Bangladeshi-born psychiatrist says the ABC is too focused on Islamophobia
Tanveer Ahmed says too many Muslim voices downplay Islam-terrorism link
The former SBS journalist says the Muslim victim message is very unhelpful
The specialist from a Muslim family says Islamic segregation feeds suspicion
He says the ABC needs to air Islam critics like Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi
A Bangladeshi-born psychiatrist says the ABC plays a role in radicalising young Muslim teenagers by over emphasising how they are victims of discrimination. Tanveer Ahmed, a cultural Muslim who moved to Australia when he was six, says the national broadcaster's obsession with perceived Islamophobia was often counterproductive. 'Often the voices they reach for reinforce that because their first instinct is to quell so-called Islamophobia,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Monday.
'It keeps feeding the message that none of it is their fault, that the West is in fact against them. 'It's inaccurate and doesn't get to the source of the problem. It keeps feeding grievance, it keeps feeding this idea of Muslim grievance so in that respect it's part of the problem. 'Terrorism is, at its heart, a conflation of personal resentments with a political ideology of resentment which Islamism is.' Dr Ahmed is a former SBS journalist who has also previously been a member of the federal government's Australian Multicultural Council. The 42-year-old psychiatrist, who has a practice in Sydney's west and visits prisons, called on the ABC to be wary of airing so-called moderate Muslims who downplayed the link between Islam and terrorism. 'There has been too much promotion of so called moderate voices of Islam who usually turn out be apologists for terrorism, desperate to dilute any link between terrorism and Islam and promoting a message of Muslim victimhood,' he said.
'They use voice after voice of from various religious Muslims, almost all of whom have identical views, that Islam has nothing to do with terrorism, Muslims are victims of racism and the real problem is racism and white nationalists.' In the wake of the United Kingdom's third terrorist attack in 10 weeks, Dr Ahmed said the mainstream media and politicians also needed to acknowledge terrorists were following the Koran. 'It's grounded in scripture. People who commit terrorism, they are actually more devout than many other Muslims. Their actions don't come out of thin air, they're following strict instructions,' he said. 'It's important we don't tarnish all Muslims but people are just so sick of the platitudes and calls for tolerance, for unity and that Muslims are victims when in fact there's a great deal of sympathy in a significant proportion of the Muslim community for the justification of terrorism be it blaming Western colonialism, blaming racism, discrimination.
'While terrorism's origins have many factors, Islamic terrorists, as heinous as their acts are, they are often merely doing what the scriptures are telling them.' He called on the ABC to air Adelaide Shia imam Mohammad Tawhidi, who calls for a reform of Islam and for Muslims to integrate into Australian society rather than self-segregate. 'He's actually very courageous in pointing the truth in Islamic scripture, they're the kind of voices we need more of,' he said. 'There needs to be a stronger focus on Islamic reformers who argue against the Koran being the literal, infallible word of God.' With the rise of One Nation and far-right groups like Reclaim Australia, which call for a ban on Islamic migration, Dr Ahmed said it was inaccurate to blame far-right political parties for Islamophobia.
'Phobia refers to irrational fear of Muslims. It's very difficult to suggest a fear of Muslims and terrorism is irrational in the current climate,' he said. 'The rise of white nationalists comes directly in response to Islamism, not the other way around. 'In no white nationalist text are there calls explicitly to kill their ideological enemies. 'They're channeling a legitimate and widely-held anxiety about Islam and mass immigration.' Dr Ahmed, who is a Liberal Party member, has praised British Prime Minister Theresa May's speech outside 10 Downing Street which said it was no longer acceptable to unduly focus on unity and preventing Islamophobia to combat radicalisation.
VIDEO: Uthman Badar compares the idea of concentration camps for Muslims:
'There is no longer an appetite for mere tolerance and a facile message of tolerance and unity,' he said. He believed Australia's Muslim population was better integrated than Britain's however he said local terrorism was still a threat, especially in areas of south-west Sydney where Muslims are concentrated. 'Where there are pockets of Muslims more prone to resentments there will always be a greater risk of terrorism,' Dr Ahmed said. 'The danger remains especially in enclaves where Muslims populations have stronger dependence on welfare, are more prone to crime and struggle to rise up the social ladder.' His call comes after Sheik Tawhidi said unchecked multiculturalism was to blame for the London terrorist attacks that have killed seven people.
The Adelaide Shia imam posted his call on Twitter following the London Bridge terrorist attack, that has killed seven people. 'Terrorism in the UK is growing week after week. Having extremists within our societies is not multiculturalism, it's suicide,' he tweeted to his 34,200 followers on Sunday. He also supports One Nation leader Pauline Hanson's call to ban Islamic migration.
The Iranian-born religious leader, who moved to Australia from Iraq aged 12, later told Daily Mail Australia 'unmonitored multiculturalism is to blame'. 'We need to make sure that those coming into the West really want to be part of the West,' he said. His calls comes after police in London shot dead three jihadist terrorists who had killed six people and injured at last another 48 during a van and knife rampage in central London. The sheikh took to social media as Senator Hanson tweeted: 'Stop Islamic migration before it is too late.'
Asked about her call, Sheikh Tawhidi said the idea had merit although he stopped short of advocating a ban on all Muslims. 'I support a temporary ban on Muslims coming from the Middle East,' he said. Sheikh Tawhidi said jihadists had a history of attending mosques that promoted sharia law - a hardline Islamic legal system derived from the Koran and the Hadith, covering the life of the Prophet Mohammad. 'The majority of mosques advocate for sharia law without removing the violent parts,' he said, adding the imam who preached to the three London terrorists needs to be held responsible. Tawhidi said he had not had contact with Pauline Hanson but would support any policy that strengthened national security. VIDEO - Sheikh Mohammad Tawhidi says his religion is infested with radicals:
'You need to investigate and shut down the mosque that this terrorist used to attend.' The 34-year-old imam said the political Left in the United Kingdom had allowed London to turn into Baghdad. 'The Left wants us to believe that terrorism is the result of unemployment,' he said. ‘Since when did humans blow themselves up for not having a job?' Armed police swooped on the London Bridge area of the UK capital after two incidents, which saw six people killed and dozens injured. It came after three jihadi terrorists killed six people and injured at least another 48 others during a knife rampage. The men 'of Mediterranean origin' had shouted 'This is for Allah' after they had mowed down 20 revellers in a white van hurtling across the London Bridge. VIDEO - Sheikh Tawhidi is abused on the streets of Lakemba in Sydney's west:
This article was originally published by The Daily Mail Online website, and the original posting can be viewed on their site by clicking here.