.

The ALA says it“stands for individual liberty, small government, Western values, social fairness and an integrated multi-ethnic society. Our Australia has no place for big government, racism, moral relativism, divisive multiculturalism or tolerance for the intolerant. Migrants do not dream of a new life in Australia because we are a Socialist, Islamic or tribal society. Migrants come for the freedom, justice and prosperity only Western civilisation creates”(see ALA web site).

The decision by ALA to advertise its main objective comes at a time when there is world-wide discussion about the jihadist killings in Paris and Sanberdino Calif. as well as about the increase in either killings or plans to kill in other parts of the world, including Australia. This jihadism is occurring regardless of the risk to the killers: indeed it often seems that the killers regard his or her death as an inherent part of the objective. Importantly, three new incidents in Afghanistan appear to have involved a number of militants from the country (Pakistan) which has atomic bombs (in fact militant ISIL have been attacking the Taliban!). How long before we might see an atomic suicide bomber?

Regrettably, we now have a government and opposition whose leaders do not recognise the seriousness of the threat and who accept the mistaken view that the Muslim religion has made a major contribution to the improvement of life over time. Mark Durie, an Anglican preacher who has  studied that religion in depth (see his book The Third Choice), has drawn attention on Quadrant Online to the gross misinterpretation of the history of the religion by our current PM.

We should not be surprised perhaps if the Greens or Labor MPs in seats with numbers of Muslim voters make such  a misinterpretation: but it is of great concern when leaders of both main parties do it. And it is extremely worrying that Abbott’s critiques of extremism have been attacked as if they were invented. In the article below (and in a similar article by Greg Sheridan, both in the Weekend Australian) Chris Kenny rightly characterizes as hysterical the reactions to analyses by Abbott which portray an extremely worrying situation.

Both the Kenny and Sheridan articles emphasise the point I have made previously viz that the policy in handling terrorist threats must be determined by the government not by heads of security agencies. Yet today’s Herald Sun carries comments by the head of ASIO,  Duncan Lewis, warning against being too critical of the Muslim religion as that may impact negatively on ASIO’s access to information. Astonishingly, Lewis states that he doesn’t “buy the notion the issue of extremism is in some way fostered or sponsored or supported by the Muslim religion”. This is an extremely worrying comment by Australia’s top counter-terrorist (possibly prompted by Turnbull) and suggests he needs a refresher course on the religion by someone like Durie.

Also worrying is the reported reaction by Australian Defence Minister, Marise Payne, to the message apparently sent by US Defence Minister Carter to Australia and 39 other nations seeking additional help in fighting ISIS. Payne’s initial response is “we will respond to the US in due course” – not “we will see what more we can do to help destroy ISIS”.