Last night the outgoing head of ASIO (one of our domestic intelligence agencies) suggested that the ‘threat’ warning of terrorist activity in Australia may be raised this week. This follows a similar move by Britain last week.
We should all be concerned about the growing unease in parts of the world and the potential impact it has here in Australia. We now have jihadists and other Islamists leaving our shores to fight with the barbaric ISIS trying to re-establish the Islamic Caliphate.
Most people will dismiss this group as a fringe element (which they are) and a tiny minority of the Muslim population (again very true).
However, in order to better counter this growing threat it is incumbent on political leaders and others to understand why they are doing what they are doing.
The apologists will say it is because they are disenfranchised in Australia due to their inability to find jobs or have been subject to ‘racism’ on account of their religion. That sort of logic is right up there with the Greens maintaining that we shouldn’t call the beheading and suicide bombing marauders ‘terrorists’.
To truly understand the motivation behind their actions we need to look at the ideology they claim supports it.
All of these men are followers of fundamentalist Islam which regards Muhammad as the perfect Muslim and his words and deeds as the perfect example for other Muslims to follow. Thus their preachers look to the Hadith as well as the Quran for guidance in what to do and how to act.
The Hadith is perhaps best described as the teachings, words and deeds of Muhammad which were compiled around or after his death. This forms the basis of Sharia law.
By all accounts there are differing versions of the Hadith for the major strands of Islam – Sunni and Shi’a – but they both purport to represent a guide for other Muslims to do as Muhammed did and said.
It is also important to understand that an overwhelming majority (around 64 per cent) of these texts deal with what could be termed the ‘political’ aspect of Islam, such as rules for society, social interaction, legal code and how individuals should be treated within the community.
According to these legends the world will unite under Islam and be at peace – as long as we all convert and submit to Islamic law.
It is this political aspect that the butchers of ISIS and their ilk are seeking to establish in the Middle East.
Regretfully there are others much closer to home who are seeking the same thing here. It wasn’t long ago that we had protests in Sydney where a young child was holding a sign stating “behead those who insult Islam”.
Even some of the supposed mainstream Muslim organisations have lodged claims with parliamentary committees for Sharia law to be implemented in Australia.
There are many, many other examples that forewarned of the growing presence of Islamic fundamentalism in this country including burqas, Sharia beatings and hate speech but regretfully all have been virtually ignored or effectively dismissed by political leaders.
Indeed, when I have raised these matters repeatedly over the years I have been variously panned, counselled or told I was wrong by the media and colleagues alike. My only wish is that they were right. Unfortunately the growing body of evidence suggests otherwise.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
