"Muslims should" by a Muslim

A challenge for Australia's Muslims

As a state legislator and as an Australian Muslim it distresses me to say that the London bombings should be a wake-up call to the Australian Muslim community, and to the Australian nation as whole. The brutal fact is that bombs like those used to murder in London could have been and, could still be, detonated here in Melbourne.

The profiles of the London bombers are all too familiar to any person who has been involved with the Muslim community anywhere in the Western world. It's a common story: young Muslim men discover Islam after leading a life of vice: drinking, gambling, meddling in drugs, womanising, then suddenly, without any warning, they are engrossed in Islam.

The initial transformation or conversion appears positive due to the disappearance of the past negative behaviour. For the overwhelming majority of these people, the acceptance of Allah brings about an inner peace and tranquillity that really is remarkable. In this case the conversion has been positive for society.

However, for a small minority, conversion brings to the surface in the individual a ferocious anger and zeal. Not satisfied to keep their newly found spirituality to themselves they constantly push it down everyone else's throat (causing grief particularly to non-practising Muslims). They constantly condemn the "decadence of the West", and are obsessed with the political injustices suffered by the international Muslim community.

The rhetoric is always the same. In fact, the template conspiracy theories perpetuated by the extremist left and right throughout the world get a good work-out. Zionist plot to take over the world, IMF, United Nations, etc - the lexicon is the same as that of any other lunatic extremist group.

These people appear to be vulnerable to brainwashing by charismatic zealots who inculcate them with a cult-like mentality.

Within the Australian Muslim community I have come across a number of former extremist Marxists who have converted to fundamentalist Islam. These people could not just maintain a moderate position between Marx and Muhammad - it seems it's all or nothing with them.

Until two weeks ago, I did not believe the rhetoric of these brainwashed fanatics would ever be matched by action. I thought that al-Qaeda operations would be too sophisticated for them and I believed that, ultimately, underneath the rhetoric, they were rational enough not to throw away their comfortable lives in the West. Unfortunately I was very wrong.

The challenge for the Muslim community now in Australia and other parts of the Western world is to stand up to these psychopaths. Muslims must say enough is enough - we will not let a small lunatic fringe hijack the Muslim religion.

The Muslim community must weed out those that advocate violence or incite hatred of other sections of the community.

The Government should be pro-active in ensuring that Islam is mainstreamed, and that a version of Islam that is compatible with Australian society is propagated. This goes against the grain of our secular system of governance - but if the Government does not act other sinister forces will move to fill the vacuum and, I fear, poison the minds of our citizens.

The State Government's much-maligned racial and religious vilification law should be vigorously enforced against Muslims vilifying other religions. The events in London are justification enough for tough action to stop faiths vilifying and inciting hatred against each other.

On the other hand, the state should not succumb to the temptation of viewing Islam and Muslims as subversives or a fifth column for potential aggressors.

Islam is a religion of peace; however, disturbed individuals commit criminal activity under the name of Islam - Muslims should recognise that and act to weed out the bad apples.

Adem Somyurek is the Labor Party MP for Eumemmerring.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/a-challenge-for-australias-muslims/2005/07/20/1121539028935.html?oneclick=true