An open and honest discussion about radicalisation cannot ignore the alienating impacts of racism and Islamophobia, starkly on display at this vandalised Muslim prayer centre in Brisbane.
AAP/Tertius Pickard
A frank debate about the causes of extremism and terrorism would acknowledge uncomfortable issues like the alienating impacts of racism, Islamophobia and Western military actions and foreign policy.
Islamic State billboards in Raqqa.
Reuters/Nour Fourat
Islamic State terrorism and propaganda are designed to provoke often predictable responses. We naturally respond with displays of outrage and solidarity, but we should beware the trap of division.
Calls for Islamic reform overlook the political motivations of extremism, and attack fundamental religious practices.
Elias Pirasteh
Australia should be looking at international best practice for early intervention programs targeting young people at risk of joining violent gangs and right-wing extremist groups.
Geert Wilders’ attacks on Islam rehash centuries-old Western Islamophobic slogans.
Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch
Australian is not Europe, and controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders did not find much of an audience when he last came here in 2013.
Acknowledging and strengthening the potential of the Muslim community is key to promoting a cohesive diverse society in Australia.
Muslim Women’s Welfare of Australia
Muslims in Australia need to be recognised as full and equal citizens whose faith is not an obstacle to citizenship.
Narratives of grievance are foundational to Islamic radicalisation. It may have helped motivate 15-year-old Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar’s actions.
AAP
Each individual case of radicalisation has its own characteristics. But the research has highlighted some patterns that may help to explain the dark world that is drawing in some Australian youth.
An aerial view of Mecca under construction.
EPA/SUZAN ESKANDAR
Far-right movements and parties in Australia will continue to create interest, given their policies and method of operation. Their future longevity, however, is by no means assured.
Saudi Arabia has been careful not to appear overly oppressive of groups like Islamic State for fear of antagonising its own constituents.
Reuters
Saudi citizens supporting Islamic State are not the result of a coherent plan directed by its rulers, but the overflow of a long-standing system used to maintain its domestic legitimacy.
Senior Research Fellow, Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at IUPUI and Journalist-fellow, Religion and Civic Culture Center, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University