The Case Against Deportation. By Zaina Cheema.
Growing up a devout Muslim, I spent years attending mosques and Islamic community centres across Sydney. I studied sharia law, memorised the Koran, performed the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and wore a hijab from the age of 12 to 29. … At university I joined student marches chanting ‘from the river to the sea’.
Now I truly understand the malevolent nature of anti-Semitism. …
A religion that for 14 centuries has been captured and run by its fanatics and extremists:
For decades secular Muslims have been forced out of Muslim communities for their divergent views and irreligious lifestyle. This has led to communities becoming more insular over time, where hardline and intolerant rhetoric creates a culture of exclusionism, racism, misogyny, homophobia and anti-Semitism.
We have seen the rise of Islamic extremism across the globe and Australia is in no way safe from that threat. In our society there are hateful men brainwashing their communities to murder civilians based on their religion and oppose the core values that make Australia an incredible country. …
Debate has been ignited across the nation following the hateful comments of brainwashed cleric “Brother Ismail”, who said: “The flag of ISIS and al-Qa’ida is the flag of the Muslim community.” Yet another cleric from the Al Madinah Dawah Centre, Abu Ousayd, also known as Wissam Haddad, has now posted a video denigrating Jews and justifying the impending end-times murder of Jews by Muslims quoting a religious prophecy. …
I remember when I was a practising Muslim, whenever I heard hate speech such as this reported in the media it filled me with shame and anxiety. I internalised the negativity and the Islamophobia directed at me. …
Since October 7 there has been a deafening silence across much of Australia’s Muslim community. Only a few have condemned Hamas. In my view this highlights the dangerous rise of political and radical Islam. …
Sheik Ibrahim Dadoun, a mainstream preacher and key member of United Muslims of Australia, stoked raucous crowds with a tone of elation and celebration following the murderous actions of Hamas. …
Jihadist groups prey on Australian religious communities. Their game is simple: to isolate vulnerable individuals from the wider community, radicalise them and then use them to further their own political agendas. It’s worth exploring their sources of funding. It’s also vital these extremists feel the full weight of the law, and law enforcement works to update our counter-terrorism laws to prevent this type of violent hate culture and civil unrest in Australia. …
I do not agree, however, with the deportation of religious extremists. These jihadists must be studied and deradicalised if we are to deal strategically with the broader risk of extremism and security. Many former radicals, including “son of Hamas” Mosab Hassan Yousef, have become the greatest activists against extremist Islam. Yousef’s father, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, was a co-founder of Hamas. …
Our Muslim youth — who often feel caught between Australian values and what’s being preached to them — must know they are Australian. They must know they were born here, that they’re part of the fabric of our country and that they are loved. We must not allow fanatical clerics to convince them otherwise.
See the case for, here.
