Australia’s ban on Islamist group ‘comes at a cost’
Australia has banned controversial Islamist group Hizb ut Tahrir under laws passed after the Bondi massacre, but terrorism experts warn the movement could drive members underground.
Home Secretary Tony Burke announced the organization was listed as a banned hate group in the first use of tough powers late on Thursday.
“There’s a general acceptance among Australians that there is a level of hatred and dehumanizing language that leads to violence, even if they don’t use the word violence,” he told ABC radio on Friday.
It is now a crime to be a member of Hizb ut Tahrir, to recruit members, or to provide training, funding or support to the group.
Hate crime laws came into force following the December 14 terrorist attack on a Jewish festival in Bondi Beach, which killed 15 people and injured more than 40.
Other countries that have banned Hizb ut Tahrir include Muslim-majority countries such as Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The group rejects democracy and secularism and calls for the establishment of an “Islamic state.”
Terrorism researcher Levi West said Hizb ut Tahrir’s list could drive members underground.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” he told AAP.
“The upside is that listing restricts the group’s behavior, but that comes at a cost.”
Dr., a research fellow at the Australian National University. West said the listing did not address concerns that there were many people who believed in the ideas espoused by Hizb ut Tahrir.
“Responding to extremism is difficult and complex,” he said.
Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam accused Labor of “inaction” in its response to extremism.
“Hizb ut Tahrir has advocated some of the most appalling and disgusting approaches to how society should work, and has done so with impunity in our suburbs,” he said.
“They should have been shut down a long time ago.”
Australia’s gun rules have also been tightened as part of the government’s response to combat antisemitism.
When the mandates became law, the Albanian government stated that it planned to ban Hizb ut Tahrir and neo-Nazis who were part of the National Socialist Network.
The National Socialist Network disbanded the day before the laws came into force, to avoid falling foul of the law.
Welcoming the decision, the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council said the listing was “an important and necessary step in combating the spread of extremist ideology that threatens social cohesion, public safety and the core values of Australian society”.
Mr Burke said Australia had previously been able to ban groups only if they went all out in calling for violence and met the definition of a terrorist organisation.
ASIO chief executive Mike Burgess has previously said the two groups fell well short of definitions but believed they posed a real risk of providing a pathway to violence.
Australia’s Associated Press is the beating heart of Australian news. AAP is Australia’s only independent national news channel and has been providing accurate, reliable and fast-paced news content to the media industry, government and corporate sector for 85 years. We inform Australia.
