Following up on a media release from Q Society, Australia's Channel Seven Today/Tonight current affairs program investigates how a local Melbourne council is spending taxpayer's money to further the cause of Islam.
Darebin council in Melbourne's east is using a $100,000 grant from the Federal Attorney General to employ an Islamic Outreach Officer. This role is to assist the Islamic Council of Victoria and the local Imam to re-educate the locals about 'real' Islam. As we hear so often, not only do the terrorists and fundamentalists misunderstand 'real' Islam; it's also the Christians, Jews, ex-Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhist, Agnostics and Atheists who misunderstand. In accordance with traditional Islamic theology, we all live in this state of ignorance.
Yet these funds were not to indulge Islamophiles to indoctrinate Australian citizens thought to be suffering Islamophobia. This grant money from the Attorney General's anti-terrorism program was to bring young Muslims at risk of radicalsation back into an appreciation of citizenship in mainstream Australian society.
This well-intended outreach to young Muslims has been turned upside down into a general promotion of Islam to the broader community; In our view a perversion of the good intent.
Will the current AG investigate? We won't hold our breath. Will the shadow AG take a closer look? We sincerely hope so.