VICTORIA'S MUSLIM COMMUNITIES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MELBOURNE 000092 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER PINR AS SUBJECT: VICTORIA'S MUSLIM COMMUNITIES REF: A) Melbourne 90, B) Melbourne 18, C) 08 Melbourne 117, D) 08 Melbourne 66, E) 08 Canberra 90 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Muslim population represents a very small percentage of the Victorian community, yet it spends a disproportionate amount of time in the news due to events like the August 4 arrests of six terror suspects in Melbourne and the 2008-2009 Benbrika terror trial. In Victoria, it is not fair to speak of one Muslim community, as national origin often trumps religious affiliation. Muslims here have generally integrated well, and where problems persist, the state government and NGOs are active. While more extreme views sometimes surface, Victoria's Muslim communities have historically responded by distancing themselves from these ideas and emphasizing their common Australian identity. End Summary. Not Just One Community -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In Victoria, it is not accurate to refer to a single "Muslim Community." According to Dr. Hass Dellal, Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, Victorian Muslims share religious beliefs, but they tend to distinguish themselves primarily on the basis of national origin. Ali Gurdag, a multicultural liaison officer within the Victoria police, confirmed that the "primary uniting factor is nationalism." Melbourne's heavily Muslim suburbs bear out this trend, with shops and restaurants from specific countries clustered closely together. Gurdag went on to say that Shi'as, in particular, tend to trade and worship exclusively in their neighborhoods. However, post noticed during several visits to Melbourne's suburban mosques that those praying represented a wide spectrum of ethnic origins. At the Albanian mosque, for example, those offering prayers were predominantly immigrants from North African and Gulf countries. ¶3. (SBU) According to the 2006 (the most recent) Victorian census, there are at least 110,000 Muslims living in Victoria, making up around 2.2 percent of the state's population. By contrast, nearly 60 percent of Victorians identify themselves as "Christians." Of those who considered themselves to be "Muslim," 38.1 percent identified as "born in Australia." (Note: Nearly 26 percent of Victorians were born overseas. End note.) Turkish Muslims are the next largest group, comprising 11 percent. Lebanese, Afghani, and Pakistani Muslims round out the top five, with 5.8, 4.6, and 3.5 percent respectively. Most of these Muslims identify as Sunnis, though more Shi'as have come to Australia recently. Ali Gurdag notes that Victoria is also witnessing an influx of African Muslims, particularly from Sudan and Somalia who contend with racism in addition to negative stereotypes of Muslims. The recently apprehended suspects in the August 4 anti-terror investigation hail primarily from Somalia (Ref. A). Community Policing -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Community policing represents a major component of the Victorian government's outreach with the state's Muslim communities. Victoria police's multicultural liaison unit was created just two days after the September 11 attacks. Liaison officers provide cross-cultural training to fellow police and engage with Muslim communities to preempt crime. Many of these officers are assigned to "high-risk" areas and disenfranchised neighborhoods. Sheikh Fehmi Naji El Imam, Australia's Mufti and General Secretary of the Islamic Society of Victoria (ISV),told post that the ISV meets weekly with the Victoria police department in order to share information on developments throughout the state. ¶5. (SBU) A police department program called "Rush Hour" seeks to "encourage Australian Muslims to join the police force" and is run in concert with a local Islamic youth association. The Summer Youth Program run out of Melbourne's Flemington suburb engages with Muslim youth and seeks to educate them about their "right and responsibilities" about living in Australia. This program is run cooperatively with Somali and Eritrean community organizations. The multicultural unit of the police force even reaches out to churches and synagogues to provide education on Islam. ¶6. (SBU) Muslim communities are very involved in this collaborative approach. In February 2009, seven members of a terrorist cell in Melbourne were sentenced for terrorist-related offenses, in large part due to tips provided by Victorian Muslims (Refs. B-E). Sheikh MELBOURNE 00000092 002 OF 003 Fehmi told post that a few months later, two of the men charged in the terror trial, but who were subsequently acquitted, played in an organized soccer game between Muslim communities and the Victoria police department. Fehmi went on to say that this was intended to "demonstrate that there were no hard feelings" toward the police. Dr. Hass Dellal told post that there is a strong sense of belonging in Muslim communities such that when issues like the Benbrika terror trial surface, "people push back." Dr. Dellal said that many Muslims living in Australia have come from troubled places and have no desire to bring that trouble to Australia. Other Outreach -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The multicultural police unit also meets with Joumanah el-Matrah, Executive Director of the Islamic Women's Welfare Council (IWWC) to discuss women's issues. (Note: The GOA has funded the IWWC since 1991. End Note.) The IWWC runs outreach programs such as teaching non-Muslim school children about Islam. The IWWC also provides literature to the general public that promotes tolerance and understanding. Many of these publications are created jointly with the GOA's Department of Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. ¶8. (SBU) Vahid Goga, President of the Albanian-Australian Islamic Association (AAIA) said that his organization raises charity money for disasters like the Victorian bushfires of February 2009, sponsors impoverished children in Africa, and funds water wells in Bangladesh. Goga said that members of his mosque meet with non-Muslim neighbors to inform them of upcoming events and holidays. He said this kind of proactive outreach helps to dispel misunderstanding and fosters a positive image of Islam. Importance of Young Muslims -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Post was told almost uniformly that the youth are making their presence increasingly felt in the Victorian Muslim communities. According to Vahid Goga, young people at his mosque are the most active in organizing and participating in community events; the youth sparked the mosque's involvement in the wildfire relief activities in February. At the Islamic Society of Victoria's Preston Mosque headquarters, Sheikh Fehmi told post that young Muslims comprise the majority of those who routinely come to the mosque for morning prayers. (Comment: Ironically, the Muslim youth are also the most at-risk for being introduced to extremist views. The men apprehended in the August 4 investigation are predominantly between the ages of 22 and 26. End Comment.) Muslim Response to the August 4 Arrests -------------- 10 (SBU) Joumanah el-Matrah noted that there is a growing realization in Muslim communities that the way to gain acceptance and understanding is through proactive outreach via publications and community programs. Immediately following the August 4 police raids around Melbourne, some of the leading Islamic associations released statements. The Australian Intercultural Society, an organization "committed to multi-faith dialogue," released a scathing statement on behalf of its members criticizing those involved in the conspiracy and assuring the Australian public that such extremist views are not permissible within the scope of Islam. The Islamic Council of Victoria sent a message urging its members to be vigilant of harassment and Islamophobia that have historically arisen out of the situations like the arrests. Issues Persist -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Victoria's Muslim communities are affected by many of the same problems impacting other minorities in the state. Joumanah El-Matrah said that the biggest issues facing Muslims are homelessness, lack of opportunity and domestic violence against women. El Matrah also said that racial violence, directed primarily at women, reached its peak following September 11 but has since declined. According to El-Matrah, Muslim women do not tend to come forward when they experience domestic abuse. Women from Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia are withdrawing from society and its pillars of support. The IWWA provides support and counseling to victims of crime. It has also attempted to provide outreach to Muslim men, but eventually abandoned the enterprise due to a lack of progress. Referring to what she considered to be discrimination, El-Matrah said that Muslims tend to have higher rates of MELBOURNE 00000092 003 OF 003 unemployment compared to other communities. Some Muslims, when filling out job applications, tend to use western names rather than Islamic ones; they hope that using such a name will increase their chances of being hired. ¶12. (SBU) In January 2009, Samir Mohtadi, a Melbourne-based cleric made public statements condoning rape within marriage. This provoked a universal condemnation by Australia's Muslim leaders. Prime Minister Rudd remarked "under no circumstances is sexual violence acceptable or permissible in Australia. The remarks do not stand up in modern Australia and he should stand up, repudiate them and apologize." Melbourne is also home to fundamentalist Sheikh Mohammed Omran who has been accused of radicalizing youth, including some from Somalia. Omran has publicly stated that Muslims were not responsible for the 9/11 attacks or the July 7 London bombings. According to Ali Gurdag, only in the last ten years have Muslims made inroads on the economic front. He said that high unemployment has generated feelings of disenfranchisement and ostracism. Some of those disenfranchised Muslims may gravitate towards Wahabism. Comment -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Events like the August 4 arrests, the Benbrika terror trial and Imam Mohtadi's comments have engendered a realization that Muslims must be pro-active in seeking understanding for what Sheikh Fehmi called the "world's most poorly understood religion." The members of Victoria's Muslim communities retain a sense of affinity with the rest of the Australian population; this stems from such a large percentage of Muslims being Australian-born. There are, however, veins of the population which share more conservative viewpoints, and which have difficulty balancing their faith and their obligations while living in Australia. Post visits to mosques confirmed this idea. Some fundamentalist Muslim groups do develop extremist views, particularly in Melbourne's poorer suburbs. However, the majority of Muslims in Victoria manage easily to be both devout Muslims and modern Australians. THURSTON