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Australia PM warns about rising far-right extremism against Muslims

Thursday, 01 September 2016 1:26 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 01 September 2016 2:24 PM ]

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks to media in Sydney on August 10, 2016. ©AFP

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned against fomenting distrust of Muslims in the country amid parliamentary pressure to ban Muslim refugees and asylum seekers.

Speaking to lawmakers in the capital, Canberra, on Thursday, Turnbull warned about rising far-right extremism directed against Muslims.

"We cannot be effective if we are creating division, whether by fomenting distrust within the Muslim community or inciting fear of Muslims in broader society," Turnbull told parliament, adding, "Division begets division. It makes violence more likely, not less.”

The remarks come as Australian lawmakers are pressuring the premier to ban Muslim immigration and water down anti-discrimination laws.

The Australian government is set to introduce new legislation to parliament on tough anti-terrorism measures.

The bill will allow courts to keep prisoners beyond the completion of their term for fear that they may continue to pose threats. It will also introduce a new offense called "advocating genocide" that will enable the police to make an earlier arrest when someone is radicalizing others.

The Australian legal definition of combatants will be also expanded to include people supporting militants.

Australia has charged dozens of people with terrorism-related offences over the past two years, including some accused of planning mass attacks on the public.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the prime minister described the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group as the most pressing national security threat that Australians face.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also told parliament on Thursday that 110 Australians had joined ranks of Daesh and other militant groups in the Middle East.

The handout photo, released by the New South Wales police on December 10, 2015, shows a man (C) being arrested during a counter-terrorism operation in Sydney, Australia. ©AFP

She said that passports of 213 suspected militants had been canceled, while the government has refused to issue passports to another 24 people to prevent them from joining militant groups in Syria and Iraq.

A large number of Europeans and Westerners have gone to Syria to fight against the Damascus government. Fears are now growing that the militants, trained in Syria, may carry out terrorist attacks once they return home.

The UN assistant secretary general, Jean-Paul Laborde, said in early July that approximately 30,000 foreign terrorists were operating in Syria and Iraq, warning that the militants posed threats to their home countries upon their return.

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