Bringing the ISIS women and children home will make Australia safer
As a doctor, I need to explain why I am in Syria and assisting in efforts to bring children and their mothers back to Australia. So far, considering the sensitivities and for the sake of the children, I have chosen not to get involved in the political debates going on at home. But now, while I am still in the Middle East, away from my beloved Australia, I must explain my role, dispel misinformation and respond to a particularly flawed policy proposal that would make it a crime to assist in the repatriation of 34 Australian citizens trapped in detention camps in Syria.
This week my workplace in Sydney received bomb and death threats and I was horrified by the dog whistles I saw in the distance.
There have been numerous media reports about my mission – some true, some quite false. My relationships with innocent children trapped in Al Roj and Al Hawl detention camps go back more than ten years. In 2015, I publicly stated that these children were the first victims of their father’s terrible actions. We know that these men’s victims will be many, given their affiliation with a vile terrorist group like the Islamic State.
But a lot of misinformation has emerged in the last nine days. We were disappointed that we did not receive any assistance from the Albanian government in repatriating the families. Reports about my personal relationships with ministers, including Tony Burke and MPs, are irrelevant and the insinuations attached to these stories are completely false. Any efforts I undertake, including this comeback attempt, are solely my own.
We did not tell anyone in authority about our plans. We knew that a door on hinges had slammed shut in Canberra. We felt we needed to discover someone else.
I was particularly concerned on Monday when Opposition Leader Angus Taylor read out this proposal to all those who support the return of families. should be subject to criminal charges. Apparently this includes reputable and world-leading charities; It will include families and supporters of stranded Australians; It will include me.
This reminded me of how I was convicted in absentia by a Lebanese military court, on Hezbollah’s orders, for my work as part of Hezbollah. rozana.orgthat assists Palestinian healthcare practitioners and builds bridges between like-minded medical leaders in Palestine and Israel. The similarities to the coalition proposal are disturbingly similar.
The current hardline stance on both sides of the political fence wasn’t always this cut and dry. While our past efforts to help these stranded Australians were not always successful and were often met with disdain, the Morrison Liberal government and the Albanese Labor government in its first term did help repatriate some women and children. It was a matter of good policy and the fact that they were and remain Australian citizens.
I have been advocating for the plight of children since 2019, when I had dinner with then-prime minister Scott Morrison and immigration minister David Coleman. I also had dinner with the then home secretary, Peter Dutton, and he agreed to help repatriate eight children.
I provided informal medical consultancy to support the health of families trapped in difficult conditions in the camps. I gave medical advice on panic and asthma attacks, colds, tonsillitis, colds and other physical and psychological illnesses. As always, it is my job and duty as a doctor to support those in need. The situation these families face is catastrophic and life-threatening, especially for the youngest children and mothers with health problems.
After the Albanian government in 2022 Repatriated 13 children and four women Al-Roj, Australian organisations, citizens and I were afraid of the children staying in the camp. But this is how the political comeback happened; We were aware that there was no possibility of returning to another country, at least in the near future.
As is the right of every Australian, citizens – no matter who they are or where they are – can apply for and receive a new passport. This is a legal right and this is what is happening to the 34 women and children currently stranded in Syria. In my view, this does not constitute “state aid” in the repatriation of families. We would have asked for some help, but unfortunately it did not come.
Family members of those stranded living in Australia made incredible efforts to support their loved ones. At the center of this situation are people and innocent little children, some of whom know nothing except that the camps are surrounded by barbed wire.
We were all aware of the sensitivities following the horrific ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in Bondi on 14 December. This atrocity tore apart the fabric of Australia. Immediately afterwards, I paid my respects at the Bondi Lodge and at the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Fifteen innocent lives were taken. I wanted my fellow Australian Jews, my Australian friends, to know that their community will never be alone.
Meanwhile, we have become increasingly concerned that the situation in Syria will continue to deteriorate. We feared that if we did not act, it would soon be too late to act.
Australia will be safer in the long term if families can return to our shores in an orderly manner; where children can receive appropriate support and mothers can face any consequences for their unfortunate decision to travel to the Middle East – where relevant and in accordance with existing laws.
Children should not suffer the consequences of their parents’ bad behavior. Imagine if we spread throughout our nation the view that children should bear the brunt of their parents’ actions, just as we collectively allowed what happened to the children in Al-Roj camp. Ours would be a smaller nation. I don’t believe my home, Australia, has such bad intentions.
Jamal Rifi is a Lebanese-born Australian general practitioner living in Sydney. He is known for his community work, including his efforts to prevent the radicalization of young Muslims.
