Bill Shorten has condemned organisations that incite “criminal thinking” in vulnerable young people, comparing them to pedophiles who prey on Australia’s youth.
The Opposition Leader said he had “no time for organisations fomenting dangerous” ideas amid reports the 15-year-old who shot dead a police employee in Sydney on Friday attended the Parramatta Mosque before the murder, including for a service associated with the controversial political group Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
Farhad Khalil Mohammad Jabar is believed to have been radicalised through worshippers he met at the mosque where other teenagers are known to have sympathies for the terrorist group Islamic State.
Asked about the reports and if the government needed to take a new approach to this type of violent behaviour, Mr Shorten said: “If there are organisations in this country preying upon vulnerable young people, filling their heads full of murderous crazy nonsense, then those organisations are breaching their social contract with the Australian people.
“I have no time for organisations fomenting dangerous, criminal thinking in vulnerable young people. These organisations preying upon young people are a sort of political or a terrorist version of the pedophiles who prey upon young people too. It is just unacceptable.”
Mr Shorten has spoken to police investigating the murder and backed Malcolm Turnbull’s inclusion of the Muslim community in response to the tragic incident.
“When I look at the Australian Muslim community, I see Australians first and people of a particular religion second. I believe that the best way we can defeat terrorism craziness in all its evil forms is by working together,” he said.
“The worse thing we can do is start having majorities picking on minorities. Australian Muslims are parents first. They would be appalled and shocked by what they have seen.”
The Prime Minister again offered his and the government’s condolences to the family of Jabar’s victim, father-of-two Curtis Cheng, and said he intended to speak with his relatives today.
Mr Turnbull said it was too early to comment on whether Jabar was self-motivated in murdering Mr Cheng.
“Can I just simply say that we all of us need to be very aware of the way in which radicalisation can occur. Communities at every level, from families all the way up, should be alert to what young people are doing, what influences are impacting on young people,” Mr Turnbull said.
“This is an evolving problem, it is rapidly changing, and we need to be as nimble as our opponents.
“You have to be prepared all the time to examine the effectiveness of what you’re doing and be prepared to change and adapt to better take on your opponents.”
The government’s resolve to combat violent extremism was “absolutely undiminished”, he said.
source:theaustralian.com.au
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