Persecution pushing young Australian Muslims to the margins of society, says leader

Islamic Friendship spokesman Keysar Trad says young Muslims in Australia feel persecuted. Photo: Jacky Ghossein

Young Australians are joining terror groups because their "blood is boiling" at domestic persecution and international atrocities committed by the West, a local Muslim leader has warned.

Keysar Trad, founder of the Islamic Friendship Association, told a university forum that his comments may be "dangerous" and "politically incorrect" but they were crucial to understanding why more than 200 Australians have taken up arms in Syria and Iraq.

In a scathing assessment of Australia's efforts to create a harmonious society, he said constant persecution, hypocritical Australian laws, vitriolic media and repeated invasions in the Middle East were pushing young Muslims "to the margins of society" and driving them to radicalisation.

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"Denying the root causes is like applying a Band-Aid to an open wound before cleaning and disinfecting it," he told an anti-radicalisation forum at the University of Western Sydney on Wednesday night.

Mr Trad, a controversial figure who described himself as a "roving imam", said he could understand why young Australians were driven to join Islamic State but he tried to convince them it was not the solution.

His comments were reflected in a recent study that found one in five Australian Muslims think terrorists have legitimate grievances.

The nation-wide survey of 800 Muslims, conducted last year by the University of Queensland, found that counter-terrorism policy in Australia was breeding anger, backlash, distrust and a siege mentality.

Mr Trad listed the Iraq invasions, the war in Afghanistan and the torture of Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo Bay as grievances for young Muslims.

Originally posted here:
Persecution pushing young Australian Muslims to the margins of society, says leader