The Islamic Council of Victoria has said Muslim youth should be provided with taxpayer-funded ‘safe spaces’ where they can make ‘inflammatory’ and ‘frank’ comments.
Venting only reinforces negative behaviors; this bizarre request is a clear attempt to allow for jihad plotting, as Victoria’s premier Daniel Andrew pointed out:
“We’ve had a constructive relationship with the Islamic Council of Victoria but … proposing to create a space where people can just rant … this is a hate space. The notion you can safely, without being monitored, without being picked up by authorities, be involved in all the radicalisation we’re trying to diffuse makes no sense to me.”
While Australians remain at risk from jihad attacks, the Islamic Council is not only asking for “hate space,” but also claiming that suspicion of young Muslims is a human rights issue. Apparently murdering infidels is lesser issue for these Australian Muslims.
Furthermore, the Islamic Council is casting doubt on the fact that the deadly Melbourne attack was even a terrorist attack, stating that Yacqub Khayre was merely a confused man, even though he had prior training with the jihad terror group al-Shabaab and was placed into a state deradicalization program for six months before his attack, in another indication of the failure of such programs.
The Islamic Council of Victoria needs to be carefully monitored by authorities.
“Islamic leaders say Muslim teenagers should be given taxpayer-funded ‘safe spaces’ where they can make ‘inflammatory’ comments to help PREVENT them being radicalised”, by April Glover and Nelson Groom, Daily Mail Australia, June 8, 2017:
The Islamic Council of Victoria has said Muslim youth should be provided with taxpayer-funded ‘safe spaces’ where they can make ‘inflammatory’ and ‘frank’ comments.
In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into freedom of religion, Islamic leaders have demanded government funding for anti-terrorism and anti-extremism should be used to create the religious sanctuaries.
‘To create safe spaces urgently needed by Muslim youth to meet and talk about a range of issues in emotional terms, where they can be frank and even use words, which in a public space would sound inflammatory,’ the submission reads.
‘That they cannot express irony, humour, anger or joy in words and facial expressions that would make them a target for ‘surveillance’ is a cause for despondency leading to mental health issues among many.’
The Council also points out the inability for Muslim adherents to safely practice their religion without feeling subject to surveillance is a ‘human rights issue’.
‘There are human rights issues which restrict Muslim’s in Victoria and nationally to enjoy the same human right to freedom of religion or belief that other Australians currently enjoy,’ it said.
The submission calls on the government to advocate higher research and programs to address the rise of other non-Muslim extremism in Australia such as far-right groups.
Following Melbourne’s deadly siege on Monday which killed one innocent man, Victoria’s state government will discuss radical new anti-terrorism measures, the Herald Sun reports.
The ice-addicted gunman was shot dead along with innocent receptionist Kai Hao, 36, in a bloody siege for which the militant group claimed responsibility.
Despite police labelling it a suspected terror attack, the state’s peak Muslim body warned against inflaming tensions and branded the gunman ‘confused.’
The council said while there are debates over the gunman’s motive, it was clear had a long criminal record and a trail of violence.
‘We understand that the police are investigating this as a potential terrorist attack but note that the perpetrator himself appeared to be confused as to who he was acting on behalf, claiming allegiance to both ISIS and AlQaeda, known enemies.’
‘Whether this act was inspired by an evil warped ideology or was in fact the actions of a deranged violent individual, this does not change the reality that a horrendous crime was committed in which an innocent person was killed, a woman was held hostage, and police officers’ lives were put at risk.’
They warned against provoking tensions with the Muslim and Somali community’s, which could promote further attacks.
‘What we must avoid is sensationalising or somehow attributing unwarranted significance to these criminals because it exacerbates prevailing fears and tensions and potentially encourages copycat behaviour.’
‘We would also like to express our support to the Somali community who will be unfairly vilified because of the actions of this one man. They have made, and continue to make, an invaluable contribution to Victorian society.’….