WESTERN AUSTRALIA MUSLIMS WORRY THAT MOSQUE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CANBERRA 001628

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP AND DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL PTER AS
SUBJECT: WESTERN AUSTRALIA MUSLIMS WORRY THAT MOSQUE
SHOOTING INCIDENT MAY BE LINKED TO NATIONAL DEBATE ON
INTEGRATION

Classified By: Perth Consul General Robin K. McClellan


1. (C) Summary: West Australian police told Perth Consul
General privately that they have no firm leads on the
September 29 drive-by shooting at a northern Perth mosque, in
which a single bullet narrowly missed women and children
among the 400 worshippers at a Friday night service. No one
was injured in the incident. Federal and state officials,
including the Prime Minister, have expressed outrage at the
shooting and the state government has offered to help fund
increased security measures at mosques. Some observers have
queried whether the shooting represents and escalation of
anti-Muslim sentiment that may have been fueled by recent
public debate over the perceived lack of integration of
Muslim immigrants into Australia. End Summary.

Bullet Fired into Mosque Service
--------------


2. (U) A shooter fired a single bullet from a stationary car
into a second floor window of a Mosque in Mirrabooka, a
northern Perth suburb, during evening prayers on September

29. The bullet traveled 79 meters from the curb through a
second story window of the mosque, passing through the
gallery in which the community's women were praying, and
another 11 meters within the mosque to lodge in an opposite
wall. More than a hundred women and children were in the
gallery, and the bullet passed between two praying women, one
of whom is the current president of the Western Australian
Islamic Council (Noorul Islam Society) and the principal of
one of the campuses of Perth's Australian Islamic College.
According to the mosque's leaders, the worshippers completed
their service, but were very shaken by the event.


3. (C) Several children were playing outside the mosque at
the time of the shooting. They and two adults who were
accompanying them witnessed the incident. Police have
publicly stated they believe the shot came from a
high-powered rifle, fired from a green four-wheel drive
vehicle. The Imam at the mosque, a close contact of the
Consulate General, has told us that no casing or other debris
were recovered from the road, and that the bullet was so
destroyed by impact with the interior mosque wall that police
were not able to gather further information from it. One
police contact has told us that investigations to date
suggest that the incident was a "one-off" target of
opportunity shooting, but they have not yet developed any
firm leads.

Raises Concern in Muslim and General Community
--------------


4. (U) The attack, which occurred during the Muslim fasting
month of Ramadhan, has raised considerable fear and outrage
in the WA Muslim community. Mosque leaders believe the
attack was religiously motivated. The Mirrabooka mosque had
been the object of previous low-level attacks, including
graffiti and rock-throwing. The WA state government has
announced it will help provide funds for a security upgrade
for the premises.


5. (U) State and federal officials were quick to show support
for the mosque community. Federal Parliamentary Secretary
for Multicultural Affairs Andrew Robb participated in a small
October 5 fast-breaking reception at the mosque, as did the
area's representative in the State Parliament and the head of
the Department of Immigration's Perth office. (The Consul
General also attended the event.) The state Minister for
Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Tony McRae,
announced that the state government would work with police
and local government to increase safety at all mosques.
Prime Minister John Howard also condemned the shooting.

Comment: Incident Comes Amid National Debate over
Integration of Muslim Immigrants
--------------


6. (SBU) At least one prominent WA Muslim has commented that
the mosque attack represents an escalation of anti-Muslim
sentiments that have been fueled in recent months by public
debate over the integration of immigrants into Australia.
Media coverage of the debate has highlighted comments made by
PM Howard that some groups of Muslim migrants in particular
have failed to learn English and accept common "Australian"
cultural norms, such as equal rights for women. Similar
concerns that Australian Muslims are being "singled out and

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marginalized" by political leaders were aired a week later at
an academic symposium hosted by the Centre for Muslim States
and Society at the University of Western Australia.


7. (SBU) Background: The Mirrabooka mosque is one of Perth's
most tolerant and ethnically diverse. A substantial number
of worshippers are originally from South Africa, but other
ethnic communities are also represented. The former
president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils
and current chairman of the federal government's Muslim
advisory board, Dr. Ameer Ali, who recently caused a stir by
stating that the Koran (which some Muslims believe is the
literal word of God) should be "reinterpreted" for today's
society, attends Mirrabooka mosque services. (Note: Press
coverage of his statement occurred after the shooting, not
before.) The Imam of the mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Agherdien,
is also a professor at the Australian Islamic College. He
played a pivotal role in the successful visit earlier this
year of Imam Yahya Hendi, a speaker sponsored by the Embassy
and Consulate General under the Visiting Speakers' Program.

MCCALLUM