Former prime minister Scott Morrison’s stark warning about radical Islam in Australia has been praised for being “absolutely right”, while the imams who rubbished his warning are accused of creating a “protection racket” for extremism.
A former Liberal senator told Sky News Rowan Dean on Friday the opposition should rally behind Mr Morrison’s banner to confront Islamic extremism.
It came after Mr Morrison sent a strong message to the Albanese government and Muslim imams alike to be more vigilant about Islamic extremism festering in Australian communities.
The World According To Rowan Dean is available to watch for SkyNews.com.au Subscribers.
“Given the specific involvement of radicalised extremist Islam in the Bondi terrorist attacks, Australia’s response must pay explicit and specific attention to this issue,” Mr Morrison said at a major antisemitism conference in Israel on Tuesday evening.
“I am advocating reforms I believe will help religious leaders in our Islamic community keep the wolves from their flock.
“To treat such issues as taboo serves only those who wish to keep these influences opaque and in the dark, where our two homegrown extreme Islamist terrorists were radicalised.”
Former Liberal senator Hollie Hughes said Mr Morrison was “absolutely right”.
“What Scott Morrison said is what should be being said by the opposition constantly,” Ms Hughes said.
“Sussan has pointed out radical Islam and spoken about it. I haven’t heard too many of her colleagues – and I know Andrew Bragg made a comment about it – backing Scott Morrison’s speech.
“I think what Scott said was absolutely right. And how anyone can object to it, is beyond me.”
Ms Hughes said no one was demonising Islam “in its entirety”, there should be an open focus on extremism and radical elements which were allegedly responsible for the Bondi massacre.
“How can you find a fence after what happened at Bondi, after the consistent antisemitic attacks that we have seen since October 7 in this country?” Ms Hughes said.
She added there was potentially a “protection racket” being run by the imams who have since come out against Mr Morrison, calling for an end to terms such as “radical Islam” and “extremist Islam”.
“It just shows there’s, in my view, potentially a protection racket being run by the imams,” Ms Hughes said.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) accused Mr Morrison and Liberal Senator Andrew Bragg of being “reckless” for calling on Muslim leaders to “take responsibility” for Islamic extremism in Australia.
“Associating terrorism with Islam is wrong, rejected, and has no factual or moral basis. We cannot and must not blame entire communities for the actions of a few criminal individuals,” ANIC said.
ANIC said the recent comments by Mr Morrison, calling on Muslim leaders to undertake “wholesale reform” and to take “accountability and responsibility” to address “political Islam”, were “reckless, irresponsible, and deeply ill-informed”.
Ms Hughes said it was “beyond me” that Mr Morrison’s speech was being criticised by certain imams as well as the Albanese government.
“Their reaction to Scott’s speech, that there shouldn’t be a register of preachers, that they shouldn’t preaching in English, that they should be in order to the curriculum to make sure that antisemitism isn’t being taught in schools. I mean, this is just fundamental stuff.
“It’s just beyond me that this is coming under so much criticism from the government.”
Mr Morrison’s speech was also rebuked by Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly, who is Muslim and a counterterrorism expert.
“I think it’s incredibly irresponsible, and I also think it’s incredibly disappointing, because it draws on historical stereotypes and a historical trope that continually puts the blame and responsibility and the burden on Muslim communities whenever there is any form of a terrorist attack,” Ms Aly told the ABC.
“The Muslim community leadership was among the first to go out, come out and condemn the acts of the terrorists in Bondi last year.
“They were among the first to wrap their arms around the Jewish community.”
Ms Aly said Mr Morrison’s speech sought to “sow seeds of discourse”, calling his remarks “absolutely abhorrent” which should be “rejected”.
The Albanese government passed new legislation – which was backed by the Liberal Party – to take action against hate preachers, however the laws have received significant criticism for limiting free speech.
The Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Act makes it a civil offence to “offend, insult, humiliate, or intimidate” a person on the basis of their race, which former speaker of the house Bronwyn Bishop argued was meant to “stifle debate about radical Islam”.
“That was what it was meant to do. That’s what you’ve got to understand,” Ms Bishop told Dean.
“If you read what is written by part of the Islamic community, they want the definition of terrorism changed. They don’t want it to be motivated by religious or ideology.
“They want it be politically motivated.”
Ms Bishop said the legislation was not hate speech laws, but “blasphemy laws”.
“We got rid of those centuries ago. It’s just got to stop, and that’s why that legislation was so bad,” she said.
“Once it gets before the courts, how do we know which way it’s going to go? So yes, everybody is potentially under threat.”