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Terror a nightmare ‘of our creation’

The threat of homegrown terrorism, such as the plot thwarted on Thursday by the largest anti-terror operation in Australia’s history, is a problem of our own making, according to terrorism experts.

Following raids on residences in Sydney and Brisbane, which led to the arrests 15 people and terrorism-related charges against one man, Global Terrorism Research Centre director Greg Barton said Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War has magnified this threat.

This war was “the big mistake of the last few decades,” Professor Barton said, and there is “no question” the Islamic State (IS) grew out of the ashes of the “bungled” and “foolhardy” invasion.

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Australia took a leading role in the 21-day invasion of Iraq in 2003 alongside the US, UK and Poland to depose the regime of tyrant Saddam Hussein, and kept up its combat troop presence until 2009 in an effort to stabilise the country’s fledging democracy, which is now all but overrun by IS.

Prior to the US-led invasion, Iraq under Saddam Hussein was free of extremists. The power vacuum left in the wake of his demise created “perfect storm conditions” for the rise of ‘Al Qaeda in Iraq’ and its even more bloodthirsty successor (IS), Professor Barton said.

“We are reaping the whirlwind we sowed back in 2003,” Professor Barton said.

“To put it in context, we would still have a terror problem if Iraq had never occurred … but the magnitude of the problem we’re facing now is coming directly out of what happened in Iraq.”

IS TERROR SUSPECT RAIDS

A suspect is guarded by police during the raids. Photo: AAP

‘Clear links’

This is also the position of Grand Mufti of Australia Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad, who in a recent statement said there is a “clear link” between foreign wars and radicalisation, and warned against repeating the mistakes made in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The Australian government must reconsider its support for the military offensive in Iraq,” said Dr Mohammad, who represents the Sunni branch of Islam which IS claims to follow.

“The obvious lessons from previous misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been learnt. The people of this region must be allowed to sort out their problems without Western military interference.”

Australian National University’s Dr Clarke Jones, an expert in terrorism and radicalisation, agreed that Australia becomes a bigger target the more it supports the US and the more it gets involved in overseas conflicts.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s harsh budget measures, which slashed services important to ethnic minorities, and his ‘Team Australia’ slogan are also to blame, Dr Jones said, for the way they marginalised the Muslim community.

“I know there are ongoing community engagement programs, but I wonder, have we done enough? I suggest we haven’t if we’re starting to see major raids and significant numbers of supporters of IS in Australia,” Dr Jones said.

Centre for Muslim States and Societies director Professor Samina Yasmeen, a researcher on Muslim militancy, agreed that exclusion breeds radicalisation.

History of violence

Since the 1980s, militancy has been blamed on recent foreign policy events – everything from events in Palestine to September 11, the Iraq War and the conflict in Lebanon. These events are relevant, but “equally explainable” is the focus on Islam as “the other” and blaming Muslims as “the problem,” she said.

The Prime Minister continues to use the term ‘Team Australia’, but has repeatedly stated that terrorism should not be equated with the Islamic religion or the Muslim community.

“This isn’t about peoples’ religion, it’s not about what people wear, it’s about potential terror attacks here in Australia and that’s what we’ve got to guard against,” Mr Abbott told the media on Thursday.

Muslim leaders, at home and abroad, have reiterated this message.

The Australian National Imams Council said in a statement Australians have nothing to fear from “true” Muslims, and denounced the Islamic State as “criminals” whose murderous actions have nothing to do with Islam.

“Since the ISIS group was established we have been very clear about denouncing their lies and betrayal of our faith,” the statement said.

On Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s top religious body warned Muslims against joining militant groups, saying their “deviant doctrine” has no place in Islam.

The council of Senior Ulema, a group of top Muslim scholars, said it was prohibited under Islamic sharia law to join the fighting.

“Terrorism… has nothing to do with jihad (holy war) in the name of Allah,” the council said in a statement.

—with AAP.

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