Tony Iltis
Since the July 7 bombings in London, Australian politicians and media have increased the tempo of their anti-Muslim scaremongering campaign, including attacking the very concept of multiculturalism. While this creates the danger of an increase in hate crimes, Sheikh Issa Musse, spiritual leader of the Horn of Africa Muslim community in Melbourne, told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that, so far, the Australian community has remained more enlightened than its leaders.
"Fortunately, I have not heard of any backlash at the expense of the Muslim community", he said. "Australians are more mature in understanding the game of the day. They understand that Muslims are being victimised so they don't want to take part in that ... I think this rhetoric about the end of multiculturalism is another attempt to drive a wedge between the Muslim community, on the one hand, and the rest of the community."
The introduction of repressive legislation poses a more immediate danger, he said. "Over the last two to three years we've been hearing about'anti-terror' laws and now there are more measures. Many freedoms are being taken away and we don't know exactly what the laws contain." He pointed to the government's lack of consultation as a major factor in increasing the fear of the community.
Sheikh Issa Musse was scathing about the Australian Labor Party's efforts to out-do the Coalition's in inciting fear. "The Labor Party, I think, has nothing to offer. We now count on the opposition from within the Coalition", he said, referring to Petro Georgiou and other Liberal backbenchers' push to amend the harsh refugee policy.
A common refrain from major party politicians has been for Muslim community leaders to "do more" to "counter extremism". But Sheikh Issa Musse says he doesn't understand what they mean.
"We always tell the community the best way to integrate into the multicultural life of this country. That's what our job is: to tell our community to do their work and take their part in nation building. That's already a responsibility our religion teaches us. I don't understand when the politicians say that community leaders are not doing enough".
Sheikh Issa Musse said that if community leaders heard of anyone planning violence, they would report it. "To my knowledge, the community hasn't got anything important to report."
It has become part of mainstream media orthodoxy that Muslim immigrants bring "values" that are somehow incompatible with democracy. Sheikh Issa Musse disagrees. "I think we just need to assure Australians that the Muslim community has no bad intentions. They came here to live in peace; they come from countries that are not stable, have no freedom and no democracy.
"Islam has its own democracy; all the freedoms, the good principles that democracy offers are there in Islam. But unfortunately Muslim [rulers] don't always apply them ... So when Muslims come to countries like Australia, they want to understand how democracy functions. Maybe later on they will want to go back to their countries and change them into democracies."
Sheikh Issa Musse pointed out that attacks on civil liberties in the name of "fighting terrorism" mean that "democracy itself is being betrayed". "That's not going to help", he concluded.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, August 24, 2005.
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