Preventing the radicalisation of our youth

Mi110,it;1 Ajfairs. He states here that scare spon sors hi p of moderate Islam neglects tl1e broader context of Muslim experiences, which is marked b y socio-economic und er-privilege and political alienatio n

I

Ne - ,vs that up to 150 Austt:alians could be fighting in Syria and Iraq for the extreme radical militant group ISIS is indeed concerning for all Australians. The Australian government, law enforcement agencies and, more importantly, tl1e community need to cake steps to prevent former radicalisation of o ur youth.

The Federal Govern ment has in the past sec aside fun ds, such as up to $700,000 in 2013 for community progran1s, co tackle e.xtrem ism To an extent it seems robe workin_g but it can be questioned if more can be done.

The challenge not only in volves what needs to be done with those of Australian origin who are currently involved in tl1ese jih adist activities, but tl1ere are also concerns of hmv ro integrate them with society when they remrn ratl1er tl1an allow furtl1er proliferatio n of extremism in the country.

To combat such .radicalisation both Stace and Federal governments need to m ove decisiv ely

An insigh c in meeting iliis challenge is given by Shahram Akbarzadeh in his 2013 article ' Investing in Mentoring and Educational lnici.atives: The Limits of DeRadicalisation -Programm.es in Australia,' which appeared in d1e Joumal rf lviwlitJJ

These experiences marginalise Australian Muslims and make die m vulnerable co extremist ideas. Thi s pattern is most evident an10ng the youth, whose sense of self is stiU in Aux, says A kbarzadeh.

Youth in our communi ties are still trying to find t heir place between d1e country of their parents' birtl1 and mat of their own upbringing. T he s hare o f Indian-born Muslims is 2.1 % according co the 2011 Census and 5 6% for Pakistani-born :tvluslims

From the commmtit:y point of v iew, iLis im portant tl1at we ad dress tl1ese i ssues so as to educate and franchise OLU· youth be tter.

\l(Thile Australia is home co them, their sense of identicy is still h)1)hen ated as th ey are referred co as Indian-Australians, S ri Lankan-Australia.ns or Pakistani.Australians To t he educated classes, these distinctions can b ill[ w ith time. For tl1ose who may be from a Jess advantaged socioeconomic background however a nd are on d1e fringes of religious marginalisation from die mainstt·eam, thtcre is more susceptibility to the pressures of the radicals wi thin their society

As the youth go searching for answers, those who can incite ratl1er than excite them about life should answer their questions

The 9 / 11 attacks, the London bombing,

AUTHORISED the Mumbai attacks and the Boston Marathon bomb ings are all examples of you th go ne astray when their desire to believe is greater than their capacity co judge good from tbe bad.

Society needs co step in, and acceptance bas co be the keir. .Media, both social and traditional, has to be more accepting of d1e differences between peoples.

Political leaders need to aUow for more inclusiveness in tl1eir policy programs ratl1er t han jllst m ake token gestures. Businesses have ro step Llp the educational campaigns to convey die benefits of diversity.

In. view of iliis, Attorney Gen eral George Brandis' intention co repe.--il section 1 8c of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 is clearl y wrong. le is the right of indiv iduals from all walks of life co feel free and protecte d fro m unfair discrimination based o n race The government needs to retain section l8c of the Ace, which mal, es it unlawful for people to vilify otl1ers on racial grounds. Any repeal of chis act can send our society backwards.

The R acial Discrimination Act helps create a fairer Australia for all, and stops inclividuals from offending, insulting, humiliating o r intimidating another person or a group of people, based upon race, colour or national or etlmic origin.

The problem of m arginalised yo utl1 in our migrant com1muuties could pose serious security concerns and so needs to be han dJed sensitively.

Community acceptance and respect of eacb ocher will be an important platform in this end eavour.

STAGE

North Indian classical

Wed 16July

Debash i sh Bhattacharya, Grammy Award nominee and architect of the Hindusanti slide guitar, will perfor m at Arts Centre Melbourne for one night only. Performing with Sukanya Bhattacharya on vocals and brother Subhasis Bhattacharjee on tab l a, this virtuosic trio will perform a suite of North Indian classical songs with a twist, in a display of stunning musicality

Detail s: www multiculturalarts com au or office@multi culturalarts com au

Bollywood Dance

Sat 26 July 7.30pm - 1am

Annual Bollywood Dance presen ted by the Melbourne Rangers Club. Tickets must be pre-purchased. Held at Gaelic Park Hall, 324 Per ry Road, Keysborough.

BYO drinks

Detai l s and tickets: Jenny Gray 0438 092 909 or Glaxton Saunders 0418176 501